The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't get any style points for their 28-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at Raymond James Stadium, but they got the victory, which moves them into first place in the NFC South.
The Buccaneers needed a fourth-quarter boost to overcome a plucky Raiders team with just four points separating the two teams heading into the last term.
But Baker Mayfield and the offense clicked into gear, scoring touchdowns on consecutive drives to create some distance from their AFC counterparts.
It wasn't pretty, with the Buccaneers having three turnovers, which included two Mayfield interceptions, and head coach Todd Bowles says his team made it tough for themselves.
"Any time you turn it over three times, that's going to be tough," Bowles said. "That's going to be tough to say he played well, but you've got to play winning football. We're not going to be perfect, but we have to play winning football, determined football. We didn't play winning football in the first half, we played it in the second half."
"Winning football''? That's a pretty simple secret. And ... With the Buccaneers now overtaking the Atlanta Falcons for the division lead, Bowles' team controls their playoff destiny.
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After the bye Tampa Bay, has rattled off three straight wins, while the Falcons are on a four-game losing streak and are in freefall. With the Los Angeles Chargers, a resurgent Carolina Pathers team, the Dallas Cowboys, and the New Orleans Saints, there is still a bit for Tampa Bay to navigate.
Bowles' team has put itself into a position to punch its playoff ticket, and to make sure of it, playing "winning football" will be the only item on the menu for Bowles' Bucs.
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This story was originally published December 10, 2024, 10:28 AM.