After they managed to get off to a 6-2 start, it seemed as if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were going to cruise right towards their fifth consecutive NFC South title. Baker Mayfield was creeping his way into the MVP conversation, Emeka Egbuka looked like the de facto favorite to take home the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, and the closest team in the division was the 4-4 Carolina Panthers.
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Now, the Bucs are holding a 7-9 record and are on the cusp of losing it all. They’ll take on the Panthers in a winner-takes-all showdown in Week 18, but given the way in which they performed against the Miami Dolphins in Week 17, it’s hard to have much confidence in them.
Mayfield, who served up not one but two interceptions to Miami’s lackluster defense, suggested that the first turnover “wasn’t a decision-making thing by any means” and that he simply needed to give his receiver a “better ball.” As for the second one, well,
“21 did a good job. He’s rolling back to the middle of the field. It’s cover 3 but he went off my eyes and reacted and stopped and went back for it. So, for me, it’s just don’t assume that he’s going to be where he’s supposed to be, you know? Football players make plays and he made a good play right there and read my eyes.”
The Buccaneers have now lost four straight games and are 1-7 since their bye in Week 9. However, five of those seven losses have been by one possession, so there is an element of bad luck that factors into this.
Nevertheless, they are still being booked as the favorites to win the division. The NFL’s itself is giving Tampa a 54% chance of making the playoffs, and much to the chagrin of Carolina, the oddsmakers are in agreement with them.
The look ahead line for this NFC South match up has the Buccaneers listed as -3.5 point favorites at home, with the comeback on the Panthers moneyline currently sitting around +165. Given the fact that the Buccaneers will have home field advantage and the point total is a routine 44.0, it’s safe to say that these numbers will move throughout the next seven days, but the underlying message is that the bigwigs believe that the inherit advantage ultimately resides with Tampa.
Charlotte, North Carolina, hasn’t seen a playoff game since the Panthers hosted the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship back in January of 2016. So while this one would certainly mean a lot more to David Tepper and co., it’s a known farce to put your faith in this franchise.
Suffice to say, it’s one of those things that you can’t believe in until it happens, and according to the NFL itself, it won’t be happening. Sorry Panthers fans, but this year, much like the last four, will likely belong to the Buccaneers when it’s all said and done.
