3 NFL Games to Watch While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Are on Bye in Week 11

Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans should keep a close eye on the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers and more.

Nov 10, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) calls a play in the huddle against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not be playing football this week, and for a fanbase that has seen the team lose their last four games, that may be somewhat of a relief. But an easy schedule after this Week 11 bye has the Bucs still hoping for a playoff bid, and there are a few important games to that measure on Sunday.

Between division rivals and Wild Card races, here are three games on Sunday you may want to keep an eye on:

Atlanta Falcons at Denver Broncos (4:05 p.m.)

This one is important, of course, because of the NFC South. The Atlanta Falcons are currently heading the division over the Bucs, with a 6-4 record over Tampa Bay's 4-5 with a sweep of the series to boot. Tampa Bay's best shot to make the playoffs may be by winning the division, and so Bucs fans will want to tune in to this one and root for the Denver Broncos to drop Atlanta to 6-5.

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears (1 p.m.)

Meanwhile, there's the wild card race. The Green Bay Packers are 6-3 and hold on to the No. 6 seed in the NFC, but they'll be playing the Chicago Bears, who are currently the No. 9 seed. A Bears win here would drop the Packers — the better team of the two — to 6-4, but a Packers win would massively wound Chicago's playoff chances. Either way it happens, this is an important game in the Wild Card race.

Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers (4:05 p.m.)

The Buccaneers lost a massive opportunity when they dropped a game to the San Francisco 49ers. Now, as seems a trend with the Buccaneers, they'll have to wait for the 49ers to drop games instead of controlling their own destiny. The 49ers are the No. 8 seed in the NFC, just outside of playoff contention, and they play the Seattle Seahawks, who are the current No. 10 seed. Whichever team win this game will go a little further in the Wild Card race, so it's one to keep an eye on.

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