The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have 60 more minutes of regular-season football in their 2023 season. How well they make use of them will determined whether these are their final 60 minutes overall.
The Buccaneers missed an opportunity to clinch a third straight NFC South title in Week 17 when they lost at home to the New Orleans Saints. That kept both the Saints and Atlanta Falcons alive in the title hunt, but only the Buccaneers know they will capture it if they win in Week 18. For the Bucs, that involves a trip to Charlotte to play a Panthers team they only beat by three points in Week 13.
That particular game was the beginning of a four-game winning streak that took Tampa Bay from the fringes of the playoff chase to the verge of qualifying. The Bucs barely held off the Panthers but their overall level of play got better and better through wins over Atlanta, Green Bay and Jacksonville…before it crashed back down in all three phases of the game against New Orleans. The Bucs want to prove their previous month of football was the true representation of what they are capable of, and that Week 17 was the fluke. If so, they will look back fondly on what was, overall, a very impressive six-week stretch run.
“We won four out of five,” said Head Coach Todd Bowles. “We did a hell of a job winning four out of five, and [if] we win five out of six, we get in. That’s the reality of it. Winning six in a row would have been outstanding, winning five out of six isn’t bad either. We’ve just got to buckle down and win the last one.”
The Buccaneers will be favored to take care of the 2-14 Carolina Panthers, who have locked up the worst record in the NFL in 2023, but they won’t be gifted anything. Carolina is coming off a lopsided loss in Jacksonville but rookie quarterback Bryce Young has delivered some strong performances down the stretch and the Panthers’ defense ranks third in both total defense and passing defense.
“Fortunately, for us, we have a chance to clinch the division next week against a very scrappy team,” said Evans after the Saints game. “I know their record doesn’t show it, but they’re really scrappy, so we have to come with it next week.”
The Buccaneers were getting used to celebrating in the postgame locker room, but Sunday’s tone was one of surprise and irritation that the team came out as flat as it did against the Saints. Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ offense had seemed to be peaking at just the right time but…
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