Tampa Bay’s path over the final 11 games has turned into a simple test with a brutal premise: stay alive, and hope the NFC South keeps handing out openings.
The Buccaneers are sitting at 1-5 after letting Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers slip away. If they had closed that one out, there would at least have been a sliver of optimism about digging out of the 0-4 hole they created. Instead, the loss leaves Tampa in a spot only four 1-5 teams in history have managed to escape by winning their division.
That said, the division itself is not exactly setting the bar high. Carolina is 3-2 and has looked respectable.
Atlanta is 2-4. New Orleans is also 2-4.
Tampa Bay still has six division games left, and that is where whatever comeback case exists has to be built.
Among those matchups, the Buccaneers should feel best about the home dates. Carolina comes to Tampa on Nov.
30, New Orleans visits on Dec. 20, and Atlanta comes in on Nov. 1.
It would be asking too much to expect the Bucs to get swept by all three NFC South rivals at home, so Tampa should have a real shot in those games. The Los Angeles Chargers also come to town on Dec. 6, and with the Chargers owning one of the few records worse than Tampa’s, that’s another game the Bucs ought to have circled as winnable.
The road looks much harsher.
At Carolina on Oct. 25 is one game the Bucs should not win, because the Panthers are too good to drop both meetings to Tampa Bay. A trip to Chicago on Nov. 8 belongs in that same category, especially with Caleb Williams back in the fold and the Bears playing at home. Baltimore on Dec. 13 also falls there, assuming Lamar Jackson is back by mid-December.
There are also four games that feel much shakier to call. At Detroit on Nov. 22 is one of them, though the Lions’ defense is vulnerable enough that a Tampa win would not be a surprise, even if the Bucs enter that matchup projected at 2-7.
Atlanta, in the Georgia Dome at a TBD date, is another coin-flip game because the Falcons have shown both flashes of brilliance and stretches of ineptitude. The same uncertainty applies to New Orleans in its TBD meeting with Tampa.
And then there’s the Los Angeles Rams, who were widely expected to be one of the league’s top teams coming into the season but have stumbled to 2-4, leaving that TBD matchup far less intimidating than it looked in August.
Tampa Bay’s season has reached the point where every one of these games matters, but the formula is clear: win the home divisional matchups, steal enough from the muddled middle, and keep the comeback alive.
In Other News...
Leonard Fournette Just Turned Up The Heat On Todd Bowles
The Buccaneers rough start has already put Todd Bowles under a brighter spotlight, and now one of the more recognizable voices from the recent past is adding to the pressure. Former Tampa Bay running back Leonard Fournette took aim at Bowles on a recent podcast, describing him as a quieter coach whose attention tilts more toward defense than offense, a critique that lands at a delicate moment for a team trying to steady itself after a 1-5 start.
Fournette also raised the kind of question that tends to linger around a struggling team when the losses start piling up, wondering aloud about the long-term fit in Tampa Bay. Even so, he did leave room for the idea that the Buccaneers are not dead in the division race, which only sharpens the tension around what comes next for Bowles and a roster still searching for a way to turn the season around. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Godwins Bucs Role Suddenly Feels Far Less Secure
Chris Godwins place in Tampa Bays passing game has looked less automatic over the past two seasons, a development that stands out even more after the ankle injury that slowed him in 2024. His target share has slipped, his route usage has shifted, and the overall volume that once made him such a steady part of the offense has not returned to the same level, even with some encouraging signs in his efficiency. For a Buccaneers team trying to keep its offense balanced and productive, that change has made one of its most dependable veterans feel a little less central than before.
The bigger question now is what that means for a player who still carries real value and real salary-cap weight. Tampa Bay has reasons to think carefully about its long-term books, and Godwins contract makes him part of that conversation as the season moves along. The Buccaneers do not have to decide anything immediately, but the fact that his role has been trimmed while his name keeps surfacing in cap discussions says plenty about how quickly the calculus around a proven receiver can change. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Suddenly Have A Veteran Trade Decision Rams Fans Will Watch
Davante Adams ruptured hamstring has forced the Rams into the wideout market, and the search comes with an immediate ripple effect for teams around the league. Terry McLaurin is off the board because of his season-ending injury, which has left Los Angeles looking at a slimmer list of options as it tries to patch a receiving group that suddenly needs help. Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston are among the names being floated, and Chris Godwin has also entered the discussion as a possible fit if Tampa Bay is willing to engage.
For the Buccaneers, the question is as much about timing as it is about talent. A 1-5 start has made the situation feel precarious, but the NFC South is still there to be chased, which is why any move involving a proven receiver would have to be weighed carefully. Godwins status as a potential trade target gives this one real intrigue, even if nothing is close to settled yet. [Read more 🡒]