The race for the playoffs is beginning to heat up in the NFL, and one team that managed to get themselves back on track in Week 12 was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With a contest against the hapless New York Giants on their plate, the Bucs coasted to a blowout 30-7 victory, pushing their record back up to 5-6 on the year.

Prior to this loss, Tampa Bay had been in a free fall, as they had lost their last four games to go from having the inside track to winning the NFC South to being on the fringes of contending for a wild card spot. Beating the Giants isn't exactly anything to write home about, but it was a game the Buccaneers absolutely had to win in order to keep their playoff hopes alive.

With the win, Tampa is now a game behind the Atlanta Falcons in the division standings, although they really face a two-game deficit since they beat the Bucs in both of their head-to-head matchups. Even with that, though, the Buccaneers are in the hunt to win their division, and you can even make an argument that they should be the favorite to win the NFC South when all is said and done.

Why the Buccaneers might actually have the inside track to win the NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws his towel to a fan after the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

With six games left to play, the Buccaneers have to make up two games on the Falcons in order to make the playoffs. They could sneak into wild card contention technically, but it looks unless something crazy happens, three NFC North teams are going to make the postseason, leaving only one wild card spot up for grabs, which is currently being held by the Washington Commanders.

As a result, the easiest path to the playoffs for Tampa Bay involves simply winning their division, and it may not be as far-fetched of a suggestion as it seems. Yes, the Buccaneers had lost their past four games prior to smoking the Giants, but those losses came at the hands of formidable opponents in the Baltimore Ravens, Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers.

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The Bucs have struggled with injuries all year long, but they are starting to get a bit more healthy, even though they likely lost safety Jordan Whitehead for the rest of the year to a pectoral injury in Week 12. Mike Evans made his return from a hamstring injury against New York, which is huge since Chris Godwin is out for the season after both guys went down in their loss to the Ravens.

The biggest piece of proof that suggests the playoffs are a real possibility for the Buccaneers is their schedule. Tampa Bay had a gauntlet they had to endure prior to their bye week in Week 11, but now, they have a cakewalk to the end of the regular season. The only team with a record above .500 that they will face the rest of the way out is the Los Angeles Chargers, as they will play the Carolina Panthers twice, in addition to the Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, and New Orleans Saints.

With their backs up against the wall, the Bucs are going to have an incentive to throttle these awful teams. Even if they trip up and lose one of those five games, which is really the most they should be losing during that stretch if they lose at all, they'd still likely finish with a 9-8 record at worst, which may just be good enough to win the division.

That's in large part because the Falcons schedule, on the other hand, is more difficult the rest of the way out. They will play the Chargers and Minnesota Vikings in their next two games, and they have another tough date in Week 17 with the Commanders. The Raiders, Giants, and Panthers round things out, but whereas the Bucs have five games they should win, the Falcons only have three games where they should be heavily favored to come out on top.

Beyond that, Atlanta hasn't looked all that great as of late. They suffered a shocking upset defeat at the hands of the Saints in Week 10 before getting throttled by the Denver Broncos in Week 11. While having a bye week should help them, they aren't exactly facing the Chargers and Vikings at the best time right now.

If the Falcons go 3-3 to close things out, though, the Bucs would have to go 5-1 to win the division, and while you can't judge games solely off how they look on paper, it seems like they have a good shot to do that, especially as they begin to get more healthy. They will have to continue playing with the same urgency they showed against the Giants, but if they can do that, they could find a way to snatch the division away from the Falcons and book their spot in the playoffs.