The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered their second straight loss coming off their bye in Week 11 against the Buffalo Bills. It was a game that saw the offenses explode, but ultimately, the day was owned by Josh Allen, who once again had a record-setting day.
The Bucs aren't necessarily reeling at the moment, but having lost three out of their last four games, the panic meter is starting to spark a bit — especially with their NFC South lead over the Carolina Panthers dwindling each week.
With the Buccaneers slipping in recent weeks to some tough competition, there is reason to understand them falling in NFL.com's power rankings, and that continued this week as the Bucs dropped another two spots to 12th.
Baker Mayfiel
Nov 9, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
"Tampa Bay's post-bye blues sunk a little deeper with Sunday's loss to the Bills, even if the Buccaneers still have full control of their playoff destiny. The Panthers remain right on their heels in the divisional race, and this thing is a long way from being decided. There are still four weeks before the two teams are set to meet for the first time this season, and the Bucs have endured these types of midseason skids in recent years before rebounding," writer Eric Edholm wrote.
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"I've said all season that you have to judge this team based on what it can do in January, and I still believe that to be mostly true. But the biggest development over the last few months has been Tampa's injury toll, which might be too deep for this team to do major damage in the postseason if it gets there. Todd Bowles' squad appeared to be rounding into form defensively prior to the bye, but it has gone the other direction in the two games since. That must improve, and the Bucs have to find more steady options in the pass game to stay on top in the NFC South."
Everything that Edholm said is true. The Panthers are right on the Bucs' heels in the NFC South race, and the Bucs still have to face them twice before the end of the regular season. Bowles' defense has been a shell of itself the past couple of weeks, and will need to be turned around here down the final stretch.
It was a drastic drop in the rankings for the Bucs, but it does point to some cracks in the armor that was so strong at the beginning of the season.
The road doesn't get much easier for Tampa Bay. They now head cross-country to Los Angeles to take on a Rams team that is gaining tons of national attention, including being ranked as the top team in the NFL in Edholm's rankings. Picking up a win against the Rams would be huge for not only the outlook of the rest of the season, but would also give the team confidence and build morale within the locker room.
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