Over the course of the last two weeks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have tumbled all the way from having the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoff picture to being on the outside looking in. Two more tough games won't make getting back into the mix any easier, and the way games went on Sunday didn't to Tampa Bay many favors either.
The good news is there's still plenty of season left, and it's not like we haven't seen the Bucs in a similar position before. Last year Tampa Bay fell into a 1-6 slump that nearly ruined its season, but Todd Bowles and company managed to turn things around in time to win the division.
It's a much harder uphill battle this year, thanks in large part of the Atlanta Falcons being as good as advertised, but a bounce back isn't impossible. We're only in Week 9 and the Bucs can still pick themselves up off the mat, but based on how things went they'll need to do it on their own for now.
Updated NFC Playoff picture and standings after Week 9 doesn't offer the Bucs much help
Here's how things stack up after the early window games of Sunday's action:
Playoff Seed | Team | Record | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
No. 1 | Detroit Lions | 6-1 | |
No. 2 | Washington Commanders | 7-2 | |
No. 3 | Atlanta Falcons | 6-3 | |
No. 4 | Arizona Cardinals | 4-4 | Wins tiebraker over SF and SEA based on head-to-head |
No. 5 | Green Bay Packers | 6-2 | |
No. 6 | Minnesota Vikings | 5-2 | Wins tiebreaker over PHI based on strength of schedule |
No. 7 | Philadephia Eagles | 5-2 |
Here are the next four teams sitting on the outside of the bubble:
- Chicago Bears (4-3)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-4)
- San Francisco 49ers (4-4)
- Seattle Seahawks (4-4)
The Los Angeles Rams are just on the outside of that group, which only further highlights the dire situation the Bucs are in as they attempt to stay above water over the next two games. Tampa Bay's game next week against the 49ers could be massive, as right now the Bucs hold the tiebreaker over San Francisco based on conference winning percentages.
That's essentially a placeholder, as next week's game will be for the head-to-head tiebreaker that could end up factoring into things toward the end of the season.
Not only does Tampa Bay need that win for the tiebreaker, but it would help avoid a situation where the team heads into its bye week 4-6. Assuming a loss against the Chiefs -- which is how we have to view it until proven otherwise -- the Bucs can't afford to head into the bye with bad vibes. A four game losing streak would be exactly that.
If the Bucs manage to beat San Francisco it would continue a Thanos-like collection of tiebreakers as though they're Infinity Stones. Tampa Bay already owns head-to-head tiebreakers over the Lions, Commanders, and Eagles, although two of those teams are likely to win their divisions.
Philly and San Francisco could very much be in the mix for a Wild Card spot the Bucs are fighting for, which makes the tiebreaker even more important to secure.
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