Things could not have gone better for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, and they didn't even have to play a single snap. After a big assist from the Seattle Seahawks, the Bucs are a win away from taking back control of the NFC South and are in a position to take a massive leap up the playoff ladder.
On Sunday the Seahawks marched into Atlanta and cooked the Falcons in a 34-17 blowout win. It was exactly the sort of help Tampa Bay needed as it, for now, propels the Bucs back into first place in the NFC South.
With a win tomorrow night against the Ravens, Tampa Bay would control first place with a chance to wrestle away a tiebreaker from Atlanta the following Sunday. This all comes two weeks after the Bucs blew an opportunity to get a leg up on the Falcons.
Tampa Bay still needs to take care of business, so we can't get too far ahead of ourselves, but the playoff cookie is crumbling rather deliciously in the Bucs' favor.
NFC Playoff picture and standings ahead of Bucs-Ravens on MNF
Keep in mind there's still a ton of football left to play, so things can and likely will change between now and the end of the season. That doesn't mean the cushion Tampa Bay creates won't end up being valuable later in the year.
The way the playoff picture is shaping up also serves as motivation for the Bucs to make sure they don't fall into any traps or take their foot off the gas as the build momentum. Based on how things shook out on Sunday, the Bucs would be the No. 3 seed if the playoffs started today, which is even more fuel in their tank for Monday night.
Playoff Seed | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
No. 1 | Detroit Lions | 5-1 |
No. 2 | Washington Commanders | 5-2 |
No. 3 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-2 |
No. 4 | Seattle Seahawks | 4-3 |
No. 5 | Minnesota Vikings | 5-1 |
No. 6 | Green Bay Packers | 5-2 |
No. 7 | Chicago Bears | 4-2 |
Tangentially, if the playoffs started today the NFC North would be the first division since realignment to send every single team to the playoffs. That falls under the category of things that will almost certainly change before the season is over, but it does to show just how wide open everything is right now.
Monday night was already a massive game for the Bucs since it serves as the best measuring stick test yet to see just how serious they are as contenders. Now a win would mean even more than it already did, and would have the Bucs just a game out of controlling the No. 1 overall seed.
Thanks to a Week 2 victory in Detroit, the Bucs own a tiebreaker over the Lions. This means if Tampa Bay and Detroit finish with the same record atop the NFC, homefield advantage and a first-round bye will belong to the Bucs.
That's getting a little ahead of ourselves, but it only further highlights how critical this upcoming strech of games is.
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