The Buccaneers have taken huge steps in the right direction over the past month, which is why they are 13th this week.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are losing receivers left and right, but quarterback Jameis Winston refuses to go down with the ship.
After becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 450 yards in back-to-back games, Winston is now just 427 yards away from the 5,000-yard mark. With two games remaining, Winston easily has a shot at reaching the milestone, but, he’ll have to do so with a thin receiving corps.
Mike Evans had already been ruled out for the season with a hamstring injury prior to Sunday’s win over the Lions, but in that game Tampa Bay saw Chris Godwin go down with a hamstring injury that could end his season. And, today, the Bucs placed rookie receiver Scotty Miller on IR. If Winston is going to make history, he’ll need some help to get there.
Still, Tampa Bay has won four-straight games and look like a team readying for the postseason, even if they won’t get there. But, they can still play spoiler to the visiting Houston Texans in Week 16.
Houston should not take Tampa Bay for granted, especially now that the Bucs have climbed up to No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY NFL Power Rankings.
In his explanation, writer Nate Davis points out something very important when it comes to the NFL’s geographic accuracy, or lack thereof.
“Unfortunately for [the Bucs], NFL eschews geographic accuracy … otherwise Bucs might be winning NFC East while Cowboys sank in NFC South.”
It really is ridiculous that the Cowboys are part of the NFC East when you consider the fact that New York, Philadelphia and Washington are all within driving distance of each other.
Hopefully, next year, the Bucs will have a healthy roster and be ready to contend for a playoff spot. And, based on how things have looked over the last few weeks, it seems more and more likely that Winston will get at least one more year to prove himself.
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