The Buccaneers have spent the first month of the season looking like a team headed for the rocks. A 1-4 start, after an 0-4 opening, usually leaves no real wiggle room. Only one team in NFL history has started 0-4 and still reached the playoffs: the then-San Diego Chargers in 1992.
And yet Tampa Bay is still hanging around, because the NFC South is stumbling around with it.
Per PlayoffStatus.com, the Bucs have a 10 percent chance to reach the postseason, with their clearest path coming as the fourth and final division winner. That sounds bleak, but the division picture is messy enough that Tampa Bay is only a game and a half out of first place right now and could be just a half-game back by the end of the week.
Carolina currently sits on top at 2-2, though that lead comes with plenty of baggage. One loss featured 59 points allowed to the Chicago Bears.
Another saw the Panthers give away a late fourth-quarter lead to the Cleveland Browns. They do have a solid recent result, though, after beating the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football before their bye last weekend.
The challenge gets tougher immediately. Carolina goes on the road to face the Philadelphia Eagles, who will be in an irritated mood after what happened against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Philadelphia is a 1.5-point road favorite, and if Carolina falls there while Tampa Bay handles the Pittsburgh Steelers at home, the Bucs could be playing for first place next week depending on what Atlanta does.
The Falcons had their own opening, hosting the Lamar Jackson-less Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football, and let it slip away in overtime. The loss got worse when Michael Penix Jr. left with a rib injury.
It is not considered serious right now, but it is something to watch. Atlanta now gets the Chicago Bears at home as a 3.5-point underdog, then turns around to face the suddenly-elite Brock Purdy, Buccaneers legend Mike Evans and the San Francisco 49ers in Atlanta before heading to Raymond James Stadium to meet the Bucs.
New Orleans, meanwhile, has already taken three losses, and the last two were by double digits. The Falcons’ 45-24 Monday Night Football win over the Saints on Oct. 5 only added to the mess.
So yes, Tampa Bay looks rough. But in a division like this, rough is not the same thing as finished.
In Other News...
Jalon Daniels Showed The Bucs Something They May Need Soon
Jalon Daniels gave Tampa Bay a look it may not be able to ignore for long against Dallas, and it started with the kind of poise and movement the Buccaneers have spent plenty of time valuing at quarterback. On his first offensive drive, Daniels showed situational awareness, used his mobility to stay on schedule and helped drive the offense with several sharp decisions, while offensive coordinator Zac Robinson was credited with making effective play calls and adjustments that kept the Cowboys off balance.
The deeper takeaway for the Bucs is that Daniels did more than just manage the series, he flashed the sort of improvisational ability that can change a game when the structure breaks down. He also connected on a huge downfield play with Tez Johnson, underscoring why Tampa Bay may eventually want that kind of threat available as the season moves along, even if the full picture of how far that can go remains to be seen. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Fans Already Knew Mike Evans Still Had This In Him
Mike Evans leaving for San Francisco was one of the bigger offseason jolts for Buccaneers fans, but it has not taken long for him to remind everyone why he was such a fixture in Tampa Bay. The veteran wideout has quickly settled in as a reliable target for Brock Purdy, bringing the same steady production and physical edge that made him so valuable for the Buccaneers over the years.
The more striking part has been how he has done it while clearly dealing with some wear and tear. Evans kept producing in Week 5 and has stayed right in the middle of the 49ers' passing game through the first month-plus of the season, showing that his game still travels even after the change of scenery. For Tampa Bay, it is another reminder that the receiver they once built around still has plenty left in the tank. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Just Found What Could Steady This Season
Through the Buccaneers first four games of the 2026 season, the offense had been fighting itself as much as any opponent, with questions hanging over both the quarterback play and the protection in front of him. Then came a cleaner showing up front against Dallas, the kind of performance that can make an entire operation look more stable in a hurry.
The offensive line held up far better in that game, giving rookie quarterback Jalon Daniels room to work and opening the door for Bucky Irving to find room as a runner. For a Tampa Bay team that had been searching for something to settle the unit, the improvement up front stood out as the clearest reason the offense looked more like itself. [Read more 🡒]