With Week 9 off, the theme for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is rest, reset, and relax before starting the second half of its season.
They'll need it, too. Coming out of the bye week Tampa Bay gets games against the Patriots, Bills, and Rams -- matchups that could wildly swing the NFC Playoff Picture one way or another.
With that being said, there are a few things that hold plenty of importance to Tampa Bay's season going forward. Here are three things Tampa Bay desperately needs to happen in Week 9 while they stay home.
The teams they need to lose, lose
Obviously, Tampa Bay will have no control over how the schedule plays out in Week 9, but they can hope.
The big game to watch is the Patriots and Falcons. If Atlanta defeats New England, it will add credibility to their win over the Bills, and put them on watch as a team that could threaten the Buccaneers in 2025. If Atlanta loses, they will likely be buried to far to come back this season.
The Panthers-Packers showdown presents a dilemna for Tampa Bay, but at the end of the day, the Buccaneers will benefit to see either of these teams lose. The Packers losing would give Tampa Bay at least partial ownership of the top seed, while a Panthers loss would again, likely bury the Panthers for this season. If Carolina wins, they'd be 5-4, one win behind Tampa Bay, but the Buccaneers still have two chances to beat them late in the season.
Bucs' injured stars gets healthier
The Buccaneers would love to get a few players healthier while on bye, particularly their receiving corps. Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Bucky Irving, and Haason Reddick are all dealing with injuries, and it's unclear when they'll return, but they are all expected to come back at some point this season.
While they might not all be back in Week 10, having a week off should hopefully speed up their recovery time, at least by a little bit. Plus, Emeka Egbuka, who was also banged up, will have a week to get healthier as well.
Jason Licht gets involved in the trade market
The Buccaneers could certainly benefit from making a couple of trades at the deadline. Particularly for an edge rusher or a wide receiver.
There are teams with players who might be available, but in a few cases, it might depend on how they do in Week 9. For example, a Bengals win would place Cincinnati at 4-5, and in enough contention that they likely would not consider trading Trey Hendrickson. If the Bengals lose, they'd be 3-6, and might be willing to move the star edge rusher.
Similarly, the Raiders might be willing to trade star receiver Jakobi Myers for the right price. Once again, it might depend on if Las Vegas loses this week at home against the Jaguars.
Ultimately, Tampa Bay just needs a couple teams to lose and consider selling off pieces next week.