Last week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had some of the wind sucked out of their sails, but things smoothed out a bit on Sunday. Blowing out a division opponent will do that, as the Bucs ride into their bye week hot off a 23-3 win over the Saints.
It's a victory that puts them at 6-2 and right back in the thick of the race for a top seed in the NFC playoff picture.
There's still a ton of season left, and a lot can happen, but the Bucs moved up in the standings thanks to everything that happened on Sunday. San Francisco lost in Houston, which bumped them all the way down to the No. 6 seed with Seattle taking over first place in the NFC West.
It's a huge loss that benefits the Bucs. Even though Tampa Bay owned the tiebreaker over San Francisco, because the Niners had a tiebreaker over the Eagles it meant the Bucs sat behind both teams. Now that's gone and the Bucs move forward with head-to-head tiebreakers over both the Seahawks and 49ers.
That could end up being huge at the end of the season. It also makes a Week 12 primetime showdown in LA against the Rams even more important.
Updated NFC Playoff Picture: Buccaneers head into the bye week in great shape
Here's a look at where things stand after Week 8:
Playoff Seed | Team | Record |
|---|---|---|
No. 1 | Green Bay Packers | 5-1-1 |
No. 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | 6-2 |
No. 3 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-2 |
No. 4 | Seattle Seahawks | 5-2 |
No. 5 | Detroit Lions | 5-2 |
No. 6 | Los Angeles Rams | 5-2 |
No. 7 | San Francisco 49ers | 5-3 |
If the playoffs were to start today, here's what the Wild Card Weekend matchups would look like, with the Bucs hosting a playoff game as the No. 3 seed:
- (2) Philadelphia Eagles vs. (7) San Francisco 49ers
- (3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. (6) Los Angeles Rams
- (4) Seattle Seahawks vs. (5) Detroit Lions
Those are some pretty spicy matchups, and the fact that on paper they look like they could go either way shows just how much talent there is in the NFC this year. That's what the Bucs are up against, and it's why coming out of the bye week recharged and ready to go is so important.
After next weekend the Bucs will get a gauntlet of games that involves coast-to-coast travel. Tampa Bay hosts New England, then travels to Buffalo and then has to go out to Los Angeles for a Sunday Night Football game against the Rams.
It's going to be interesting to see where things are when that Rams matchup comes up. Tampa Bay could very well be back in the mix for the No. 1 seed and could also be fighting for its playoff life at that point.
We've watched the team fall into midseason slumps each of the last two years, but subverting expectations has defined this season. That's the wave Tampa Bay will have to ride over the next stretch as things aren't going to get any easier and the NFC is only going to get tougher as the playoffs get closer.