The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2022 season hasn't been pretty, but at the end of the day, they still managed to do what was widely expected of them entering the season. In a game that unexpectedly turned into a shootout, the Buccaneers managed to hold off the Carolina Panthers and pick up a 30-24 victory in Week 17, which resulted in Tampa officially clinching the NFC South.
Despite having just an 8-8 record, the Buccaneers never truly lost control of their division, in part to the rest of the NFC South featuring poor teams. The Atlanta Falcons had a hot start before falling apart, the New Orleans Saints hung around the race despite never truly threatening, and the Panthers came on strong late, and they certainly gave the Buccaneers a run for their money, especially in Week 17.
But in the end, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers proved to be too much for a supposedly rebuilding Panthers team to overcome. The Bucs now have to get through a meaningless Week 18 contest before heading into the playoffs, so let's take a look at what their victory over the Panthers in Week 17 means for their potential playoff scenarios, and the rest of the NFC playoff field as a result.
Buccaneers playoff scenarios
The Bucs are in a strange spot in that, despite having just a .500 record, they have found a way to already wrap up their division with a week left to play in the regular season. Based on their record alone, Tampa Bay should realistically be fighting for a playoff spot, but they are one of the teams entering the final week of the season without anything left to play for.
That's because by winning the NFC South, the Buccaneers are officially locked into the fourth seed in the NFC. Tampa cannot catch any of the other division winners in the NFC, and while some of the wild card teams have the same or better records as the Buccaneers, they cannot fall any lower than the fourth seed since they won their division.
As a result, Week 18 means nothing for the Bucs. They could opt to rest their starters, or give them a final tune up before their upcoming wild card matchup. The Buccaneers will go up against the Falcons in Week 18, and the decision the coaching staff makes in regards to whether or not their starters play will be fairly interesting.
Considering how they are locked into the four seed, it's clear that the Buccaneers will be playing the five seed in their wild card playoff matchup. And with just a week left to play, there are only two possible opponents for the Bucs; they will either be playing the Dallas Cowboys or the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild card round of the playoffs.
The Eagles have been leading the pack in the NFC all season long, but they have lost their two latest games with Jalen Hurts on the sidelines, opening the door for the Cowboys to sneak into the top seed of the NFC after being in the five seed pretty much all season long. If the Eagles lose in Week 18 against the New York Giants (who are locked into the six seed), and the Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders, Dallas would end up winning the NFC East.
However, if the Eagles win, they will hold onto the top seed in the NFC, meaning the Cowboys would remain the five seed and play against the Buccaneers in the first round. Either way, it seems like Tampa Bay will have a fairly daunting task ahead of them in the first round of the playoffs.
In terms of a preferred matchup, the Buccaneers would likely want to face the Cowboys rather than the Eagles to open up their playoff slate of games. Dallas may be the second-best team in the NFC behind the Eagles, but they haven't looked great recently, feasting on some inferior teams to make things interesting at the top of the playoff bracket.
The Buccaneers have also had the Cowboys number in their recent meetings, as Brady has bested Dak Prescott and Dallas in their last two matchups. That doesn't mean a ton, but considering how good the Eagles have been when Hurts has played this season, any little advantage you can find in the playoffs matters.
Either way, the Buccaneers are going to have a very tough matchup on their hands in the wild card round, regardless of how the seeding shakes out in Week 18. Tampa will be underdogs against whichever team they cross in the wild card round, but they may be more focused on how the Cowboys and Eagles contests go rather than own in Week 18 as they wait to find their first playoff opponent.
Follow Us
Subscribe