The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7) defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7) in convincing fashion in Week 16. They’ll have the opportunity to clinch the playoffs against the New Orleans Saints (7-8) on Sunday.
Tampa Bay has a 84% chance of making the playoffs according to the New York Times playoff simulator. The Bucs can secure playoff berth in two different ways on Sunday.
The first way is simple. If Tampa Bay wins, they’re in. According to ESPN Analytics, the Bucs have a 47.8% chance of winning. Despite that, Vegas favors Tampa Bay in this matchup, and BetMGM has the Bucs as 3-point favorites.
Tampa Bay can also clinch with a tie against the Saints and an Atlanta Falcons loss. The Atlanta Falcons (7-8) are matched up against the Chicago Bears (6-9). The Bears are favored by 3 points.
If the Bucs are unable to clinch the playoffs in Week 17, they’ll have another opportunity to do so against the Carolina Panthers (2-13) in the following week.
If Tampa Bay is able to secure playoff contention, it’ll mark the fourth consecutive season it’s reached the playoffs, which ties the longest streak of consecutive playoff appearances. The Bucs made the playoffs four seasons in a row from 1999-2002.
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