After what can only be described as a total disaster in Detroit last Monday, things got off to a very helpful start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8.
It was the weekend of upsets and unexpected results, perhaps most notably with the Atlanta Falcons getting cooked at home by the one-win Miami Dolphins. The Falcons were starting to position themselves to potentially make a run at the NFC South crown if the Bucs stumbled, but those plans are on hold.
Losing 34-3 at home will do that. Atlanta went from being within striking distance of the Bucs to dropping to 3-4 on the season. Not for nothing, but the Buffalo Bills -- who failed to help Tampa Bay by beating Atlanta two weeks ago -- boat raced the Panthers to drop them to 4-4 on the year.
That means even of the Bucs lose on Sunday, they'll maintain a healthy lead in the NFC South, with a win putting even more distance between them and the rest of the division.
While the Falcons getting their doors blown off was satisfying on a number of levels, it wasn't the only important early result that broke Tampa Bay's way.
Down in Houston, the Texans took it to the 49ers, handing San Francisco its third loss of the season. Atlanta's loss gave the Bucs some breathing room in the NFC South standings but the tighter race is for a top seed in the NFC playoff picture, which is where the Niners losing was so great.
Heading into Week 8 the Bucs were behind the 49ers in the standings despite owning a tiebreaker over them. Without Tampa Bay even playing a snap, San Francisco's loss meant the Bucs moved up from the No. 4 spot into the No. 3 seed in the NFC, with more room to grow.
It's not possible for the Bucs to move back into the No. 1 seed this week, as the Eagles own the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay and a loss by Green Bay would mean Detroit moves into the No. 2 seed. But having the Niners fall means the Bucs have some wiggle room since the NFC West representative in the top tier of the standings is Seattle -- another team Tampa Bay has a tiebreaker over.
All of this is to say that it's only Week 8 and there's still a ton of football left to play. Last Monday's loss was a difficult pill to swallow but it was hardly the fatal blow that hot take artists made it out to be. While it was no doubt a step in the wrong direction, this Sunday proved that it'll take more than one bad game to throw the Bucs' season off track.