“The Bucs Have The Tiebreaker”
November 20th, 2012
NFL Network already is going deep into potential NFL playoff scenarios (video here), and their latest analysis has the Bucs tying the Seahawks at 10-6 for the final NFC Wild Card spot.
And per NFL Network “researchers,” the call is that “the Bucs have the tiebreaker” against Seattle.
So there you have it, the Bucs are playoff bound. Now all they have to do is find four more wins among games on the road in New Orleans, Denver and Atlanta, plus from home games against Atlanta, St. Louis and Philly.
Joe’s going to put a big fat “maybe” out there. A win Sunday against Atlanta, however, and the Bucs’ playoff drive goes from a dream into something that should happen.
In the video linked above, former Pro Bowl defensive lineman Willie McGinest is convinced the Bucs will be able to run the ball against Atlanta and win Sunday, as well as in Atlanta in Week 17. He claims the Falcons, with a playoff bye locked up, will be resting starters for that final game with the Bucs.
November 20th, 2012 at 10:10 am
Have to agree with Coach Schiano here – we’re in a one game at a time season . Let’s play Sunday and take it from there . People go buy tickets and show the NFL that we are a big time city . And it would be nice if the Bucs were to make the playoffs .
November 20th, 2012 at 10:15 am
Still a lot of tough games ahead for the Bucs but it’s an exciting time for sure.
I was thinking regarding the last Atlanta game; if Tampa knocks off Atlanta this Sunday, the division lead is down to two games. The Falcons would next play New Orleans, Carolina, New York, Detroit and Tampa to close out the season. I could see Atlanta losing again to New Orleans, playing a close game against a division rival with Carolina, losing to New York, likely defeating Detroit and back to Tampa Bay. Now, if the Bucs defeat Atlanta, Philly and St.Louis while losing to Denver and hopefully knocking off New Orleans, that could lead to a very meaningful game to close out the season.
I know I’m thinking ahead, but these Atlanta games are probably the most important of the season, perhaps even more so than the New Orleans game coming up. I think Atlanta is aware of this and will play hard this week, but more importantly, I think it’s very possible these two teams are playing their starters and beating each other up to close out the division, I just hope the Bucs come out on top.
November 20th, 2012 at 10:27 am
The “One Game at a Time” thing sounds corny. But really, every week the Bucs win changes the entire outlook.
A win this Sunday drastically changes the landscape.
November 20th, 2012 at 10:41 am
Bucs win this week. I feel it. The stars are aligned correctly. Timing is everything
November 20th, 2012 at 10:45 am
We haven’t won squat yet. This week we are afforded the oppurtunity to take down Goliath. I am glad L. David is on our side.
November 20th, 2012 at 10:46 am
I know this is WAY out there…But I feel like getting in touch with my homerism and possibly step outside of reality.
No one, back in 2002, expected a Superbowl trip at the start of the season. Afterall, it was a new coach and that sort of thing never happened, right? By this time that year, we had won what? 9 games?
And we did it with a veteran team.
Fast forward to today. We are a young team, no doubt. Schiano is a first year coach. This team has had to battle for every single win thus far. That’s key.
Do you remember the time the Giants won the SB? Not the last time but the time before that? They had a rough start (I think that was the Giants) to the season. They made it to the playoffs and I remember seeing an interview…and the player being Interviewed said “No one gave us a chance. We started rough and we fought and we battled. Every game became important. So things have not changed.”
And they went on to win the Superbowl.
So hear we have the Bucs. Certainly not a Superbowl caliber team, right? These guys are young. Inexperienced. The team is ravaged by injury (unbelievably ravaged). But this team has embraced the “Next Man Up” mentality…and they treat every game like a playoff game.
Did you see how Schiano and the whole team celebrated that win Sunday? I’m surprised Gatorade wasn’t poured on the coach.
We play the Falcons next. IF we beat them in this game…it’s a whole new ball game. And Schiano, all the coaches, all the players…they all know it. A win here would expand Wildcard talk to division winner talk (as a possibility). This week will represent a 2 game leap on the Falcons if we win…because they will drop a game and we will gain a game. That will make us a threat to win the division.
EVERYONE is talking about how good the Falcons are (even though THEY have the easiest schedule in the NFL). If we beat them this week…the Bucs will be talked about more than they have any year since 2002.
Week to week, this team is getting better. Sooner or later, the defense will also get better…probably near the end of the season. So once we are in the playoffs, we can go all the way.
/homerism signing off.
