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BY IRA KAUFMAN

What a difference a day makes. December 10th to be exact.

That’s the day the Bucs rallied for a 29-25 victory in Atlanta. They haven’t been the same team since.

Just ask the reeling Jaguars, who were never competitive during Sunday’s 30-12 setback. That’s four consecutive losses for Jacksonville and four straight victories for Tampa Bay.

Had the Bucs lost to the Falcons that fateful afternoon, they would have dropped to 5-8, with seven losses in nine games. Todd Bowles would have been a dead man walking and Buc Nation would have turned their attention to a quarterback-rich draft. The Kyle Trask mob would have been howling for No. 2 to replace Baker Mayfield.

But that’s not what happened. Mayfield threw a game-winning TD pass to Cade Otton in Atlanta and the last two weeks has seen this offense and defense come together impressively. Suddenly, the Bucs have the look of a dangerous team. They can wrap up a third consecutive NFC South crown by sweeping the Saints next week and confidence couldn’t have been higher in the locker room after dismantling the Jaguars.

Talk about your changed narratives.

Buc Nation is warming up to Bowles, although it’s been a slow crawl. Mayfield has won over teammates, coaches and fans with his blue-collar approach and passion for the game. Three potential free agents — Mayfield, Mike Evans and Antonio Winfield Jr. — are making compelling cases to remain Buccaneers for 2024.

It could all come crashing down in the next two weeks, but that feels unlikely at the moment. Instead, it feels like this is a franchise that survived a midseason meltdown and came out stronger for the struggle.

Since the Atlanta comeback, the Bucs have forged back-to-back complete games. Sometimes, all it takes is one emotional win to trigger a turnaround.

That seems to be the case here in Tampa.

Here’s how the Bucs extended Jacksonville’s misery and crept within one win of another division title:

* This offense is on a roll and it sure helps when you’re the recipient of four takeaways. Two interceptions and two fumbles undermined any chance the Jaguars had of being competitiive. The Bucs are now plus-10 in turnover differential, tied with Pittsburgh for second in the league behind the 49ers.

* Don’t be fooled by the final statistics — this game was a blowout. In taking a 20-0 halftime lead, Tampa Bay outgained Jacksonville 224-84 and held the Jaguars to minus-3 yards rushing.

* Winfield, the human stat machine, continued to do his thing. You know the drill by now … a sack, a pick and a fumble recovery. I’ve already got him penciled in for All-Pro status on my Associated Press ballot. Hard to believe he’s only 25.

* Mike Evans found the end zone two more times, giving him 10 TD receptions in the past 10 weeks. For a stud who somehow went 11 consecutive games without a score in 2022, it’s been a very impressive return to paydirt.

* Give Bowles props for how he handled the Devin White situation. He could have buried No. 45 for his mistakes, on and off the field, but he kept supporting White publicly. He was rewarded with an early pick by White that led to a TD and a 10-0 advantage. That doesn’t mean White will be back on the team next season, but he just might contribute down the stretch.

* Mayfield didn’t play as well as he did in Lambeau, but he was darned good on Sunday, throwing for 283 yards and posting a QB rating of 116.7 that dwarfed Trevor Lawrence’s 64.0 score. Most importantly, the Bucs are averaging 28.5 points during their streak and Mayfield’s leadership skills are a big reason why.

* Another three field goals by Chase McLaughlin, who is now 26-for-28 on the season and 32-for-32 on extra-point attempts. His big, accurate leg could well be a winning edge in the upcoming weeks.

* Were the Bucs perfect against the Jags? You can’t say that when your ground game averages only 1.9 yards per carry. Rachaad White contributed as a target but gained only 39 yards on his 20 carries.

* The Bucs played very well, but let’s not kid ourselves — the Jaguars stunk out the joint.

* It was nice to see the Bucs put it all together at home, where they have struggled to play a complete game. Even in beating the Bears, Titans and Panthers at RayJay, there was plenty to criticize. Not so on Sunday, when the only question was margin of victory.