After getting absolutely rocked over the seven week stretch since the bye week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers might be on the cusp of turning the corner.
The team wasted a 3-1 start, which is ancient history at this point and almost irrelevant to what happens next. One of those wins was over New Orleans, giving the Bucs one half of a tiebreaker they can complete in Week 17, but everything else is basically fugazi.
Losing six of seven games will do that.
Tampa Bay got back into the win column last Sunday, though, with another divisional win that further builds their case for the playoffs. It still feels like there's too wide of a gap between the Bucs and the top teams in the league, but in the bubble of the NFC South things are much different.
Just one game seperates the Bucs from getting back into first place, with a critical matchup against the Atlanta Falcons ahead on Sunday. Last time the teams met the Falcons snuck away with a walk-off win, but the mood already feels different as the Bucs prepare to potentially even the score.
Todd Bowles trolled Falcons over Bijan Robinson usage
One of the biggest storylines to come out of that Week 7 matchup was the usage of rookie running back Bijan Robinson. He recorded just a single carry and finished the game with three total yards. It came at a time when Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was getting grilled over not using his bruising rookie more, and it's something Todd Bowles brought up in order to talk a little trash ahead of Sunday.
“We can stop him full-time if he doesn’t play,” Bowles said when asked about how the Bucs expect to stop Robinson.
Glad to see Todd is in a joking mood ahead of such a big game. He did end up giving an actual answer, but it should put some Bucs fans at ease to know that A) the Falcons are a total joke to Bucs brass and B) the vibes suggest the season is about to turn around.
A win over the Falcons on Sunday would certainly go a long way in hitting that last point. Tampa Bay can move into first place with a win, and would once again control the NFC South as we enter the final stretch of the season.
Hopefully the joke doesn't come back to bite the Bucs, though.
Since being comically misused Robinson back in Week 7, the rookie has racked up over 400 total yards and four touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Bucs run defense has taken a step back after a strong start to the season which creates a situation where Sunday could be a tough afternoon.
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