November 20th, 2012 at 10:50 am
SteveK Says:
November 20th, 2012 at 10:45 am
We haven’t won squat yet.
.
You know…before the season started everyone was saying how tough our schedule would be. This team was rock bottom last year. They have fought hard to climb out of the hole. They have been proving themselves week to week.
Just like a prize fighter, you start at the bottom until you work your way up. Fights get tougher as you go…but so do you. These guys are trying to get a championship shot. Give them credit.
November 20th, 2012 at 10:56 am
Matty does not like pressure from the middle, pressure from the sides he can handle by rolling away from it, but up the middle with good contain on the ends leaves him no where to go and he is worse than a plodding horse when forced to scramble. This is a strong point for our D, we are able to collapse pockets, we may not always get the sack, but we pressure up the gut very well and are pretty good at containing the ends, our dbs have to stay with their guys in man and our LBs have to control the middle of the field and make TGonz pay for every catch he makes there. Force them to run and we can win this game, allow Matty to carve us up and we are toast. This game is really up to our defense, our offense can score with anyone right now, our D has to stand tall this game.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:01 am
Falcons (Win?)
Broncos
Seahawks (WIN)
Saints
Rams (WIN)
Falcons (WIN)
Here are the remaining games. If we lose to the Falcons, there is a good chance they WILL rest starters in the final game. If we Win this week, we become a serious threat.
BRONCOS
Manning is as tough to beat as ever…I think if I had to lay odds, I would give us a 35% chance of beating the Broncos.
SAINTS
The Bucs can beat them. When these teams face each other, either team can win. I believe the Bucs have the edge in Wins vs Losses? So this is a winnable game as well.
So…if the Bucs win this weekend, they have a strong chance at going 4-1 the remainder of the season, and possibly going undefeated as well. THINK ABOUT THAT.
We could end the season at 11-5 or 12-4.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:06 am
Big game this weekend, but New Orleans is the one for me. They are coming on strong and have the tie-breaker on the Buc’s. I can see it coming down to us and them for the last wildcard spot.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:09 am
Dangerous waters… Not at all beneficial for an easily influenced young team.
Quick everyone quickly go knock on wood. Especially you joe 😉
November 20th, 2012 at 11:16 am
The tough part of the schedule is upcoming.
Let’s see what we do vs ATL first before we start screaming playoffs.
Playoff spots are rarely earned by November.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:17 am
*in November
November 20th, 2012 at 11:22 am
@ Pete,
I am giving the Bucs all of the credit in the world. Freeman is looking like he should, as is GMC. Schiano has things in order. We can stop the run, run the ball, and throw around the yard. I am excited for our chances.
“We haven’t won squat,yet”. The article shows that we have tie-breakers, and I just don’t want to get my hopes up and look too far forward. I want to watch us dismantle the Falcons play by play this coming Sunday.
The Bucs can win this game this week. It is up to the Muscle Hamster to work his wiggle.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:23 am
I hope Da’Quan Bowers gets a sack on Matty Ice similar to that of Dog-Boy’s last year. Decleat that pumpkin pie hair cutted freak.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:29 am
@pete
12 wins and 4 losses makes perfect sense.
this team is the exact opposite of last years team.
schano is the Anti raheem.
last year we started with 4 winds and 2 losses, then a 10 game losing streak.
This year we start with 2 wins and losses, so naturally we have to go on a 10 game winning streak.
makes perfect sense to me.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:36 am
he made a good point, what if atlanta rests there starters that very last game, Bucs will play full force, Falcons may not, and that makes it an easier game for us to win…
November 20th, 2012 at 11:38 am
I have to agree with everything that Pete said above about the Bucs chances.
I know it getting way ahead of ourselves and we need to beat the Falcons.
But who in the NFC IS a SB caliber team? Every single team has deficiencies. Every one.
The Bucs know theirs (O line depth and Pass D) and are working to correct them. I feel really good about this team.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:41 am
If we win out and Atlanta loses a game, we have the tiebreaker over them…I have a strong feeling that if the stars align, that last game is going to be QUITE exciting!
November 20th, 2012 at 11:44 am
I live fifty miles north of Denver btw, and my wife is a Denver fan. I have been keeping tabs on their season all year. When they lose, it is to teams that take advantage of turnovers early, and keep Manning in check just enough in the second half that he doesn’t come back. Denver does not have the greatest of run defenses; if we can get a lead early, force a turnover or two and put them in a hole in the second half, they are VERY beatable.
