The Bucs are sitting just one game away from reclaiming the NFC South. A win over the Falcons on Sunday would put them back at the top of the leader board.
Tampa Bay's Mike Evans scored on a 75-yard reception and joined Jerry Rice as the only players in NFL history to string together 10 consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards receiving while helping the Buccaneers beat the struggling Carolina Panthers 21-18 on Sunday. Evans finished with seven receptions for 162 yards, increasing his season totals to 61 catches for 1,012 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers understand there’s little margin for error in their bid to win a third straight NFC South title. “From here on out, every game we play is a playoff game,” coach Todd Bowles reiterated Monday, looking ahead to next weekend’s matchup against the division-leading Atlanta Falcons (6-6), who won an earlier meeting between the teams. “Most of them are division games that we play, so it’s really important to win those division games,” added Bowles, who has described a stretch in which the Bucs (5-7) will play four of their final six games within the NFC South as a “round-robin” tournament.
Todd Bowles is adamant. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have to stop beating themselves with mistakes if they’re going to turn their season around. Despite losing six of seven games following a promising 3-1 start, a third straight NFC South title and a fourth consecutive playoff berth remain within reach if the Bucs (4-7) finish strong over the next six weeks.