Buccaneers Slip In Week 12 Power Rankings While On Their Bye Week

Here's our weekly roundup of where national media has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their power rankings.

Oct 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) runs on the field agains 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 are coming off their bye week and look to take control of their destiny with a winnable schedule down the stretch. The Falcons dropped their last game and have three tough opponents left on the season putting the Bucs in striking distance to potentially overtake them if they can run the table down the stretch. Finally, healthy with reinforcements on both sides of the ball in wide receiver Mike Evans and cornerback Jamel Dean coming back, the Bucs are ready to make a play for not just a wild card spot but potentially the NFC South division crown. However, while the Bucs were resting up many national pundits dropped them in the power rankings.

Here is where the Buccaneers stack up in this week's power rankings:

NFL.com: No. 14

"After limping into their Week 11 bye with four straight excruciating losses, the Buccaneers have to feel like they've been given a reprieve, thanks to the way the Falcons are playing. Atlanta was once assumed by many to be the big NFC South favorite after sweeping Tampa Bay and starting out 4-0 in the division, but everything has shifted over the past few weeks. The Bucs' next three games are against teams with a combined 7-23 record; all three opponents (the Giants in Week 12, Panthers in Week 13andRaiders in Week 14) have made quarterback changes this season. Shortly after that, they head to Dallas (another team using its backup QB), then face Carolina for a second time. Tampa still must win most of its games down the stretch while hoping the Falcons keep floundering and the Saints do not suddenly get hot, but the Bucs have life again. They were in a similar spot last year before cranking up the afterburners and winning a playoff game. I'm not ruling out something similar happening again."

Last Week: No. 16

ESPN: No. 18

"Tryon-Shoyinka has notched two sacks so far this season, which is tied with a pair of other outside linebackers on the team (Yaya Diaby and Anthony Nelson). Chris Braswell has a half-sack, so Tryon-Shoyinka isn't being outplayed by anyone, as the group as a whole needs to play better. It's hard to single him out here because the entire D needs to be better. (The Bucs are, however, getting some good push up the middle.) But Tryon-Shoyinka isn't making a compelling case for himself right now."

Last Week: No. 17

CBS Sports: No. 19

"Thanks to a loss by the Falcons, they come off their bye with a chance to make a playoff push with a soft schedule. Getting healthy will be the key."

Last Week: No. 19

USA Today: No. 19

"They went into their bye with a four-game slide. They'll emerge from it faced with the NFC's easiest remaining schedule and, apparently, with WR Mike Evans back in the lineup."

Last Week: No. 17

Yahoo Sports: No. 16

"The Falcons refuse to put away the NFC South. Atlanta has the tiebreaker and that’s an issue for Tampa Bay, but with seven games to go, the Buccaneers are not out of the race yet."

Last Week: No.17

NBC Sports: No. 17

"They’re still very much alive, despite many recent struggles."

Last Week: No. 17

Sports Illustrated: No. 18

"As everyone knows, I’ve always been a major supporter of the Buccaneers. Now hear this: Mike Evans has returned to practice. Tampa Bay now faces the Giants, Panthers and Raiders over the next three weeks. I would guess that Tampa Bay goes into mid-December as the betting favorite to win the NFC South. Their bye week could not have come at a better time."

Last Week: No.16

The 33rd Team: No. 21

"The bye week for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a good one, as the Atlanta Falcons lost another game. While Tampa Bay is technically three games back in the division, it isn't out of the hunt just yet. With a soft upcoming schedule and the hopeful return of Mike Evans, Tampa Bay could be a team that makes some noise in December."

Last Week: No. 17

Fox Sports: No. 19

"It's easy to write off a team that's lost four in a row, but let's see what the Bucs are all about coming out of the bye. With any luck, they'll have Mike Evans back soon, and only one of their remaining seven games is against a team that's above .500. Plenty left to play for."

Last Week: No. 18

READ MORE: Ex-Bucs Super Bowl QB Confident Baker Mayfield Can Bring Another Championship to Tampa Bay

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