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Despite actually playing much better football than they have in previous weeks, the Bucs continue to drop in national power rankings. Losing four straight games will do that to you. Right now the Bucs are ranked 21st, whereas last week they came in with an average ranking of 19th. A top 10 draft pick would be a possibility if power rankings held any sway in the real world, but the Bucs have a much easier schedule going forward and are much more likely to end up with an 8-8 or better record.
SB Nation - 18th (down from 17th):
The Bucs are young but you hoped they would take a step forward this year. Unfortunately, it appears they're headed in the wrong direction.
The Bucs fattened up on NFC West opponents last season, but no such luck in 2011.
Fox Sports (Brian Billick) - 23rd (Down from 18th):
Against the Packers, LaGarrette Blount finally had a run reminiscent of his rookie season, breaking seven tackles on his way to a 54-yard TD run. The Bucs have underperformed this season, but have a chance to get back on track over the next three weeks with games against the Titans, Panthers and Jaguars
NFL.com Experts Ranking - 20th (No change)
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) - 21st (Down from 20th):
At least they competed at Green Bay. But they're playing for next year now.
National Football Post - 21st (No change):
The Bucs are going backwards despite the highlight runs we see from LaGarrette Blount.
Pro Football Weekly - 21st (Down from 20th):
Winslow would like to have that two-point attempt back.
Pro Football Talk - 20th (Down from 19th):
Curiously, the Bucs weren't pointing out last year that they had an easy schedule.
The Big Lead - Tier Six (Up from Tier Seven):
LeGarrette Blount has the highest highlight run to career yards ratio in the league.