The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took a major step forward in trying to both make the playoffs for the fourth straight season as well as winning the division for the third straight.
Tampa Bay's 34-20 win over the Green Bay Packers brought the Bucs back up to .500 at 7-7. The Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints top the NFC South at 7-7 after the Saints beat the New York Giants 24-6 on Sunday.
NFC South standings:
Tampa Bay 7-7
New Orleans 7-7
Atlanta 6-8
Carolina 2-12
The Buccaneers' win pushed their chances of making the playoffs up to 78% and winning the NFC South to 67%. Their odds of winning the division jumped 21% from the previous week, the largest jump in the NFL.
The Buccaneers and Saints sit one game ahead in the division standings of the Falcons, who dropped a sloppy game to Carolina last week 9-7. The Saints go on the road on a short week to take on the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, while the Buccaneers host the reeling Jacksonville Jaguars who could be without Trevor Lawrence, who is concussion protocol. The Falcons host the surging Indianapolis Colts.
If the Buccaneers defeat the Jaguars, the Saints lose to the Rams, and the Falcons lose either to the Colts or at the Chicago Bears in Week 17, then the Buccaneers would clinch the NFC South in Week 17 with a win against the Saints without having to get into tiebreakers.
As such, Week 16 will be one that could put the Buccaneers in a commanding position for the division - if they can take care of business on Sunday against a Jacksonville team that's currently a one-point favorite.
If the even the Buccaneers fail to claim the division, the wild card is still in play. The Vikings, Rams, Seahawks, and Saints all have 7-7 records. The Bucs own the head-to-head tiebreaker over two of them - Vikings and Rams - and face the Saints in two weeks. The Seahawks 20-17 win over the Eagles wasn't ideal for Tampa Bay, as it puts another contender for the wild card in play who has a good record in common games with the Buccaneers.
As such, there are multiple avenues for the Buccaneers to make the playoffs. And it all starts with Tampa Bay making the first step by taking care of business on Sunday.
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