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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers control their own destiny in Week 18. If they beat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, they will clinch their fifth straight playoff appearance. Their dominant victory over the Panthers and a Falcons collapse in Week 18 put them in this position. Now, before they play the Saints, it's time to unveil our Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 18 bold predictions.
The Buccaneers got crushed by the Falcons in both of their matchups this season but Atlanta's four-game losing streak made this s tight race. After their late-game blunders last week, they gave the leverage to the Bucs in the division race. Tampa helped themselves by scoring 48 points against Carolina earlier in the day. Now, Baker Mayfield looks to keep it up with the playoffs just one week away.
Earlier this season, the Buccaneers beat the Saints 51-27. A similar performance, and they will have another division title banner flying in Tampa. Will they get it done? Let's find out in our Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 18 bold predictions.
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Baker Mayfield racks up 300 total yards
The Buccaneers are in this position because of the greatness of Baker Mayfield. In his second season in Tampa, he is leading their offense to a great campaign and has them on the doorstep of the playoffs. On the other side, the Saints are playing out the string for an interim coach. Expect another big game with 300 total yards from Baker Mayfield.
If Mayfield does hit 300 yards, it would be his fifth straight game hitting that mark. His most impressive came against the Panthers, where he threw for 359 yards and five touchdowns without a turnover. He was also solid against the Saints the first time around, with 325 yards and four touchdowns but three picks.
Last season, Mayfield and the Bucs beat the Eagles and hung tough with the Lions in the playoffs. His late-season heroics will come out again in this game and the postseason and Tampa becomes a playoff staple in the NFC.
Mike Evans reaches 1000-yard plateau
Part of the reason for the recent success of the Buccaneers is wide receiver Mike Evans. The future Hall-of-Famer has reached 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first ten NFL seasons. He is 85 yards short of 1,000 for this season and will get there on Sunday against the Saints. That would tie him with Jerry Rice for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in NFL history.
Evans missed three games this season with a hamstring injury but is still on track to reach this historic mark. Even though the Buccaneers dominated the game against the Saints, Evans was quiet. He had only two catches on six targets for 34 yards mostly against Marshon Lattimore. Now, Lattimore is on the Saints and Evans should dominate.
With Chris Godwin out for the season, Mayfield has relied on Evans down the stretch and he has delivered. He has cracked 85 yards four times this season, three of which came after Godwin's injury. With a Hall-of-Fame resume growing, Evans will add to it by tying NFL history.
Buccaneers win and clinch a playoff spot
The Buccaneers will dominate the Saints and clinch their playoff spot emphatically. Since their Week 11 bye, they are 5-1 and rolling towards another January run. While they do not have Tom Brady anymore, Mayfield is having a better season than Brady ever did in Florida. The defense is clicking and their opponent is weak. This is a perfect opportunity for the Bucs to put the cherry on top of a stellar season.
The Buccaneers are 13.5-point favorites on FanDuel and are -900 on the money line. The over/under is 43.5.
