Optics and pride aren't the only things on the line when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head to Detroit for a Monday Night Football showdown with the Lions. Roaring out to a 5-1 start has sent vibes around the team into outer space, but there's still a lot to lose, and the margin for error is incredibly slim.
Look no further than what the current playoff picture looks like in the NFC for proof of that. Heading into MNF the Bucs have sole possession of the No. 1 seed, but they can tumble down the standings with a loss.
Tampa Bay was nearly gifted a break by the Arizona Cardinals, who failed to hold on and upset the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon. Had that happened, the Bucs would have gained two games on the Packers and had room to wiggle room to account for a stumble against Detroit, but that's no longer the case.
Making matters more stressful, that win by the Packers puts increased pressure on the Lions to make sure they don't lay a dud against the Bucs, as Detroit arguably has even more to lose than Tampa Bay if things don't go their way.
The playoff picture is fluid, and it's only Week 7, but things are slowly starting to come into focus and the Bucs will want to make sure they're on the right side of things as the dust settles.
Buccaneers have a lot to gain, and even more to lose, on MNF in Week 7
Here's a look at where things stand if the playoffs were to start today:
Playoff Seed | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
No. 1 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-1 |
No. 2 | Green Bay Packers | 4-1-1 |
No. 3 | San Francisco 49ers | 5-2 |
No. 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | 5-2 |
No. 5 | Los Angeles Rams | 5-2 |
No. 6 | Seattle Seahawks | 4-2 |
No. 7 | Detroit Lions | 4-2 |
If all of that holds, this is what Wild Card Weekend would look like, with the Buccaneers not needing to play thanks to owning a first-round bye:
- (2) Green Bay Packers vs. (7) Detroit Lions
- (3) San Francisco 49ers vs. (6) Seattle Seahawks
- (4) Philadelphia Eagles vs. (5) Los Angeles Rams
Obviously things will change and that could happen as soon as Monday night. Depending on what happens, the Bucs could end the night either in further control of the No. 1 seed or sink to the No. 3 seed and be forced to play catch-up.
Tampa Bay can get passed up with a loss to Detroit, but won't fall any further than the No. 3 seed. That's thanks to the win over San Francisco last week, which gave the Bucs a tiebreaker over the 49ers. Philadelphia, however, owns the tiebreaker over Tampa Bay, which means they'd move up along with the Green Bay Packers.
All of this is to say it's only Week 7 and playoff seeding won't be locked in for at least a month but it's never a bad thing to start doing the math. Tampa Bay can do itself a big favor by simply beating the Lions on Monday Night Football, as it would give them a one-game lead on the growing number of teams nipping at their heels to gain control of the No. 1 seed.
That's really the big takeaway from all of this. While the Bucs have gotten out to as hot of a start as we could have hoped for, the job's not finished and the margin for error is extremely narrow. A loss to the Lions won't be fatal, but it'll be a splash of cold water that dampens the hype but hopefully reminds Tampa Bay that it's as good as -- if not better than -- the teams hanging around the top of the NFC.