Tampa Bay is slowly losing their grasp on the NFC South, and it could be completely gone in a matter of days.
The Buccaneers have lost three of their last four games, and are now 6-4. Not only that, they have the Los Angeles Rams coming up next week, a game that will likely be another difficult one for Baker Mayfield and company to win.
Meanwhile, the Panthers (6-5) are surging and now just half-a-game behind Tampa Bay. The Panthers play the 49ers (7-4) next week. In the preseason, most would assume San Francisco would blow out a weak Carolina team, but the way the Panthers' offense has been playing, that might not be a given.
Carolina could take down the 49ers and move into first place in the NFC South. From there, the Panthers have the Saints, Rams, and Seahawks in addition to two games against Tampa Bay.
Assuming Carolina beats the Saints, the Panthers could be 8-7 when removing their two games with Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, have the Cardinals, Saints, Falcons, and Dolphins in their final six games. Assuming the Buccaneers can go 3-1 against those teams, they could be 9-6, factoring in a loss to the Rams.
That leaves two pivotal games against the Panthers. If Carolina wins both games against Tampa Bay, they will very likely win the division for the first time in years.
The good news is that based on their remaining schedules, even if they lose next week, the Buccaneers will likely only need to split their games with the Panthers to win the division.
Still, it's unfortunate it's even getting this close for the Buccaneers. This is partially due to the Panthers arrival as a legitimate football team, and in part due to Tampa Bay apparently forgetting how to play football in the second half against good teams.
Tampa Bay needs to be careful. They cannot afford another slip-up, or they risk the division falling from their grasps.