Less than a month ago, it looked like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season was on the brink. After a four-game losing streak, the Bucs were 4-6 and free-falling out of the playoff picture. Fans were loudly calling for Todd Bowles to be fired, Baker Mayfield's honeymoon period was starting to wear off, and things were generally pretty gloomy.
It's hard to overstate just how incredible the turn around since then has been.
Not only is Tampa Bay in the middle of a four-game winning streak now, but the Bucs have surged back to the top of the division and nearly to the top of the conference. Sunday saw the team get help in more places than one, as a 40-17 win over the Chargers was chased hours later by the Green Bay Packers tossing an assist the Bucs' way that has them moving up in the playoff picture.
Tampa Bay already had control of the No. 4 seed but Seattle losing bumped the Bucs up to the No. 3 seed. That's as high as they'll be able to go, as it's impossible to catch the Eagles or Lions for one of the top seeds in the NFC despite the fact that the Bucs own tiebreakers over both. Still, the fact that rising as high as the Bucs have is even on the table is a testament to how well things have been going lately.
Buccaneers claim No. 3 seed in NFC after Packers beat Seahawks on SNF
A ton of work still needs to be done before any celebrating can happen, but the path to the playoffs officially involves the No. 3 seed from here on out. That's the peak of what the Bucs can hope to accomplish the rest of the season, and the schedule is very favorable to helping make it a reality.
Tampa Bay has its final three games against Dallas, New Orleans, and Carolina; none of those games should be considered cake walks but they're also not matchups the Bucs won't be favored in. Dallas is on the edge of the playoff picture trying to claw its way back in, and a loss next Sunday night would essentially end their season. Carolina and New Orleans have nothing to play for, but would love to ruin Tampa Bay's season by playing spoiler.
The good news is there are now more ways the Bucs make the playoffs than miss out. According to the NYT playoff predictor, Tampa Bay has an 87 percent chance of making the playoffs and those odds go even higher if the Raiders can pull off an upset over the Falcons on Monday night.
With the Seahawks losing, the Rams now move into the No. 4 seed that Tampa Bay previously occupied. They're the team the Bucs need to watch, as both teams are 8-6 and could flip places depending on what happens from here on out. Something that works in their favor is that the Rams' remaining games are against the Cardinals and Seahawks, two teams that still have a lot to play for.
Right now, though, Tampa Bay controls the board and have a clear path to clinching the No. 3 seed, but there's no margin for error.
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