After their late-game collapse against the Bills, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers once again proved that they do not belong in the conversation with real contenders -- yet.
We've seen that this isn't a bad team, but until they can beat a Super Bowl-caliber team, it's hard to seriously consider them one themselves.
The Buccaneers were doing everything right. They led the Bills in the fourth quarter, and had scored 32 points on offense. But their collapse at the end of the game proved Tampa Bay is further from contender status than they might think they are.
The Buccaneers have four losses this year, at the hands of the Eagles, Lions, Patriots, and Bills. They lost to the four teams they've played who are better than them. Wins over the Seahawks and 49ers are only impressive when you consider that San Francisco was missing most of it's starting offense, and Seattle came a field-goal away from victory. After seeing the Rams dismantle both the 49ers and Seahawks, it's reasonable to question if either team are true playoff contenders either.
Tampa Bay next plays the Rams (8-2), who have looked unstoppable for the past month. If Tampa Bay loses to the Rams, they'd fall to 6-5 and would be at risk of losing their lead in the AFC South to the suddenly competent Panthers.
Of course, Tampa Bay can easily prove that they are contenders by defeating the Rams, but until they can win a game against a truly great team, it's hard to believe Tampa Bay is anything more than what they've been the past four years. A slightly above average team, capable of winning the weak AFC South, but not capable of making noise in the playoffs.
It's disappointing. After a 5-1 start, the Buccaneers were getting buzz as the No. 1 team in the NFL, and were seriously being considered as a contender for the top seed in the NFC. Since then, they've gone 1-3, and are likely about to make that 1-4.
Tampa Bay is running out of time to prove they belong in the discussion with the rest of the real contenders.