This wasn't exactly how Week 16 was supposed to go for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Heading into the weekend, the Atlanta Falcons were starting a rookie quarterback while the Bucs had a prime time matchup against an NFC team that had been eliminated from playoff contention.
Sure, the Falcons took on the worst team in football in the New York Giants. But, it was a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start, and anything could have happened.
Alas, the Falcons didn't have a problem defeating the Giants. But, the Bucs still had a chance to keep hold of the top spot in the NFC South. All they had to do was take care of business against the Dallas Cowboys and backup quarterback Cooper Rush.
Instead, the Bucs allowed a motivated Cowboys team to win in an upset on Sunday Night Football. Now, the 8-7 Bucs are tied with the 8-7 Falcons for first place, but because Atlanta owns the tiebreaker thanks to a better division record, Tampa Bay is currently out of the playoffs.
Fortunately, there is still plenty of hope with just two weeks of the regular season remaining.
Tampa Bay is still favored to win the NFC South even after losing to the Cowboys
Believe it or not, despite the Bucs falling out of first place and Atlanta owning the divisional tiebreaker, Tampa Bay still has better odds to win the NFC South and make the postseason.
Per DraftKings Sportsbook, the Bucs' current odds to win the NFC South stand at -135 after the conclusion of Week 16. Meanwhile, even though the Falcons are in first place, their odds are of the underdog fashion at +110.
More Bucs news:
Over the remaining two weeks of the season, Tampa Bay will host the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 followed by concluding the year with another home divisional game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 18.
Meanwhile, the Falcons travel to take on the Washington Commanders on Sunday night in Week 17 before they host the Panthers in Week 18.
If the Bucs beat both the Panthers and Saints, while the Falcons lose one of their final two games, then Tampa Bay wins the division ... and that's precisely what Vegas oddsmakers think will happen.
Now, whether the Bucs will sneak into the playoffs or storm in is another question. Hopefully, Tampa Bay does exactly what they're supposed to do against two lesser opponents over these remaining couple of games.