Tag: Bucs playoff chances

Bucs’ playoff percentage ahead of Week 18

Here’s what the odds say about Tampa Bay’s playoff chances ahead of the last game of the season:

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8) had the opportunity to secure playoff berth against the New Orleans Saints (8-8) on Sunday and fell well short of that goal. Baker Mayfield threw two interceptions and couldn’t gain any efficiency on offense until the fourth quarter.

The Bucs playoff dreams aren’t dead, though. Tampa Bay can redeem itself against the Carolina Panthers (2-14) 1 p.m. on Sunday. A victory clinches the NFC South Divisional title and places it in the hands of the Bucs for the third consecutive year.

According to the New York Times playoff simulator, the Bucs have a 56% chance of making the playoffs. Tampa Bay’s most simple route to the playoffs is a victory, however, they can also can secure playoff berth in two other ways.

The Bucs can secure the NFC South Division title if they tie and a tie or loss by the New Orleans Saints. Tampa Bay can lock in a Wild Card seed with a tie, a loss by the Seahawks, and a tie or a loss by the Green Bay Packers.

The Bucs have a 72% chance of winning on Sunday according to ESPN Analytics. Tampa Bay is a 4.5-point favorite on BetMGM.

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Bucs’ playoff odds ahead of Week 17 matchup against New Orleans

Tampa Bay’s playoff scenario is very simply — win and you’re in.

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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Bucs’ playoff odds soar ahead of Week 16 matchup

Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes are looking good after beating the Packers in Week 15.

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.

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Bucs’ playoff chances ahead of Week 15 matchup against Packers

Here’s what Tampa Bay’s playoff odds look like ahead of a big NFC matchup on Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7) defeated the Atlanta Falcons (6-7) 29-25 Sunday and hold a division lead in the NFC South. Three teams — the Bucs, Falcons and Saints — are all tied with a 6-7 record, and with four weeks left in the season, the division is as wide open as ever.

Right now, Tampa Bay has a 55% chance of making the playoffs, according to the New York Times playoff simulator. The most likely scenario is the Bucs hosting a Wild Card matchup (45% chance), and there is a 10% chance Tampa Bay could secure one of the three NFC Wild Card seeds.

Sunday’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers (6-7) will be telling as to how the rest of the season might pan out for the Bucs. A victory keeps Tampa Bay in the driver’s seat in the NFC South while also boosting its odds of securing a Wild Card spot to 16%. A loss, on the other hand, drops its playoff hopes to 42%, which decreases even more if Atlanta takes down the one-win Carolina Panthers.

The Bucs have a 73% chance of making the playoffs if they defeat Green Bay on Sunday. Tampa Bay has a 43.3% chance of winning in Lambeau, according to ESPN‘s Matchup Predictor. The Bucs are 2-1 against the NFC North this season so far.

Tampa Bay’s Week 15 matchup against the Green Bay Packers begins 1 p.m. Sunday at Lambeau Field. The game will be broadcast by CBS.

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Bucs’ playoff chances ahead of Bucs at Falcons in Week 14

Here’s what Tampa Bay’s playoff chances look like heading into a crucial NFC South matchup.

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Bucs got it done on Sunday against Carolina, defeating the Panthers 21-18.

Tampa Bay WR Mike Evans helped lead the offense and hauled in 7 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown. He also surpassed the 1,000 yard mark for the 10th consecutive season.

However, more importantly, the Buccaneers improved to 5-7 to keep their postseason hopes alive and set up a crucial matchup against the Atlanta Falcons (6-6) 1 p.m. Sunday. There are immense playoff implications, according to the New York Times playoff simulator.

“We viewed yesterday as a playoff game,” HC Todd Bowles said Monday. “From here on out, every game we play is a playoff game.”

As of now, Tampa Bay’s postseason hopes are unlikely — about 25%. However, the outcome of Sunday’s contest might very well decide if the Bucs will extend their postseason streak another year.

If Tampa Bay defeats Atlanta, its odds skyrocket to 50%. If the Bucs lose, they’ll have less than a 10% chance of reaching the postseason.

The Falcons are favored by 2.5 points, per BetMGM odds Tuesday. However, according to ESPN’s matchup predictor, the Bucs are a slight favorite and have a 51.5% of winning.

“We expect it to be tough on Sunday,” Bowles said.

Sunday’s matchup between the Bucs and Falcons begins 1 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game will be broadcast by FOX.

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Bucs’ postseason odds heading into Week 12

Here’s where Tampa Bay’s playoff odds sit heading into Week 12.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-6) lost to the San Francisco 49ers (7-3) 27-14 Sunday and dropped one game below the NFC South division leader, the New Orleans Saints (5-5).

After the disappointing performance against the 49ers, the Bucs have just a 28% chance of making the playoffs according to the New York Times.

Tampa Bay will travel to Indiana this week and take on the Indianapolis Colts (5-5) 1 p.m. Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium. According to ESPN Analytics, the Bucs have a 45% chance of winning in Week 12.

The Colts enter Sunday as winners of their last two contests. Indianapolis took down the New England Patriots 10-6 in Week 11, and defeated the Carolina Panthers 27-13 the week prior.

Sunday’s game isn’t as critical as it might seem, according to the New York Times playoff predictors, but a Bucs’ win would go a long way toward boosting Tampa Bay’s playoff odds. If the Bucs win, their playoff hopes could rise as high as 40% depending on the outcome between the Saints and Falcons. A loss by Tampa Bay drops its odds to around 20%, regardless of the outcomes of its division rivals.

As of Week 13, six of the final seven opponents the Bucs are set to face are at or below .500. The only team above .500 in the upcoming stretch of games is the Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 16).

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Bucs’ Week 11 game features massive swing for playoff chances

An unlikely win against the 49ers would go very far in improving Tampa Bay’s playoff chances.

A win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against one of the NFC’s best teams on the road is quite unlikely, but if it does happen, the team’s playoff chances could soar as a result.

Pro Football Focus analyzes every team’s playoff chances from week to week, and the Bucs face one of their bigger swings in Week 11 against the San Francisco 49ers. According to PFF, the Bucs will jump to a 62% chance of making the playoffs with a win in Santa Clara, but they’ll drop to a 32% chance to make the playoffs with a loss. While the team is still in the hunt with a loss, a win would be huge for Tampa Bay in its hunt to get to the postseason.

The big advantage from a win over the 49ers would come from the victory in conference. As it stands, the Bucs are the only team in the NFC South without a losing record in the conference, currently standing at 3-3. Should the Bucs win against San Francisco, the Bucs would be 4-3 in conference and would hold a positive record against the NFC, which would be a boon for future playoff chances.

That being said, if the Bucs lose, they aren’t out of the hunt. The NFC South is weak this year, and the Saints currently lead the division at 5-5 with a bye week in Week 11. Even if the Bucs lose, they’re set to be a game back of the NFC South lead.

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