Game 13

Bucs (5-7) at Dixie Chicks (6-6) 

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

TV: CBS (WTSP-TV Channel 10 locally) with Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta and Aditi Kinkhabwala.

Streaming: Paramount+ and NFL+. (Geographic restrictions apply).

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network WXTB-FM 97.9 in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region (Transmisiones de radio en español en WTMP-FM 96.1 y WMGG-AM 1470 en Tampa). Additional stations throughout Florida on the Buccaneers Radio Network can be found here. The game also will be broadcast on SiriusXM Channels 137 or 380 (Buccaneers Radio Network feed).

Weather: Not a great day to be bouncing around downtown Atlanta, per AccuWeather.com. It’ll be mild early in the morning in the low-60s, but thunderstorms are expected late morning as a cold front moves in. By the end of the game, look for temperatures to drop to the high-40s with on-and-off showers.

Odds: Per BetMGM, as of midnight, Bucs +1.5 (+110); over/under 41.

Referees: Alex Kemp and his gang will work the game. Kemp, the past two years, has been pretty evenly-handed. While his gang may flag visiting teams more (this year 57 percent of his gang’s flags were called against the road teams), the wins this season between home and road teams are 50/50. In 2021 some 53 percent of the road teams in Kemp’s games won. Kemp is also kind to players as he apologized to Tee Higgins on a hot mic for bumping into him. At least the past couple of years, Kemp and his outfit seem to be fair. That’s all you can ask for.

Injuries: Bucs — Out: CB Jamel Dean (foot/ankle), ILB Devin White (foot). Questionable:  LB K.J. Britt (back), DT Vita Vea (toe). Dixie Chicks — Out: LB Nate Landman (knee), DL LaCale London (knee), OLB Kaleb McGary (knee), DL David Onyemata (ankle). Questionable: OL Drew Dalman (ankle), WR Drew Dalman (ankle), CB Mike Hughes (hand), CB Jeff Okudah (ankle), CB Jeff Okudah (concussion protocol).

Outlook: OK, so the Bucs are hanging on to their playoff hopes by their fingernails. A win and the Bucs are in first place and in the driver’s seat to win the horrid NFC South. Lose, and while the Bucs are not quite mathematically eliminated, as former Bucs coach John McKay would say, all the Bucs need are two or three plane crashes. The Bucs would be three games behind the Dixie Chicks with a loss — two games and the tiebreaker, which Atlanta would own if it wins today. And that’s with four games left. One would think that by now someone in authority at One Buc Palace would have figured out the Bucs are not a running team, but a passing team. Just looking at their talent and the results would tip off even the blind. Throw in the fact that both Dixie Chicks’ corners are questionable and banged up, the Bucs ought to at least test the Atlanta corners early and often to see if they can measure up. Joe is one loss away from believing the team’s shot-callers have any common sense. No one in their right mind would hand the ball off to Rachaad White more than throwing to Chris Godwin. But here we are. So Joe honestly doesn’t believe the Bucs, faced with near-elimination from the playoffs, will suddenly change stripes and do the right thing and quit running. Joe believes the Bucs are going to do the same ol’ thing, keep it close and hope for turnovers. That’s just what the Bucs did when they hosted the Dixie Chicks earlier this season. And look what happened: Dismal Desmond Ridder coughed up the ball three times in the red zone — and Atlanta still won! That’s how bad the Bucs have been; even when they get their coveted, treasured takeaways, they still lose. (Joe hasn’t seen a quarterback cough up the football three times in the red zone and still win.) If the Bucs lose today, Joe hopes the suits at One Buc Palace turn their full complete efforts into scouting a first-round quarterback to pull this franchise out from its malaise and make it relevant again. My, how this team has crashed and burned the past two seasons. Can they turn it around? First, the coaching staff must want to turn it around. And not adjusting is not wanting change. Additionally, if Bucs coaches are not careful, they may get unwanted change in a few weeks.

Fun facts: Bucs QB Baker Mayfield needs 220 yards passing to reach 3,000 yards for the fifth time in six seasons. In six road games this season, Mayfield has thrown at least two touchdowns in five games. … RB Rachaad White is third among running backs with catches (46) and receiving yards. He also has five touchdowns scored in the past five games. …  WR Mike Evans has a touchdown catch in each of his last four straight games. … ILB Lavonte David is looking for his sixth-straight game with a tackle for loss. In 22 games against the Dixie Chicks, he has 23 tackles for loss.

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"The best receiver in football."@rondebarber breaks down all things @MikeEvans13_ in Week 13. 🎞️ pic.twitter.com/e1NRrUbHh9

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 6, 2023