How The Bucs Make The Playoffs
December 26th, 2010
UPDATE: 9:27 a.m. – Joe’s bumping up this post from Monday so you know who to root for and against today.
On Monday morning, Joe started the hard labor of figuring out all the scenarios that would put the Bucs in the playoffs. But Joe’s brain started to explode, so Joe’s very glad that video guru Scott Smith at Buccaneers.com did the heavy lifting.
Joe advises you check it out via the link above. Each scenario comes with an explanation.
This is the most plausible scenario:
SCENARIO #2:
Tampa Bay wins the second Wild Card berth with:
1) TB win vs. SEA in Week 16 AND
2) TB win at NO in Week 17 AND
3) NO loss at ATL in Week 16 AND
4) NYG win at GB in Week 16 OR
5) GB loss vs. CHI in Week 17.
The Bucs have a solid shot at this.
Of course, reading all this made Joe want to puke thinking about what better position the Bucs would be in had they beat the ugly Lions on Sunday.
December 21st, 2010 at 11:03 am
Joe, I’m not sure why everyone is concerned about us making the playoffs. Is there any possibility we would make it past the Wild Card game with our back-ups? And how many more injuries might we sustain just simply our miracle play-off appearance secured?
Everyone should be rational and realistic. A play-off appearance is not going to be more than symbolic. It will be great to be back, but let’s not act like we have the change to surge and peak at teh right time. We need to support the team and be ready for the likely reality. On then can we look back on this year for the greatness it has been.
December 21st, 2010 at 11:08 am
@JON!!!!!…”Joe, I’m not sure why everyone is concerned about us making the playoffs. Is there any possibility we would make it past the Wild Card game with our back-ups?”
Why are we concerned???what kind of question is that. Geeee, i dont know, maybe cause we are FANS….Terrible comment to make…
December 21st, 2010 at 11:10 am
Anything is possible in the NFL….remember that. A win last week would have brought alot more national attention to a buc playoff run. Whether it be positive or negative.
December 21st, 2010 at 12:08 pm
Joe here,
@Jon – You have to be kidding. The playoffs are the goal every year. YOu can’t look at it and say, “They can’t win the Super Bowl, so who cares?” …Keep in mind. IFFF, they beat New Orleans on the final week of the season, then they can beat anyone in the NFC. Get real.
December 21st, 2010 at 12:14 pm
I would love for the scenario to play out for the Bucs to get into the playoffs but we have to wake up and smell the coffee. If and that is a BIG IF the Bucs win out and finish the season with a win at New Orleans then they desrve a shot at a playoff game but with the losses of some key players for the season and the college level defense that we have on the field right now, I am not holding my breath. I just do not see us stopping Drew Brees and the Saints in New Orleans when we could not stop the Lions with the great Drew Stanton. Our only hope would be for Olsen letting the offense be wide open and just hope we can score more points in a shootout type of game. Our defense is putrid. 🙁
December 21st, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Tampa would have had a much better shot with a win over detroit.
December 21st, 2010 at 12:39 pm
How about we talk about these scenarios after we beat Seatle at home. Who is confident we can do this based off of the way we played Sunday?
I think the coaching, bringing the talent out of these players, has been great.
But the coaching late in games, has been to lose lately.
If I, a novice, had a terrible feeling that CJ was going to make plays on that last drive, what was our coaching staff thinking?
Play to win the game, don’t play to make them burn timeouts.
December 21st, 2010 at 12:56 pm
There’s two arguments here.
1. We have a young (but plucky) team that is riddled with injuries and wouldn’t make much noise if they make it to the playoffs.
2. In order to make it to the playoffs, that same young, injury riddled team would have to beat one of the strongest teams in the NFC (New Orleans).
The true answer will come to fruition over the course of the next two weeks.
December 21st, 2010 at 1:01 pm
I would rather they GET in, go one and out, and take the high pressure experience of a playoff game into next season…Alternatively, they get into the playoffs NEXT season, and many of our young players are ALL NEW to the pressure and expectation of the playoffs.
More experience is NEVER a bad thing.
December 21st, 2010 at 1:47 pm
Skookum…I agree, plus we get at least one more Bucs game out of it.
December 21st, 2010 at 1:58 pm
All I says is remember 2008. Bucs had to win just one out of the last four games to get in the playoffs, and we lose all four. On that last game we lost to the Oakland Raiders, and the Cowboys lost that day as well, so the ninth seed Eagles get in the playoffs. I like our chances. Just win baby.
December 21st, 2010 at 2:38 pm
Joe, my man. Drew effing Stanton looked like Tom Brady against how, how would the best Drew in the league look against us? Superman?
December 21st, 2010 at 3:12 pm
There is another scenario in which the Bucs can make the playoffs as well. First…let’s say the Bucs, Packers, Giants, and Saints all end up 10-6 Who gets in? In that scenario, the Packers would get the first wild card, while the Giants would get the second wild card.
Ties in a division have to be determined first. Tampa Bay wins the TB/NO tie due to common games.
The Packers win the GB/TB/NYG tie due to strength of victory.
The Giants win the TB/NYG tie due to common games.
However, if the Giants lose their remaining two games to finish 9-7, plus the Packers and Bucs both win their last two games, the Packers would be the 5th seed and the Bucs the 6th seed as wild cards.
