Buccaneers Have Plenty to Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got back in the win column on Sunday, and appear to be reaping the benefits of a friendly schedule to end the season.

Nov 24, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) carries the ball during the second half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Week 12 is in the books for the NFC South and after a big win over the New York Giants the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 5-6 but just one game behing the Atlanta Falcons.

Considering the win got the Buccaneers off of a four-game losing streak, that alone is worth being thankful for as we enter the Thanksgiving weekend, but that's not all.

On top of its own win, Tampa Bay is benefitting entering the end of November from the Atlanta Falcons' own struggles after they dropped back-to-back games for the first time this season before entering their bye this week. The failure of the Falcons to extend their grip on the NFC South Division lead while the Bucs struggled is yet another thing to be thankful for. But we aren't stopping there, as NFL.com's Jeffri Chadiha also brought up something to be thankful for when it comes to the state of this franchise presently.

READ MORE: Former Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden Gives Praise to QB Baker Mayfield After Giants Win

"The remainder of the schedule," Chadiha listed as his item for the Buccaneers to be thankful for this season. "If there’s one reason to feel good about regarding the Buccaneers -- a team that had lost four straight games and five of its last six coming into this weekend -- it has to be its upcoming slate of opponents. They just beat up on the Giants on Sunday coming off last week’s bye, and there is only one team over the final six games that has a winning record (the Chargers). That’s the second-easiest schedule left in the league for a Tampa Bay team that is currently sitting at 5-6. It’s not impossible to see the Bucs winning at least five more games and making the NFC South race a lot more interesting."

There aren't a lot of teams in the league that could lose four games in a row and be one out of first place in their division.

However, after losing both of its matchups against Atlanta, Tampa Bay can't just catch up. Even records between the two division rivals will tip the scales in the Falcons' direction.

Fortunately, while the Bucs face just one winning team the rest of the way, Atlanta faces three. Add to it a Week 18 contest against the suddenly competitive Carolina Panthers, who won two in a row before taking the Kansas City Chiefs to overtime in Week 12, and there's certainly reason to think that if the Buccaneers take care of their business, a division record-tying fourth-straight NFC South championship is well within reach.

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