Having said that, I agree with the 35% assessment. I REALLY hope they win this week against ATL though; I am going to the Denver game, and Tampa coming up here on a five game streak would make the game a LOT more fun to watch!
November 20th, 2012 at 11:54 am
SteveK Says:
November 20th, 2012 at 11:22 am
@ Pete,
…The article shows that we have tie-breakers, and I just don’t want to get my hopes up and look too far forward….
.
After years of being let down, I can understand that. I think our perspectives differ a bit. I know the team is young and the odds are against us. I am believing for the best and if the Bucs don’t attain it? Well, like I said…they are young. They are still going to be great down the road…and knowing that eases a lot of stress.
I won’t lie and say that last year I felt the same as you. Afraid to believe too much for fear of being let down. But there were signs all last year that promoted that reluctance.
Maybe it is because I am getting old and I have high blood pressure so I have to avoid stress, but about the only thing that is stressing me now is when refs screw our team over. HATE THAT.
And it feels much better day2day when I don’t fear losing.
November 20th, 2012 at 11:57 am
On a side note…normally I HATE the idea of a team resting their starters in the last game of the season…but for once, I hope the Falcons do.
November 20th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
at full strength i would be more optimistic, but out OL got ground down a little further in the past week, with penn injuring his ankle, meredith hurt all week, and zuttah feeling the punishment of moving back to G. i’m worried about this offense running out of steam. we are seeing undermanned o-lines getting worked over w chicago and philly to name a couple,and it’s a miracle it hasn’t happened to us. if we somehow avoid further injuries to starters there’s a chance of wrapping up 4-2, but between our beat up OL and leaky secondary it will be harder to score AND prevent points every game
November 20th, 2012 at 12:02 pm
Pete,
We don’t play the Seahawks, we play the Eagles. Same difference tho, I think we win!
November 20th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Is it Sunday yet?
Sunday is all that matters folks. The Atlanta season is this week. Let’s get it done. We’ll talk playoffs when the season is done.
November 20th, 2012 at 12:47 pm
Week 17 will be very interesting, there is a good possibility that we go into that game with a 10-5 record, Atl comes in at 11-4 and NO could be sitting at 9-6 facing Carolina while we and Atl are beating the crap outta each other.
November 20th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
I really think this Sunday’s Atlanta matchup will factor heavily in the season ending visit to the Georgia Dome for the Bucs. If the Bucs win this week and the Saints defeat the Panthers, both very realistic outcomes, and if the Packers keep winning and the Bears drop some more games, we could see Atlanta playing starters in the season finale. Who knows, the division lead could be at stake, or at least the potential for a bye week in the first round.
If the Bucs lose this weekend (I hope not), they would be more likely to see Falcon backups in week 17. However, a Bucs loss this week coupled with a Saints win against the Panthers makes their upcoming matchup a potential battle for a wildcard spot. I don’t think the Bucs can afford to lose to both Atlanta and New Orleans.
I’d love to see the Bucs sweep Atlanta, but at the very least we could really use a split against our two division rivals. I’m stoked to see what happens, as this year, the entire NFL is wideopen. With a dangerous offense and a feisty defense the Bucs could really make some noise if they get into the playoffs. The key word, of course, is ‘if’, but I’m starting to feel that playoff magic, let’s get it done Tampa Bay!
November 20th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
I can see falcons choking just like cowboys are famous for lol I can see Tampa sweeping falcons as well as the saints sweeping them bucs win NFC south and saints get wildcard lol
November 20th, 2012 at 1:53 pm
I have been saying this since the first preseson game,the Bucs will make the playoffs.Look all the way back I said the Bucs would be 11-5 or 10-6 and the best record anyone gave the Bucs was 8-8 or worse alot worse like 5 wins.People made fun of my predictions but now and even during the game some fans are starting to see that I dont talk out my a–, that what I say I truly believe and most of the time Im right.TAMPAAAAAAAAAAAAA
November 20th, 2012 at 1:56 pm
DARE I SAY SUPER BOWL,yes ill say it Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl!Have some Faith Buc fans It will happen.
November 20th, 2012 at 2:49 pm
Alright, I got us in Denver. I’m looking for Mannings car every time I am an on I25…its all about the head games. The Bucs will win in Denver, it’s on my 15th wedding anniversary and we are going so they better win!
November 20th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
I’m just as exciting as the next fan, but you guys are getting way too ahead of yourselves! Lets take care of a very good Falcon team first!
November 20th, 2012 at 10:40 pm
Who spiked the kool-aid? Way to early to be talking playoffs.Agree with Erick,lets get past the dirty birds first.