Back in Playoff Picture, Buccaneers Called ‘NFL Zombies’

On more than one occasion, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season looked like it was lost. 

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Tampa had high expectations heading into the season, but the team fell flat on its face coming out of the gate. 

The team lost its first four games. Only one team in NFL history, the 1992 San Diego Chargers, has made the playoffs after starting a season 0-4. 

To make matters worse, quarterback Baker Mayfield dislocated his thumb late in Week 3, leaving the offense in the hands of undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels. 

The Bucs looked dead in the water. Calls for Todd Bowles’ job were deafening. Star rookie Rueben Bain Jr. had been invisible at the start of his career. Tampa looked closer to the NFL’s worst team than one that could reach the playoffs. 

Just when it seemed all hope was lost, Daniels led the Bucs to an upset victory on the road against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football. The Bucs finally looked like the team many expected to see at the start of the season. 

For the first time all year, Tampa’s season had life. 

That life would be short-lived. The following week, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bucs blew a 16-3 fourth-quarter lead before losing 26-19 in overtime. 

Once again, the Bucs season was dead. 

If they played in a different division, they would have stayed dead. 

However, Tampa plays in the NFC South. Despite their issues, the Bucs had a chance to return to the division race when they faced the first-place Carolina Panthers in Week 7. 

The Bucs played their best game of the year, dominating the Panthers in every facet of the game before walking out of Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte with a 43-13 victory. 

All of a sudden, the Bucs, at 2-5, were only 1.5 games out of first place. 

With the Panthers losing to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, Tampa now finds itself only one game out of the division lead. 

The Bucs are officially back from the dead, leading The Athletic to refer to them as “NFL zombies.” 

Playoff Chances Growing

Before playing the Panthers, the Bucs' chances of reaching the playoffs were around six percent, depending on which model you looked at.

Tampa's playoff chances have been growing ever since, and sat at 24% before Carolina lost on Thursday.

The Athletic believes a healthy Mayfield, along with a strong defense, gives the Bucs a legitimate shot at reaching the postseason.

"Significant QB injuries are a tried-and-true way to kill postseason chances, but the Bucs have survived — I think. Of course, if they played in a better division, that might not be true, but the NFC South remains wide open, so they can creep back into the playoff picture.

"The path starts with Mayfield’s return, of course, but it also banks on a defense that’s been quietly playing well. The unit ranks second in EPA per dropback, eighth in success rate and second in forcing three-and-outs. It’s quickly becoming a defense the Bucs can lean on and honestly, it might be the best unit in the whole division. If Mayfield returns from his thumb injury and plays at an average level, this team can make a run. They do play the 12th-toughest remaining schedule, per my model, but in a division where no team is over .500, I’m more than willing to say this Bucs team is still alive."

Final Thoughts

It was almost impossible to envision these Bucs making the playoffs only one week ago. Now, their chances of returning to the postseason are alive and well.

If Tampa beats the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, the Bucs may once again be the favorite to win the NFC South.

Not bad for a team that was thought to already be dead.

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