Bucs Still On Track For Playoffs, But Bye Unlikely
November 12th, 2025
Just a couple of weeks ago the Bucs were looking like a team that would have a bye in the NFC playoffs, and maybe a shot at the No. 1 seed.
But the computers at the New York Times-owned The Athletic now have a very different view of the Bucs.
Instead of an NFC powerhouse and perhaps a Super Bowl contender, the computers at The Athletic have the Bucs as a massive pretender who will win just four more games this season and still the best team in an otherwise lousy division with almost no shot at a bye or for that matter, a Super Bowl appearance.
The Bucs have a 90 percent chance of a playoff berth and an 88 percent chance of winning the division.
That’s about all there is to it, per The Athletic.
If the Bucs win at Buffalo this week and at Los Angeles next week, Joe is guessing these calculations will flip.
But the way the Bucs have played against two good teams the past month, Detroit and New England, no way Joe’s better the Bucs can or will win these next two games.
Todd Bowles beating Sean McVay on the road in primetime? Talk about a stacked deck.