All Eyes on NFC South Division Lead When Buccaneers Face Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders have a chance to play spoiler against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Oct 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tykee Smith (23) celebrates an interception of a ball intended for New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) with cornerback Tyrek Funderburk (24) and linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (9) during the fourth quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers know better than to be looking past the Las Vegas Raiders.

At 2-10, the Raiders come into this weekend's matchup against the Buccaneers with most people talking about how high they'll be picking to land their next franchise quarterback next April.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is focused solely on getting back to the playoffs this year, and to do so it has its sights set on the NFC South Division crown for a fourth-straight season.

So, no disrespect intended, when the Bucs host the Raiders this weekend it's about much more than just beating the silver and black.

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After a pair of road wins — and three corresponding losses from Atlanta — the Bucs find themselves on the verge of taking hold of the top spot in the NFC South. However, Tampa will need a bit of help along the way if it hopes to capture the division crown, as the Falcons hold the head-to-head tiebreaker after sweeping the Bucs in their season series," Pro Football Focus' Mason Cameron said when identifying the top storyline for this weekend's game between the Buccaneers and Las Vegas.

Cameron also identified his top matchup for the game and says that Raiders receiver Jakobi Meyers going up against Bucs defensive back Tykee Smith will be the key.

Smith is officially questionable to play on Sunday with a knee injury, information Cameron doesn't have the benefit of waiting for when choosing these matchups for a Thursday morning publication.

Meyers is also listed as questionable, but there's no doubt that if he's available for the Raiders, no matter which Buccaneers defender is on him, that's going to be a matchup worth watching.

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