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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are quickly losing ground in the playoff race. If we can believe Football Outsiders' playoff odds, which are probably the most accurate odds around -- if such a thing as accurate odds exist -- the Bucs have an 8.9% chance of reaching the playoffs, down from 15.3% last week. That's what happens when you go 0-3 to start the season.
Of course, 8.9% is not nothing. Making the playoffs almost one in ten times at 0-3? That's a significantly higher chance than I would have guessed. The Buccaneers aren't a bad team, after all, but there's a decent chance that they start spiraling out of control pretty soon. But if they can string together a few wins, this ship could be turned fairly quickly too. The Bucs are pretty similar to a few other 0-3 teams that made the playoffs, after all.
For the pessimists among you, there's the race to the bottom to keep in mind too. Outsiders gives the Bucs a 3.8% chance of the first overall pick and a 14% chance of a top three pick. If the Bucs do fall that far, they're almost certain to target a quarterback -- because a fall like that means Josh Freeman didn't pick up his game.
A final look at the bright side: the Bucs have the sixth ranked defense in the NFL, per Football Outsiders' numbers. Despite some questionable schematic choices, the Bucs defense is working. And it's not just the run defense this time -- the pass defense looks very good, too.