As if there already wasn’t enough for the Buccaneers to worry about, one of their opponents has a clear path to finally winning the NFC South.
The pain that has been this season is about to come to an end for the Buccaneers one way or another. Either the team makes it into the playoffs, likely struggles, and then moves on, or the team fails to reach the playoffs altogether by missing out on winning the division.
Yes, somehow that is in the cards.
At the end of the day, someone has to win the worst division in football. The NFC South this year is one of the worst divisions in a very long time, and while it may not be the boon that it was in the past few years, the Bucs are in a position to have the top spot fall out of their grasps to a growing Panthers team.
The Panthers have a clear path forward to stealing the crown from Tampa; beat the Buccaneers and the Saints.
It isn’t out of the question.
Carolina already beat the Buccaneers once this season and hadn’t even found their stride yet. Now, they have a bit more swagger and appear bought in. Putting together two more wins is not out of the question for Tampa’s division rival that came out of nowhere this season.
As much as it would hurt, this much happening seems right on par for what was coming to the Bucs all season with how they have played. This team never deserved to win the division, and nothing short of a dramatic turnaround over the final few games will put them in a position to go to the playoffs with Tom Brady and company.
It’s going to be an interesting few weeks.
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