Bucs Barreling Towards Fourth Seed In Playoffs
October 9th, 2023
Playoff-bound Bucs?
What’s so awful about playoff talk in early October? It sure beats draft talk in early October.
Joe too vividly remembers the Lost Decade. By the bye week, it was just about time to look to the draft. By Halloween it was time to begin focusing on the draft.
Joe sure doesn’t miss those days. No sir.
At the risk of Bucs fans freaking out and invoking the good name of Jim Mora, clock-shopping, Olympics-flag-football-frowning, Concrete Mixer-spilling, Mother Jones-reading, airport-pianist-listening, Twitter-revolting, Purdue-basketball-confused, combine-fatigued, Bavarian-pretzel-chomping, teeth-brushing, haircut-fascinated, Circa-bewildered, elf-rattled, green-lawns-frowning, soggy-socks-wearing, Daylight-Savings-Time-scared, crossword-puzzle-puzzled, Elon-Musk-peeved, Barstool-Sports-triggered, almond-milk-sipping, hot-dog-eating-contest-protesting, mock-draft-scowling, L.L.-Bean-wearing, tennis fans’ advocate, Second Amendment abolitionist, Mike-Florio-arguing, parrot-insensitive, chewing-with-his-mouth-open, soup-gulping, California-train-romancing, anti-football proliferation, outhouse-admiring, airline-napping, steerage-flying, Yogi Berra-worshiping, urinal-picture-taking, video-game-playing, Taylor-Swift-listening, pickpocket-thwarting, Bucs-uniform-frowning, Allie LaForce-smitten, Big-Ten-Network-hating, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, craft-beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball-box-score-reading, NPR-honk, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training, Budweiser-tolerant, baseball-scorecard-keeping, pasta-feasting, vomit-dodging scrooge, Kay-Adams-following, Coors-Light-souring, pineapple-upside-down-cake-eating social activist and NFL insider Peter King, of NBC Sports fame believes the Bucs are on their way to a home playoff game as they sit atop the NFC South.
King also (once again) did a mea culpa and confessed he fully misread the Bucs in his preseason predictions.
King actually believes the Bucs are the 10th-best team in the NFL, as he typed in his weekly “Football Morning in America” piece.
10. Tampa Bay (3-1, on the bye). Really got the Bucs wrong before the season. Big bad by me. They’ve built an outstanding offensive line—Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke have played superbly as the bookend tackles—and Baker Mayfield has been strikingly efficient. The Bucs are clearly in the driver’s seat for the NFC’s fourth seed.
In Joe’s eyes, Sunday’s game against the Lions on Creamsicle Day will be very telling. It’s almost a crossroads game.
The Lions are hot but Joe doesn’t know if they are better than the Eagles. It’s fair to say the Lions are not better than the 49ers.
The Lions, however, do play a similar style to those two teams. All three are explosive. All three have a foundation of being very physical on defense and in the trenches.
The Bucs mostly were manhandled by the Eagles in the Bucs’ only loss. Did that game teach the Bucs how to match up with a physical team? We will find out Sunday.
October 9th, 2023 at 11:34 am
Couldn’t agree more. This game will tell us a lot about ourselves. I think our starters can be as physical as anyone in the league. The advantage the teams like the Niners and Eagles have is amazing depth.
Can the Bucs go toe to toe with a physical team all four quarters? I guess we’ll find out.
October 9th, 2023 at 11:43 am
TBBF usually the optimist…..but….after 4 games…..really?
October 9th, 2023 at 11:49 am
The Bucs have the tape (video to the youngsters), so they shouldn’t be surprised by Detroit. Passing is going to have to win this game. Running will be futile.
October 9th, 2023 at 12:02 pm
Detroit only has one good win on their schedule so far. And that was against a Chiefs team that isn’t as good as last year. Then a home loss to Seattle, followed by three wins over very weak teams, Falcon, Packers, Panthers. If we can’t beat them at home with two weeks to prepare and a huge game for the fans with the creamsicle jerseys, then we aren’t that good. This game is the qualifier. Will Bowels hold up under the pressure? Will Mayfield show he isn’t a big time QB? Will the defense come to play their game? Lots of questions that Sunday will provide the answers. I will be in Tampa for this one. LFG!!!
October 9th, 2023 at 12:07 pm
Peter King is a bad comedian….Same as Mike Florio
October 9th, 2023 at 12:15 pm
10. Tampa Bay (3-1, on the bye). Really got the Bucs wrong before the season. Big bad by me. They’ve built an outstanding offensive line—Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke have played superbly as the bookend tackles—and Baker Mayfield has been strikingly efficient. The Bucs are clearly in the driver’s seat for the NFC’s fourth seed.
For years and years and years the O-line was a problem. It seemed nobody could put together an O-line for this team. Everybody complained; the fans, the local media and the big media.
