Bucs Find Themselves Back in the NFC South Mix - But Know the Work’s Just Beginning
The NFC South race just got a jolt of life - and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are right back in it.
Thanks to the Panthers falling to the Saints in New Orleans, the Bucs are now tied atop the division at 7-7. But if you ask anyone in that locker room, especially left tackle Tristan Wirfs, they’ll tell you the standings shift doesn’t erase the sting of recent struggles - or change how they prepare for what’s next.
“I watched a little bit of it. It’s kind of a lifeline, I guess,” Wirfs said of the Saints’ 20-17 win.
“We’ve just got to go take advantage of it now. In all honesty, I wouldn’t say it changes our preparation or much of our mindset.
We’ve got to go win still.”
That’s the tone inside the Bucs’ facility: grateful for the second chance, but fully aware that nothing’s been earned yet. Tampa Bay has dropped five of its last six, and while the door to a fifth straight NFC South title is wide open, the Bucs know they have to walk through it.
Division Still Up for Grabs
Here’s where things stand: Tampa Bay holds the tiebreaker over Carolina thanks to a better record against common opponents. Two wins over the final three games would lock up the division crown and a home playoff game. But that’s easier said than done.
The path? It starts this Sunday in Charlotte against the Panthers. After that, the Bucs head to Miami for a tough road test on Dec. 28, then wrap the regular season at home - again facing Carolina in a game that could decide the division.
The good news? Tampa Bay swept the Panthers last year, including a dominant 48-14 win in the season finale. But this time around, the stakes are higher, and the margin for error is thinner.
Letting the Loss Sting - Then Responding
The Bucs had a few extra days to stew after their gut-wrenching 29-28 loss to the Falcons on Thursday night. And according to Wirfs, that sting hasn’t - and shouldn’t - go away quickly.
“You should be mad about something like that. You should be upset.
I know I was,” he said. “I think everyone came in here today knowing what we have to do and just focus on the task at hand.”
That loss, combined with the previous week’s defeat to the Saints - both at home, both against division rivals - hit hard. And head coach Todd Bowles didn’t hold back in addressing it. His fiery postgame message, laced with frustration and urgency, was exactly what the team needed, according to Wirfs and others.
“He was frustrated, obviously,” Wirfs said. “We all were, too.
I think we could see where it was coming from. Losing two at home to two divisional opponents like that - it should sting.
I hope it just gives us a little motivation. You just have to get into the dance.
Winning the division and playing at home is big time. It did motivate us.”
Accountability and Urgency Inside the Locker Room
Veteran receiver Sterling Shepard echoed that sentiment, saying Bowles’ message - delivered both in the locker room and at the podium - struck the right tone.
“I think it was necessary,” Shepard said. “Too many times people want soft and want you to come to them soft.
Nah. Sometimes you have to raise the tone and turn up the pressure for guys to respond.
I feel like he handled it the right way.”
Shepard also emphasized that the players have taken ownership of the loss, holding each other accountable and vowing to bring a better effort into Sunday’s game.
“You have no choice but to after a loss like that,” he said. “But I got a lot of confidence in the guys in the locker room to be able to handle it the right way and come back and do the work necessary to get the (W).”
Youth Perspective, Veteran Resolve
Rookie cornerback Benjamin Morrison offered a balanced take on the team’s mini-bye following the Thursday night game. While some players were eager to get back on the field and move past the loss, Morrison saw value in the time to reflect.
“There’s pros and cons,” he said. “Obviously, people want to get back out there just to get that taste out of their mouth.
But then we can dwell on it a little bit, give it some time to reflect within. Figure out what we can do from an individual standpoint and now we come together as a team and now we go from there.”
Morrison added that, despite the outside noise and the losing skid, the locker room remains calm and connected.
“It just comes down to us wanting to play for each other - and we do. We just have some minor things we need to fix. From the outside looking in, it can be looking drastic, but we’re at peace with where we’re at and we know we’re going to get this thing going.”
Been Here Before - And Know How to Respond
This isn’t unfamiliar territory for the Bucs. Under Bowles, they’ve hit midseason turbulence before.
In 2023, they started 3-1 only to lose six of the next seven. The same pattern showed up this season: a strong start followed by a rough stretch.
But if there’s one thing this group has learned, it’s how to fight through adversity - especially when the calendar flips to December.
Shepard, for one, believes this team has the right mindset to finish strong.
“I don’t think we’re discouraged,” he said. “I think everything that we want is in front of us and I feel like it’s up to us to buckle down and go get it.
I think we have the right group of guys to be able to do so. Everything is out there for the taking.
We have to do a good job this week handling business and taking it one game at a time.”
That’s the mission now: one game at a time, starting Sunday in Carolina. The Bucs know what’s at stake. Now it’s about showing up, executing - and proving they’re still the team to beat in the NFC South.