The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Atlanta Falcons to kick off Week 15 of the NFL season. What happens if they lose on Thursday Night Football? Here’s the scenario for the home team.
Right now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the fourth seed in the NFC. This is because they are leading the NFC South with a 7-6 record. If the Bucs don’t win the division, they are likely out of the playoffs, hence a loss tonight would be devastating.
A loss would drop the Buccaneers’ chances to go to the playoffs to 53%. If they win vs. the Falcons, their chances improve to 79%. It’s a key game against bitter divisional rivals.
The Bucs will recover two key figures
Mike Evans will be on a pitch count but will play for the first time since suffering a broken collarbone in Week 4. However, that’s not the only guy who is back for the Buccaneers. Baker Mayfield will have wide receiver Jalen McMillan at his disposal for the first time in the year.
The Bucs are getting healthy at the right time. This will be the first time in the season where the Bucs have Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, and Bucky Irving at the same time.
If the Bucs get hot…
The Bucs must win this game because the Panthers are also 7-6, so if the Bucs lose, the Panthers overtake them. On the other side, if the Buccaneers get hot and stay healthy, they are a dark horse in the NFC.
Their offensive talent is just too big. Also, their defense is quite decent when the offense allows it to have some rest. In the beginning of the season, the Bucs were a contender in the eyes of many, but injuries stopped those expectations. Now, with four games to go, the timeline sets itself perfectly for the Bucs to gain momentum towards the NFL Playoffs.