5 winners (and 2 losers) from Buccaneers huge Week 14 win over Falcons

For the first time since September, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have managed to pull off back-to-back victories. Sunday was a massive day for the Bucs, as the team moved back into first place in the NFC South and did so thanks to some great performances by key players.

Not everything was perfect, and it was once again a white-knuckle ride to the final gun, but wins have been almost impossible for the Bucs to come by over the last nine games. Since the bye week Tampa Bay is 3-5, which all but erased a fantastic start to the season but didn't totall derail the progress made.

Back-to-back wins have put the team in a position to control their destiny down the final stretch of the season. The only way the Bucs won't make the playoffs is if they get in their own way -- which we've learned is possible.

It almost happened on Sunday, as the Bucs needed a game-winning drive and a clutch tackle on Drake London to escape with a win. Unlike the previous roller coaster rides we've been on, though, the Bucs managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat and it was thanks to the excellent performance of more than a few guys who stood out (and a few who stood in the way).

5 winners (and 2 losers) from Buccaneers Week 14 win over Falcons

Winner: Antoine Winfield Jr

We're starting to run out of reasons why Antoine Winfield Jr shouldn't be handed a blank check by the Bucs this offseason. He's set to become a free agent, but there's absolutely no chance he even comes close to hitting the market, lest everyone in the front office lose their jobs on the post.

A better way to put this is that we're running out of reasons why Winfield isn't considered the best safety in the NFL because he plays like it week in and week out. Sunday was another phenomenal performance, as he once again proved how valuable he is to the success of this team.

In the second quarter, he shifted momentum by strip-sacking Desmond Ridder in the endzone and forcing a safety -- points that ended up counting in a big way at the end of the game.

Had that play not happened, the Bucs wouldn't have had the safety net of a game-tying field goal on a drive that ultimately ended in a game-winning touchdown. There's a direct line between Winfield's play in the second quarter and the position the Bucs were in to have the confidence to try and go for the kill shot rather than settle for a field goal.

That's the sort of impact Winfield has that goes beyond just what he does as a game-wrecker in the secondary. Not a week has gone by where he hasn't made some sort of huge play, and there's an argument to be made that he's the most valuable player on the roster.