December 21st, 2010 at 3:53 pm
PLAYOFFS!!!!!
5 Simple Words:
THEY DON’T DESERVE IT – YET.
December 21st, 2010 at 5:13 pm
@ Joe
Wouldn’t we want the Giants to lose their last two games? Because if they win just one more game and end up finishing 10-6 and we do as well, they would have the tiebreaker.
The Packers are 8-6 right now. I think we want them to beat the Giants next week. If they do, they’ll be 9-6 and then Chicago will likely beat them in week 17 for them to finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs. The Giants will be 9-6 and if they lose in week 17, that’ll be 2 teams that we’re ahead of.
December 21st, 2010 at 5:57 pm
And then we can all flap our arms and fly to the moon, to return in a blue carriage driven by Bengal Tigers.
December 21st, 2010 at 5:58 pm
Hey who is that guy in the picture? What is that big trophy?
December 21st, 2010 at 7:42 pm
Patrick…if the Packers beat the Giants this Sunday at Lambeau, which I think they will, don’t expect them to lose to da Bears, also at Lambeau…the last week of the season. I know it’s a hated rivalry, but the Bears will have nothing to play for and the Pack will have everything to play for. I don’t think the Bears will expose Jay Cutler to Clay Matthews and company for 4 quarters either, as the Bears lead the NFL in sacks allowed. I see the Bears maybe using their starters for a half…at most. The Bucs need to take care of business too, and beat the Seahawks and Saints and hope for the Giants to keep on imploding for the rest of the season and keep losing.
December 21st, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Please guys…..Don’t set yourself up for disappointment. Even if the Bucs beat Seattle and everything else falls into place this team is not beating the Saints. Remember what happened in the first game with the Saints? And that was with GMC, Talib, and Cody Grimm on the field. Unless Olson calls the game of his life and Freeman plays the game of his life there is no way the Bucs are beating Drew Brees and the Saints.
December 21st, 2010 at 8:15 pm
@ derf
PLAYOFFS!!!!!
5 Simple Words:
THEY DON’T DESERVE IT – YET.
No… we did not do much this year, except give our rookie laden team a good seasoning that don’t come very easy, health wise. Lots of injuries. But our backups have been doing a fair job. (yeah getting beat on the run and pass the last drive. hurt!)
I think a playoff game might be very unamountful and we lose. (I hope not) Eventually as the off-season and the OTA’s get underway, the players who where not out there on the playoff field, and who want to be this next season(if we have one) will come out with a determination to drive the team forward.
Our young team is coming together, nicely. A playoff game maybe not as “earned” as other teams still means our young team would get to play in one. Our Offense has been doing rather good this season, I think and they would LOVE to get a chance to play in a playoff game even if it is just for experience.
The pieces of this team are coming together, and not all of the players are here yet, But we get to the Playoffs and we get the chance we might even win a game. Who’s to say?
December 22nd, 2010 at 10:09 am
I guess it would be too much to expect Rah to go on the road to the Big easy with the playoffs on the line, with some backup players in the lineup and pull off a victory.
After all, it has never been done around here before.
Oh wait, a hazy memory – fourth down, backup luke pitches to EG…………FIRST DOWN.
sigh………………
December 22nd, 2010 at 10:26 am
Don’t everyone jump down my sh!t. Just telling everyone to manage their expectations. I’ll be elated if we make the play-offs, but will guard my emotions.
I’m more excited about the possibilities for next year. It’s not like we aqre playing for draft position. But getting our injured starters back, maybe even Chief Puffing Smoke Jackson too, plus maybe a few more great additions and we’re talking about a serious play-off/Superbowl run for years to come.
Might change my handle to “Joe’s Little Reality Helper”
December 22nd, 2010 at 10:37 am
All’s I can say is Iam a Buc’s fan and never give up or leave a game half these people probley are not season ticket holds and can’t see half the games when they get in to the playoffs anything can happen this team will not give up. This has been one of the hardest working teams I have seen. Anything can happen. GO BUCS!
December 26th, 2010 at 11:01 am
If the Bucs get that far; the Saints could easily be looking past them to who they’ll be playing in the playoffs. I’ve seen crazier things happen (like a 2 win Bucs go into New Orleans and get a victory). Either way it will be fun to watch…
December 26th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
Yeah the Bucs have a solid shot at all but the part about beating Drew Brees and the best o-line in football in a final week, win and your in. Even with GMC, Talib, and Grimm the Bucs the would have needed to play their best game of the season to win that one. Without said guys they will be extremely lucky if they manage to not get blown out worse than they did the first time around. Bash me if you want for saying this people, but believing the Bucs have a good shot at winning that one is delusional. The rest of the scenario could most definitely happen but I ,personally, am not setting myself up for the huge emotional blow of everything playing out correctly,getting excited again for the possibility of the playoffs, and then the Bucs getting totally obliterated by the Saints.
December 26th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
Quick question. Even though NY losing next week is unlikely, if they did and the packers also lost next weekend. Wouldn’t we still make the playoffs if NO wins tomorrow night but we win on Monday?
December 26th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
Sorry, I meant to put if we win vs. NO next weekend.