NFL Playoff Picture: Where Do the Buccaneers Stand Going Into Week 14?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers control their own destiny, but it won't be an easy task to win out for the rest of the year.

Dec 1, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers place kicker Chase McLaughlin (4) celebrates with linebacker Anthony Nelson (98) and punter Trenton Gill (16) after kicking the game winning field goal in overtime at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are firmly in the hunt for a playoff appearance in 2024 — potentially their fifth in a row. It isn't up to just them, though, but the Buccaneers are also sitting in a very good spot to take care of business and punch their ticket.

The Buccaneers are currently second in the NFC South, but their record remains the same as the Atlanta Falcons at 6-6. Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, the Bucs lost both games to Atlanta, so the Falcons hold the tiebreaker and remain in first place. Becoming a division winner seems like the easiest way to get in the playoffs at the moment, and to do that, they'll have to win one more game than the Falcons do at the end of the year. Tampa Bay's schedule is easy from here on out, but there's also extremely little room for error in this final stretch.

A Wild Card berth may be harder, but not impossible — in fact, the Buccaneers technically control their own playoff destiny should they win out. They hold the No. 8 seed, with the No. 7 seed occupied by the Washington Commanders and the No. 9 and 10 seeds occupied by the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams, respectively.

Should the Buccaneers win out, they're in the playoffs. If they win out and Atlanta does not, the Bucs would be crowned NFC South champions and make the playoffs as the No. 4 seed. However, if both the Buccaneers and the Falcons win out, the Falcons will have beaten the Commanders in Week 17 — because of that, both the Buccaneers and the Commanders would be 11-6, and the Buccaneers hold the tiebreaker on that matchup from Week 1. As a result of all this, the Bucs can control their playoff destiny by winning every remaining game on their schedule.

Should the Bucs lose one game of their remaining five — to either the Los Angeles Chargers or the Dallas Cowboys, perhaps — the Bucs would be 10-6, and would still have a good shot at making the playoffs. The Washington Commanders would have to win out in order for the Bucs to miss the playoffs in this scenario, but they unfortunately run into the 10-2 Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16, making that a tough prospect.

Things are looking decent for Tampa Bay, but at the end of the day, the Buccaneers have to take care of business on their end, and going 5-0 or 4-1 in this remaining stretch is by no means easy. The first game to start that journey is against the Las Vegas Raiders at home on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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