Well well well, guess who finally did build an O-line. The former O-lineman built us an O-line.
I sure do hope the magician can find a way to keep Dave Canales because he is rapidly becoming a superstar as we can all see.
Keep the faith.
October 9th, 2023 at 12:20 pm
Lions are a good football team but they aren’t the Eagles or 49ers. They are relying on young players as much as the Bucs. Have a cast off QB who has found efficient play in a good system with good coaches. The Lions have a way better run game but the Bucs have a better Defense. If the Bucs are fired up and ready to play, I think they win it.
October 9th, 2023 at 12:32 pm
The problem is…..do these Bucs possess “GRIT”…….can they grind it out when the chips are down?????
The Bucs defensive line is SUSPECT at best against a good O-Line……we need MORE interior penetration from the interior of the line…..
We also need Carlton Davis back in a very bad way too……..
I’m sorry, but Chris Godwin and Mike Evans just aren’t as explosive as they were during the Brady Superbowl run……both of them look like possession receivers.
Honestly……if it wasn’t for Baker Mayfield keeping things alive with athleticism……the Bucs would be screwed right now…..PAY THE MAN!!!!!
October 9th, 2023 at 12:33 pm
I think we can win this game and this to me is a must win because this is as healthy as we will probably be for the rest of the season. Its going to be a long stretch since the bye week came so early.
October 9th, 2023 at 12:36 pm
You can pencil Bucs in playoff prior to start of each season no matter who the quarterback is. Why ? Cause they play in a bad division. How Bad ? The busted garbage Baker is the best qb in the division. LOL
Bucs will lose but won’t get blow a way as they did agains Eagles.
I hope they win so they can continue selling tickets as usual without winning the Super Bowl with this coaching staff and qb.
October 9th, 2023 at 12:43 pm
Our BUCS are better than the Lions. Have no fear, Baker is here!…😌
October 9th, 2023 at 12:49 pm
Erik,
Chiefs have a better defense this year than last.
Also, they won some games last min in 22.
Kinda look the same but improved defensively.
I don’t know if the Bucs match up well against the lions. If they don’t, then 3weeks of preparation won’t make a difference.
This game is one of 17 . A lot of fans seem to be tormented by this teams early success. Damnedest thing about this area is how little the fans enjoy winning games . There’s too many always worried that they’ll get their hopes up and then smashed! Why? Enjoy wins!
The NFL is tough to win each game. The margin of victory is small , unless you’re Miami, they haven’t played anybody or no quality wins is just so much fan based chatter . Verbal diarrhea spewing from male Karen’s. Go look at the super bowls the Bucs won and both teams you could say the same thing about big time wins. I remember distinctly Steve deumig making the exact same argument after every game the Bucs won up to the superbowl.
Eagles, 49ers, Chiefs are the only teams that no one could consider them anything but quality. Everyone else , today, is beatable and has been.
We beat a saints team that has 1 loss and hadn’t given up 20pts since October last year. Everyone thought the jets were a dumpster fire and they were for sure, but last two games they’ve been good. Patriots and bears are probably done for the season but that’s 2 of 30. Maybe Denver on the list. But that’s not unique that 3 teams are bad . Every year there’s been bad teams.
Bottom line, regardless of what happens in rayjay with the creamsicle return, it’s one game. However, if baker throws 4 picks then it’s a I told you so moment for far too many adults . If the next week he throws 400yds and 6tds it’s just not gonna be good enough. Or this team sucks and bolles is crap. This team was expected to finish with what 3 wins maybe 4 . They have exceeded expectations and some people can’t wait to move the goalposts to avoid confronting their own issues.
Positive is lots of good character people here on jbf have openly and honestly said they were wrong or they are in the process of changing their minds. Kudos to these guys.
October 9th, 2023 at 12:53 pm
David,
Baker is a top 10 QB today. He’s better than a lot of other guys. 25-27 QBs are looking up at Baker!
But yeah this division has a road bump for a bar.
October 9th, 2023 at 12:54 pm
This team has all the talent and ability to win this game
The problem is the crowd at the stadium. The Eagles owned RJS by the middle of the third quarter.
Come on Bucs fans!! Be fans for 4 quarters and make home as scary as Winfield coming at you with a full head of steam.
October 9th, 2023 at 1:18 pm
If the game is decided on a single play or call from the refs, win or lose I think it means this year’s Bucs are for real.
Everybody keeps whining about which team beat the other team and then saying well their opposition wasn’t that great. They’ve done it to the Bucs and now I read them doing it to the Lions.
The NFL is not that complicated. I’m using round numbers plucked from my arse so I do not stand by their specificity but you’ll get my point.
There are probably a half dozen or less excellent teams any season in the NFL
There are probably 3-6 really sorry teams every season.
Then there are the mass of teams 20 or so that fit the proverbial “On any given Sunday.”
