Nearly everything worked in favor of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15.
The Bucs, sitting one game shy of .500, had a 55% chance of making the playoffs according to the New York Times playoff simulator. Ensuring victory in its own matchup was of the utmost importance for Tampa Bay, but the outcome of several other NFC matchups helped skyrocket the Bucs’ playoff odds to nearly 80% ahead of Week 16.
On Saturday, the Minnesota Vikings (7-7) fell to the Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) in overtime. Minnesota held the top Wildcard seed — and still do — but lessened the ceiling for the Bucs to secure a Wildcard spot should they lose the NFC South.
Sunday was even better. To start the day, the Bucs defeated Green Bay and knocked them a game out of Wildcard contention. The victory alone pushed Tampa Bay’s playoff odds above 70%, but an unsuspected outcome in an NFC South matchup provided a massive boost to the Bucs’ playoff hopes.
The one-win Carolina Panthers hosted the Atlanta Falcons (6-7), who were tied with the Bucs for the NFC South division lead on Sunday. In horrible, rainy conditions (and in front of nearly empty stands) Carolina won. A chip-shot field goal by Eddy Piñeiro sailed through the uprights for a 9-7 victory as time expired.
It was the cherry on top of a flawless victory by Baker Mayfield and the Bucs. Now, Tampa Bay will head back home to Raymond James Stadium and take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have lost three straight.
There is a chance Jacksonville could be without its starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence was placed in concussion protocol after a 23-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday night. His status for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay is in jeopardy.
The Bucs have a 49.6% chance of defeating the Jags according to ESPN’s Matchup Predictor (as of Tuesday.) The odds would surely shift in favor of Tampa Bay if Jacksonville is without its starting quarterback. If Lawrence is unable to play, backup QB C.J. Beathard will likely start in his place.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1364]