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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got a big win against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, winning 16-0 (without throwing a pass!).
That win makes the Buccaneers, currently 3-5, 2-0 in the NFC South. It went a long way to putting them closer to the division lead — and it increased their chances to make the playoffs in a big way.
Here's what the NFC South currently looks like, and where the Buccaneers' playoff chances lie after eight weeks of football:
Team |
W |
L |
T |
Pct. |
PF |
PA |
Home |
Away |
Strk. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carolina Panthers |
3 |
4 |
0 |
.429 |
178 |
193 |
1-2 |
2-2 |
L2 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
3 |
5 |
0 |
.375 |
178 |
151 |
1-4 |
2-1 |
W2 |
Atlanta Falcons |
3 |
5 |
0 |
.375 |
171 |
189 |
1-3 |
2-2 |
L1 |
New Orleans Saints |
2 |
5 |
0 |
.286 |
162 |
194 |
0-4 |
2-1 |
L1 |
The Buccaneers beat the Falcons to move to three wins on the year. Tampa Bay has won three of its last four games, and now it has the same number of wins as the Panthers and Falcons do. The Bucs have beaten both of those teams, but because the Panthers have played one less game, Carolina is just a half-game out of the division lead. The Bucs will play the Chicago Bears next on Sunday Night Football.
The Panthers lost their game to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football. They'll play the Denver Broncos next on Sunday, another game they could potentially drop at home to give the Bucs an edge.
The Falcons will play the Cincinnati Bengals, who beat the Buccaneers during the first week of the regular season. The Bengals are 5-2, so that will be another tough matchup for the Falcons as they try to match pace with the Buccaneers.
The New Orleans Saints are coming off their bye week, and they'll also play a winning team. The Saints will face off against the Cleveland Browns at home on Sunday.
The Athletic's playoff predictor currently has the Bucs with a 41% chance to make the playoffs at 3-5.
If the Bucs beat the Chicago Bears — a very tough task — that number will jump to 54%. If all of their NFC South opponents were to lose on Sunday, that number would jump to 62%. If all NFC South teams lose and the Bucs also lose, the number is 43%, and if the Bucs lose and either the Panthers or Falcons win, it falls to 35%. A Saints win with a Bucs loss and a Panthers and Falcons loss puts their odds at 39%.
The Bucs' greatest threat is each team within the division, and the Bucs will play four more games against those teams for the remainder of the season. They'll be focused on winning those games, but they'll have to pick up some wins in between, too — and they have their first chance to do so on Sunday night against the Bears.