The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sitting pretty atop the NFC South. But other things — including who their potential playoff opponent will be — is up in the air.
As it stands, the win against the Green Bay Packers in Week 15 was huge. With that, the Bucs are essentially playoff bound if they defeat the New Orleans Saints on New Year’s Eve, they’re in — the Bucs have a 92% chance of winning the NFC South even if they do that and lose to both the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Carolina Panthers. Should the Bucs beat the Jaguars and the Saints lose to the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, though, the team can clinch a playoff berth with a win over either the New Orleans Saints or the Carolina Panthers at the end of the year.
Who the Bucs play is another point of interest. It looks set to be either the Philadelphia Eagles or the Dallas Cowboys, depending on which one of those teams wins the division. If it’s the Cowboys, the Bucs get a rematch from Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles — if it’s the Eagles, the Bucs will get a rematch from last year’s wild card with the Dallas Cowboys.
Here is what the current playoff state looks like in the NFC as it stands: