We've reached the end of the regular season, but there's still a ton of business left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to attend to.
Thanks to Jayden Daniels leading Washington to an overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Bucs are back in control of the NFC South and enter Week 18 in a win-and-in situation. All they need to do is beat the New Orleans Saints and a fourth straight division title will be theirs.
It's easier said than done, but while Bucs fans are understandably anxious about what Sunday will bring there's a flipside to that coin. Clinching the division and punching a playoff ticket isn't the only thing on the line for the Bucs and there are three games fans will want to pay attention to.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers playoff scenarios for Week 18
There are three possible outcomes that can happen based on how things go on Sunday:
- Buccaneers win the NFC South and clinch the No. 4 seed
- Buccaneers win the NFC South and move up to the No. 3 seed
- Buccaneers miss the playoffs
The first two outcomes are also the likeliest since all Tampa Bay needs to do is win and they're in. Assuming that happens, the Bucs can jump all the way up to the No. 3 seed if they get a little help from the Seattle Seahawks.
Right now the Rams control the No. 3 seed and Tampa Bay is on track for the fourth seed, but if Los Angeles loses to Seattle and the Buccaneers win then they'll flip spots. That will have a massive impact on who everyone plays in the Wild Card round next week.
Week 18 games Buccaneers fans should pay attention to:
- Buccaneers vs. Saints (need a Bucs win)
- Rams vs. Seahawks (need a Seahawks win)
- Falcons vs. Panthers (only matters if the Bucs lose, but Panthers winning would be helpful)
If the Bucs remain in No. 4 seed, then they'll host whoever loses the Vikings-Lions game next Sunday night. Getting to the third seed would mean Tampa Bay will host either Green Bay or Washington based on how things go in their repsective games.
Getting the No. 3 seed also means avoiding a matchup with the No. 1 seed in the Divisional Round if things get that far.
Of course, Tampa Bay missing the playoffs is still on the table even if the odds are against it. We've seen the Bucs make things harder on themselves then it needs to be more than a few times and there's no such thing as a layup game. New Orleans might not be good but Week 18 will be their Super Bowl as a chance to keep the Bucs out of the playoffs is savory motivation.
The Bucs should win and the conversation will likely revolve around whether they get the third or fourth seed, but nothing is promised. If the Bucs lose, then the Panthers would need to pull off an upset win over the Falcons to hand Tampa Bay the division.
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