At just the right time, things are pointing up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Week 14 proved to be a big one for this organization and a playoff push.
It began with the Bucs defeating the lowly Las Vegas Raiders in dominating fashion. That put the Bucs at 7-6 on the year, giving them three wins in a row. They're getting hot at the right moment. But, the win over Las Vegas wasn't the only win on Sunday. There was just as big a game happening over in the Twin Cities.
The Minnesota Vikings took down the Atlanta Falcons, sending the Bucs' division rival below .500 with a record of 6-7 and knocking them completely out of first place, with Tampa Bay having a full game lead now. Thanks to a four-game skid by Atlanta paired with a current three-game winning streak in Tampa Bay, the Bucs are in good shape.
That's, of course, despite the recent injury news on Antoine Winfield Jr. But, all things considered, Tampa Bay is in a positive spot right now.
There was another NFC South team to pull out a victory in Week 14, though, in with the New Orleans Saints escaping over the New York Giants and pulling to 5-8 on the year. Now, it might sound silly, but there is a mathematical possibility where the Saints end the season 9-8 and sneak into the playoffs.
However, it's not the most likely of scenarios, especially after the Saints received a brutal injury update on Monday in regards to their starting quarterback.
New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr injured his hand on Sunday and, come Monday, the word was official. He is now done for the season with a broken hand.
This leaves New Orleans to turn to either second-year pro Jake Haener or rookie Spencer Rattler, neither of whom have thoroughly impressed in limited action this season.
In three starts this season, Rattler has thrown for 571 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while completing under 60 percent of his passes. He has shown some mobility, rushing for 61 yards on nine attempts. But, Rattler has been anything but a game-changer.
Meanwhile, Haener has not started a game this year but has seen some snaps. He's completing only 48.3 percent of his passes (14-of-29) for 177 yards and a touchdown. The second-year quarterback doesn't possess much of a rushing threat, unlike Rattler.
Regardless of which quarterback the Saints end up starting, the fact of the matter is, neither one of them give them a semblance of a chance to win games down the stretch, at least compared to Carr. This will make it a two-horse race between Tampa Bay and Atlanta with just four games to go.