It's do-or-die time for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After losing to the Carolina Panthers two weeks ago, Tampa Bay had a chance to cement its spot in the postseason against the Miami Dolphins. Unfortunately, they lost, further complicating their hunt for a playoff spot.
Now, the Buccaneers' clash against the Carolina Panthers has some serious complications. A win on Sunday does not outright guarantee them a spot in the postseason. Still, winning that game is the first step to making it to the postseason: they'll just need to root for one of their division rivals to pull off an upset in that scenario.
Winning their game isn't as easy as it sounds for the Buccaneers, though. They've lost their last four games and have lost seven of their last eight games since their bye week in Week 9. In order to stop their skid, the Buccaneers need to stop overcomplicating things and get the ball to their best player: Mike Evans.
Mike Evans key to the Buccaneers' success in Week 18
Mike Evans returned to action three weeks ago after suffering a collarbone injury earlier this season. Evans was one of the many Buccaneers players who missed time this season due to injury. While those injuries have played a part in the team's second-half slide, their struggles continued after Evans' return.
In his first game back from injury, Evans had a monster night. He caught six passes for a whopping 132 yards. While he didn't find the endzone in that game, Evans firmly planted himself back in the depth chart as the top option for the Buccaneers. Despite the loss, the Evans and Baker Mayfield connection seemed to be back.
Except, well, it wasn't quite there. Evans' six catches came on 12 targets, a trend that would continue in the next two games. The Buccaneers WR was targeted nine times against the Panthers two weeks ago and notched just 31 yards. This week, he was targeted seven times and caught just three passes for 31 yards. He did catch a touchdown in each of those games.
In contrast, Jalen McMillan and Chris Godwin were targeted nine and eight times against the Dolphins this week, respectively. Both Buccaneers receivers notched over 100 yards in the game.
Buccaneers in dire straits
The Buccaneers need everything to click in their game against the Panthers this week. As mentioned earlier, Tampa Bay needs to win here to have a chance of making it to the postseason. However, their postseason fate does not lie on their hands, but on another division rival.
Due to the Atlanta Falcons' resurgence late in the season, they are currently tied with the Buccaneers in the standings at 7-9. A Buccaneers win and a Falcons win against the New Orleans Saints will result in a three-way tie between the Bucs, Falcons, and Panthers.
The Falcons have already been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, as in this scenario, their three-way round robin record is 1-3 against the Panthers and the Buccaneers. The Panthers, on the other, are 3-1 by virtue of their sweep against the Falcons, while the Buccaneers will have a 2-2 record after splitting the two season series.
As a result, there is a world where the Buccaneers win against the Panthers and still lose out on a postseason spot. The Panthers don't have that problem, as a win would outright give them the best record in the NFC North. Had the Buccaneers won against the Dolphins in Week 17, their Week 18 game would have been a straightforward win-or-in situation.