Wins in the NFL are HARD to achieve no matter the competition. I do not demean any teams record including the Lions or the Bucs with such second hand handicapping. 3-1 is what is says it is! 4-1 is what it says it is.
Am I betting the farm on the Lions and Bucs to reach the NFC title game…of course not! Would I be surprised if either of them made the Conference title game..of course not. Would I be surprised if both these teams missed the playoffs…yes I would!
October 9th, 2023 at 1:23 pm
At home and having 2 weeks to rest, recover and prepare for week 6, I like our chances against the Lions.
October 9th, 2023 at 1:26 pm
@D.R.
“There’s too many always worried that they’ll get their hopes up and then smashed! Why? Enjoy wins!”
Amen brother! I’ve never understood this other than to accept it’s part of human nature that affects a significant number of people.
Let’s examine it logically. If you jump on the bandwagon and it crashes you will certainly be disappointed. If it rolls along successfully you will be thrilled.
If you worry every week about the impending doom then you miss out on the chance to get really jacked up. So the risk is not fully enjoying success versus disappointment. I’ll worry about disappointment IF and when it arrives.
Maybe because we’re old dudes D.R. but I join you in appreciating the moment.
Literally this moment is all we are guaranteed. I could have the “big one” “stroke out”..others here might be the next auto crash victim…get some kind of horrid cancer…do you really want to think that way? In this MOMENT(and this moment is all we really have) it’s ALL good!!! As D.R. suggests embrace it!
October 9th, 2023 at 1:32 pm
Lions are solid but haven’t really played a strong team and they are new to this winning thing. Play good ball early put some points up make the scramble for answers! Bucs go to 4-1
October 9th, 2023 at 1:41 pm
If the Bucs can get past the Lions a playoff spot would almost be assured.
There is no telling where they will end up if the Lions steamroll them. They might recover without a hiccup, but they might also implode.
Big week this week, hope they are prepared for this game, they didn’t look good against the Eagles, but that was a Monday Night game and the Bucs always fall apart for those.
October 9th, 2023 at 1:45 pm
The way we handled Kamara gives me tons of hope. Win or lose I just want it to be an exciting game and I will be happy. We have plenty of time to improve, as well.
October 9th, 2023 at 1:55 pm
Erik The Viking Says:
followed by three wins over very weak teams, Falcon, Packers, Panthers
Falcons held the Lions to 20 points. They also held the Texans to 19 who the week before put up 30 on a Steeler Defense that held the Ravens to 10 on Sunday.
I suppose it’s all about timing and when you play them. Bucs play Chicago week 5 and they may have gotten their ashes handed to them. Saints played well yesterday and Bucs got past them a week before they had a break through. Bucs get to go to Green Bay when it gets cold and that is far from an easy ‘W’.
Until a team squares up against another you just don’t know.
Even with the Panthers. If you get a guy behind center that tries too hard to ‘I’ll show you’ and it could end in disaster.
Look good against the Lions and think that Falcons will be a breeze and Bucs could end up 0-2 after the Bye. Beat by ‘Good Team’ and a ‘Weak Team’.
October 9th, 2023 at 2:15 pm
The Lions and Bucs have similarly ranked defenses, and the Lions allow the fewest rushing yards in the league and we allow fewer points. The Lions offense scores more than ours. The teams are fairly even, so to me, it will be big plays and turnovers that decide the game. We have the advantage of two weeks of prep, and hopefully a hot day. I still think going no-huddle for a series or two would help wear them down, and our no-huddle against the Vikes worked well.
October 9th, 2023 at 2:15 pm
Long time Bucs fans remember “5 dash 2”, and realize it’s WAAAYYY too early to be talking playoffs.
October 9th, 2023 at 2:30 pm
Sam Wyche was freaking funny when he said that. Bucs next four games are certainly not easy, 2 and 2 over the next four would not be bad and 3 and 1 would be very good.
October 9th, 2023 at 2:59 pm
If the season was a football field, right now the Bucs are at their own 23 yard line.
If this was a game, I’d be happy they didn’t take a safety when they got the ball at the 1, but I also wouldn’t be booking my Super Bowl tickets.
October 9th, 2023 at 3:09 pm
omfg…it’s a huge game…!!
a true barometer test…
the lions are kind of a top 5-ish team…
i like that they just played the weakest of teams in carolina…
they could be caught a little off guard from a rested bucs team – if we come flying out the gate packing a wallop…both offensively and defensively…
such a huuuuge game for us
October 9th, 2023 at 3:10 pm
After “5 dash 2” the Bucs proceeded to go 2-7 , and Sam Wyche was fired. There was a big flame-out in Gruden’s last year, when Monte Kiffen’s defense collapsed the last month. In short, don’t be counting our chickens …at least until the half-way in the season is past.
