NFL Playoff Picture: Where Do the Buccaneers Stand Going Into Week 17?

As it stands, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be on the outside looking in.
Dec 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA;  Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) walks off the field after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
Dec 22, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) walks off the field after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
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Things can change over a week.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were leading the NFC South with the No. 3 seed after their dominant 40-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, but after their 26-24 loss against the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay isn't currently in a playoff spot at all.

The key, as it has been for most of the year, is Tampa Bay's two losses to the Atlanta Falcons. Because the Bucs dropped both of those games, they have no tiebreaker with Atlanta, and so after the Falcons walloped the New York Giants 34-7 on Sunday, both teams are 8-7 — and it's the Falcons who lead the NFC South. As a result, the Falcons are now in a playoff spot and the Buccaneers are missing out. In order for the Buccaneers to win the division, they'll need to lose one less game than the Falcons do in their remaining two contests.

Then, there's the matter of the wild card. The Buccaneers can still make the No. 7 seed and head to the playoffs, but the road there also relies on another team. Should the Washington Commanders lose to both the Atlanta Falcons and the Dallas Cowboys in their last two matchups and the Bucs were to win their last two matchups against the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay would be in the playoffs as the No. 7 seed, likely to face the Philadelphia Eagles on the road.

As a result, Tampa Bay does not control their own destiny and needs some help, but the exact help it needs will make itself clear this weekend. The Commanders and Falcons both play each other in Week 17, so whether or not the Buccaneers will be rooting for a wild card berth or a division title will depend on the outcome of that matchup.

Before all of that, though, Tampa Bay has to take care of business. And they'll have the opportunity to do that this Sunday at 1 p.m. when they play the Carolina Panthers.


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River Wells
RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.