October hasn’t been kind to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a 3-1 start to the season, it seemed all doubt regarding Baker Mayfield and the Bucs was unwarranted. However, Tampa Bay has fallen back to earth and lost three games in a row.
The Bucs have a 26% chance of making the playoffs heading into Week 9 according to the New York Times.
Tampa Bay will travel to Texas this weekend and take on the Houston Texans (3-4). Led by rookie QB C.J. Stroud, ESPN Analytics predicts there’s a 50.6% chance the Texans will defeat the Bucs at home.
If Tampa Bay is defeated by Houston, its playoff hopes will drop to just 18%. But, if the Bucs can return back to the win column, they’ll have a 33% chance to make the playoffs.
As of Week 8, eight of the next 10 opponents Tampa Bay is set to face are at or below .500. The two teams above .500 are the San Francisco 49ers (Week 11) and Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 16).
Earning a win against the Texans is extremely important if the Bucs want to continue their playoff streak another year and maintain winning football in the Bay.
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