October 9th, 2023 at 4:15 pm
Hold your horses there Kemosabe. New Orleans will still be a problem. Atlanta’s going to take 1 from the Bucs. And the Bucs have Detroit, next. This is a guaranteed loss. 100% Bet your house on it.
October 9th, 2023 at 4:15 pm
@DAVID: You’re wrong about Baker but you just don’t have the guts to admit it. You’re a pathetic excuse for a fan. So, I’m banishing you right now!
October 9th, 2023 at 5:06 pm
Buccaneers have by four the hardest schedule in the NFC South. We play the Eagles and have to play the bills and the 49ers. None of the other teams in our division have to play those teams. Atlanta is better than most of the posters on here think.
October 9th, 2023 at 6:14 pm
St Pete,
The way I see it , only one fan base is going to come away from this season not disappointed. I’m not interested in avoiding disappointment to the detriment of enjoying the game and the season. That’s sports!
The first thing you have to accept is at the end of the game, someone lost and someone won. The joy is in competing. That’s why I don’t understand the appeal of low expectations or doomsday prophets. They miss the fundamental purpose of sports.
After your post, I’ll be driving a little more cautiously.
October 9th, 2023 at 6:17 pm
Are you a Bucs fan Jeff or just a idiot?
October 9th, 2023 at 6:40 pm
Detroit is a solid team, but they ain’t Philly or San Fran. Tight game, the Bucs win by 4 or less.
October 9th, 2023 at 6:45 pm
^^^^ LOL!
October 9th, 2023 at 7:01 pm
@WyomingJoe: it’s always the same cats and several are on this thread. Rod had them starting 2-1 before going 2-6. David said they would start 1-3. And Jeff said NO would blow them out 27-13. He also said Jameis would have a big day. You just can’t make this stuff up. 🙂
October 9th, 2023 at 7:07 pm
Sorry about Jeff his mom drank while she was pregnant and he’s been a hateful troll his entire miserable existence
October 9th, 2023 at 7:07 pm
But he’s still my grandson
October 9th, 2023 at 7:10 pm
@D1
Your 12:49 post was just excellent! Well thought out and well written!
October 9th, 2023 at 11:02 pm
Everyone forget that the lions beat KC when they were missing kelce and Jones. They lions haven’t beaten a good team yet. Go buccs!
October 10th, 2023 at 12:51 am
OMG the PTSD is all over the place.
Thank God for Jeff’s Grandpa LMAO
Saying that Detroit hasn’t beaten any good teams is just trying to get your hopes up. It’s the same as Doomsday posts saying the Bucs haven’t beaten any good teams and just wait. Jeff is probably a Troll AND an idiot.
I mean honestly, what Troll, ISN’T an idiot?
That being said, if you can’t tell just how good Detroit is, then you haven’t been paying attention. Only McCaffrey and Mostert have more rushing TDs with 7, than David Montgomery with 6. He runs like a freight train. Bucs better be ready to have sound tackling, because he will make you pay trying to light him up.
On top of that Goff is in the Top 10 of almost every statistical category as a passer. Top 5 in a lot.
Look up trick plays by the Detroit Lions and you will see that Dan Campbell says they are a physical team at all 3 levels, but you have to have CREATIVITY in this league. Sam Laporta scored a wide open 31 yd TD off of a reverse flea flicker. Literally pitched it 3 times before the pass.
Why did it work?
Because of how well they run the ball. They have triple digits rushing in all 5 games.
Oh, and BTW, the haven’t ALLOWED triple digits by an opposing team yet.
What about those stats says this team just hasn’t played anybody?
October 10th, 2023 at 1:23 am
Happy Creamsicle day yall!
LFG!
Go Bucs
October 11th, 2023 at 10:23 am
This will be a test for the Lions but a bigger test or “measuring stick” for us.
Detroit did beat KC but Game 1s can be misleading as offenses are still finding their groove and KC was without Kelce, their biggest weapon aside from Mahomes.
Detroit doesn’t have the explosive offense like the 49ers or the ground game like Philly, but they are efficient and don’t beat themselves with t.o.s and penalties.
Our o-line will have their hands full with Detroit’s Hutchinson. He has a non-stop motor and lines up everywhere. Baker needs to know where he is at all times.
I have my doubts that our running game will be a factor but hopefully we’ll see lots of play action and quick throws to RBs, TEs and slot receivers.
We have a puncher’s chance in this game, especially if Kancey gets a bunch of snaps if he’s good to go.
A win will be a big step forward but a loss won’t kill us, especially if we’re competitive. If we take care of our division rivals when we face them, I think we keep the title of division champs and a 4 seed.
November 26th, 2023 at 12:21 pm
Power of Pewter:
Only one coach since Team Glazer bought the team has survived back-to-back losing seasons. And that one coach also won a Super Bowl for them (Chucky).