Predicting the Buccaneers' final 6 games as they fight to keep playoff hopes alive

From 2008 to 2019, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers never reached the playoffs. It was a weird feeling when the Bucs finally punched their ticket to the postseason in 2020 and now, after four straight appearances in the playoffs, it'll be a weird feeling if the Bucs don't make it to the big dance.

That's how much things have changed for this franchise. A team that was once considered to be pretty irrelevant is now a very relevant team that has a chance to go on a run anytime they get into the postseason. The problem right now, however, is that reaching the playoffs this year is no guarantee for the feisty Bucs.

As of this writing, Tampa's playoff odds sit at 51%. If they win this weekend, that shoots up to 61% while a loss drops it down to 30%. If the Buccaneers want to get into the postseason, winning the NFC South is their best bet. To do that, they'll have to win more games than the Atlanta Falcons, who have one more win than them and hold the tiebreaker for sweeping the Bucs earlier in the year.

With six games remaining, let's go through each match-up and predict how it'll go. Will the Bucs be able to win their fourth straight NFC South title?

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Week 13: @ Carolina Panthers

The Bucs begin their final six-game stretch with a road game against the Panthers. Unfortunately for the Bucs, they didn't get to play Carolina when the team looked like it'd have a better chance of competing if they stayed home. That's how bad the early-season Panthers were.

In their past three games, however, the Panthers have beaten the Saints and Giants in back-to-back weeks and took the Chiefs down to the wire. Now, of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't point that the Saints and Giants both suck and the Chiefs play everyone close.

We'll see if the Panthers truly are improved when they host the Buccaneers this weekend or if those games were flukes. The Bucs are currently favored by 5.5 points, per FanDuel. This is a winnable game for Tampa but divisional games can be wild.

Prediction: Buccaneers 27, Panthers 20

Week 14: vs. Las Vegas Raiders

The Buccaneers return home in Week 14 to host the lowly Raiders, who have won just two games in their 11 tries. In other words, the Raiders are bad. They don't have a quarterback. Their best wide receiver plays for a different team. Their head coach looks to be out of his element. They're just a bad football team.

While no game is an easy win, this should be about as close to an easy win as possible. We saw how badly the Buccaneers beat the brakes off the Giants and that's what should happen here.

Prediction: Buccaneers 30, Raiders 13

Week 15: @ Los Angeles Chargers

The first (and let's be honest, only) truly difficult game remaining on Tampa Bay's schedule this season is against the Chargers. The bad news is that this game is in Los Angeles. The good news is that there aren't many Chargers fans in Los Angeles so the stadium might end up being filled with Bucs fans, giving them a home-away-from-home advantage.

The Chargers have been one of the most surprising teams of the 2024 season with their defense looking ferocious for a stretch and the offense looking lethal as well. A Jim Harbaugh-coached team is going to be tough to beat and this will be the Bucs' toughest challenge down the stretch.

Prediction: Buccaneers 20, Chargers 21

Week 16: @ Dallas Cowboys

It's been pretty funny watching the Cowboys struggle this year. America's Team has had a tough time in 2024 and while they looked better in a wild win over the Commanders in Week 12, the Bucs should hopefully not have any problems with Jerry Jones' 'Boys.

This is a road game but don't be surprised if Bucs fans make the trip out to Big D to watch their team play in Jerry World. Hopefully the Buccaneers beat the absolute brakes off the Cowboys to improve their playoff chances while sinking the Cowboys further.

Prediction: Buccaneers 34, Cowboys 17

Week 17: vs. Carolina Panthers

After two road games, Tampa gets to close their season out with two games at Raymond James Stadium where they've been underwhelming this year with a 2-4 record. The good news is that the Bucs' final two games are against less-than-stellar opponents.

First up are the Panthers, who the Bucs will see for the second time in a month. As mentioned on that first write-up, the Panthers don't look to be the same slouches that they were at the beginning of the year and it looks as though benching Bryce Young might actually have helped the second-year signal-caller in his development.

That being said, the Bucs need this win to get into the playoffs while the Panthers will be hoping to get a higher draft pick. This should hopefully be an easy Tampa win (or as easy as a win as you can get in the NFL).

Prediction: Buccaneers 35, Panthers 24

Week 18: vs. New Orleans Saints

It could all come down to what happens in Week 18 and if that's the case, at least the Bucs get to host the struggling Saints in their final game of the season. New Orleans has bounced back a little after dropping seven straight games and firing Dennis Allen, winning their last two games and not looking like a joke anymore.

That being said, the hope is that the Bucs can at least win and stamp their ticket to the playoffs in the final game of the season (although it'd be preferred if they could clinch before then). If so, that should be enough to motivate the good guys to win this game. Unfortunately, it could also serve as a motivator for the Saints to come into Tampa and end their division rival's playoff hopes. Hopefully that isn't the case.

Prediction: Buccaneers 24, Saints 21

If these predictions come to fruition, the Buccaneers will finish the season winning five of their final six games to give them a record of 10-7. The Falcons have a tougher schedule than the Bucs, having to face the Chargers, Vikings, Raiders, Giants, Commanders, and Panthers in their final six games. Out of those match-ups, the only easy wins there are against the Raiders and Giants, the rest are toss-ups.

With how poorly the Falcons looked before their Week 12 bye, the hope is that they don't break out of their rut and that the Bucs can pass them in the division standings. Going 5-1 down the stretch will get the Bucs the NFC South title if the Falcons lose at least three games, which is possible with their tough schedule.

Fingers crossed, Bucs fans!