Buccaneers are quietly one of the NFL’s hottest teams

Baker Mayfield of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, right, bumps heads with Ryan Jensen. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

On Dec. 10, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ playoff hopes were down to one drive. They were trailing and on the road.

With 3:23 left, the Atlanta Falcons scored to take a 25-22 lead. With a loss, the Bucs would have fallen to 5-8. While they wouldn’t have been mathematically eliminated if they lost, they’d have been two games behind the Falcons.

As the new year approaches, the Buccaneers aren’t just alive, they’re the type of team that might even win a playoff game.

Tampa Bay won that game against the Falcons as Baker Mayfield drove them downfield for a game-winning score with 31 seconds left. They’ve been one of the hottest teams in football since. Mayfield put up a perfect passer rating at the Green Bay Packers for another win. Tampa Bay blew out the Jacksonville Jaguars last week. The Buccaneers have won four in a row, and winning the NFC South seems to be inevitable. They have an 86% chance to make the playoffs according to Next Gen Stats.

When Tampa Bay named Mayfield its starting quarterback before the season, there were countless jokes about tanking and Caleb Williams. That ignored that the Buccaneers still had plenty of blue-chip players. Mayfield has played better than expected as well. It’s all coming together late in the season. There is a very good chance the No. 4 vs. 5 game in the NFC playoffs will be the Dallas Cowboys at Tampa Bay. That wouldn’t be a gimme for the Cowboys.

This week’s line is a bit odd. Tampa Bay is just a 2.5-point favorite at BetMGM against the New Orleans Saints. Maybe the Saints have a little more to play for. The Buccaneers are a practical lock to win the division, something that might have snuck up on everyone. The Saints can still get a wild-card spot, but their small hopes rest on winning Sunday. Still, the Bucs are way better than the Saints and they already beat them once, in New Orleans.

The Buccaneers are the pick…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2023-12-28 17:00:29

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