The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have just three games left in the season, but a ton is still on the line as the margin for error narrows. Despite a four game losing streak earlier in the year, there are now more ways the Bucs make the playoffs than miss out, which is incredible to think about given how dire things seemed.
Sunday night's showdown with the Dallas Cowboys will be a nice measuring stick test to see just how different this team is. Typically we've seen the Bucs fumble their own momentum and take a game like the one in Week 16 in which they're clearly the superior team and play down to their competition.
It's been a frustrating trend to watch develop over the last few years, but Sunday night could be a chance to break free. A win over the Cowboys, on national television, would be the confidence booster that makes everyone feel better about the path Tampa Bay is on.
That path seems to be headed toward another deep playoff run.
Buccaneers rule out only one player ahead of SNF vs. Cowboys
As Greg Auman passed along on Friday, the Bucs are only ruling out one player, which is news that continues a week of excellent vibes around the team. The team officially released its final injury report late Friday afternoon, with some key updates on a few guys.
#Bucs now say TE Cade Otton (knee) and LB KJ Britt (ankle) are doubtful for Sunday night’s game at Dallas. S Mike Edwards (hamstring) is questionable. S Antoine Winfield Jr. and WR Kameron Johnson are out. pic.twitter.com/Xaz1mstYzW
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) December 20, 2024
This is more fantastic news for Tampa Bay, considering how rough things have been on the injury front. Every key player has missed some sort of time, whether it's a few plays like Baker Mayfield or multiple games like Mike Evans and Antoine Winfield Jr., the latter of whom is the only player officially out for Sunday. To have only one player out is a great step in the right direction for the Bucs to get as healthy as possible heading into the playoffs.
Not having Winfield is less than ideal, but it's proven not to be as fatal as it seems. The Bucs have played five games without Winfield in the lineup this year and have managed to win three of them, which is a testament to both the offense being able to take care of business but Bowles and his defensive staff for coaching up players lower on the depth chart.
The Bucs will have some key guys who popped up on the injury report earlier this week, though. Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans are both going to play and the fact that Cade Otton wasn't ruled out is a fantastic sign. He's a gametime decision, but his doubtful tag has two full days to peel off before a decision needs to be made on his status.
Winfield is a key piece of everything the Bucs want to do, not just on defense, and getting him healthy for the playoffs is a must. If Tampa Bay doesn't have him when games matter the most, it's going to make an already difficult uphill climb even steeper.
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