The Buccaneers can get back on track with two wins

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have found ways to lose three games in a row. They were lacking offense against the New England Patriots. Both sides of the ball did not show up until the second half of the Arizona Cardinals game. And this past weekend, the defense failed to do its job. Inconsistencies have plagued the team so far and left an aura of hopelessness for the future.

Recently, I found a Bucs podcast called Pewtercast. In their after the game podcast on Sunday night, one of their hosts made a very good point about the Bucs’ future: the next two games will be against divisional opponents. Should the Bucs win the next two games, then they will be only one game out of first place in the NFC South.

What Pewtercast has set forth is an amazing carrot! Is this something that Koetter can use to try to stabilize ship? For all of us fans whose hopes were dashed this past Sunday, there is still a chance our hopes can be dashed again should the Bucs not win the next two games, which are divisional games.

The Improbability

I am using the best case scenario for the rest of the NFC South after the Bucs win two games.

The Improbability Standings Result

Even if Atlanta wins both of its games, then Atlanta will have 5 wins and Carolina will have 4 wins. It does not change the fact that if the Bucs should win the next two games, then they are one game out of the division lead.

The Bucs are in playoff mode now. It is in a two-game season that they must win. In those two games, they must find consistency on both sides of the ball. Although the defense appeared non-existent, Pro Football Focus has discovered there actually was progress in QB pressures for the Buffalo game. The Bucs now need to get the rest of the defense in sync because there is no way the Bucs will see any more wins without a strong, consistent defense.

Just to put things into perspective, the Chicago Bears have won two games in a row. Against Baltimore, they threw only 17 times out of 53 plays, or 32% of the play calling. Last week versus Carolina, they threw only 7 times out of 33 plays, or 21% of the play calling. This implies they have no quarterback or passing game, but they are winning. They are winning because of their defense and a simple run game.

DC Mike Smith and his defense start their playoff quest today. They need to support the new found offense. This past week has proven that a high scoring offense can be rendered useless if the defense cannot protect a lead. If the Bucs do not win against Carolina this Sunday, then the rest of the season is just a moral victory for any wins thereafter, or just like scoring points after the score is 31-0 in the third quarter.

At this moment, winning the next two games feels improbable as there seems to be no remedy for the defense to play above mediocre. Yet, the path is still available. Anything is possible, but not everything is probable.