Buccaneers Should Keep Playoff Hopes Alive At Least For One More Day

Panthers vs. Buccaneers, 4:30 ET

Our first NFL football of the 2026 calendar year is sure to bring plenty of excitement. There is a lot on the line for the teams, but there is also a question that is left to be answered. The NFC South will be decided with one of these two teams making the playoffs, but in reality, no one in that division seems worthy of making it. The Panthers and Buccaneers have a date on Saturday, and with it comes the division crown, most likely. 

The Panthers don't actually need to win this game in order to win the division, apparently. I'm not really sure why it is the case, or how it works out, but from what I've read, Carolina can make the playoffs even with losing this game, as long as the Falcons win their game. Basically, the Panthers own enough tiebreakers so that if the Falcons win and the Panthers lose, meaning the Buccaneers win, then they win the division. It is a comical scenario, and once again a team with a losing record will host a playoff game. This has been an odd year for the Panthers with some very surprising wins and some strange losses. They started the season losing to both Jacksonville and Arizona. They were competitive late against the Cardinals, but it wasn't enough as they fell 27-22. Then the next week, they hosted the Falcons and demolished them, winning 30-0. They ran their record to 4-3 after beating the Dolphins, Cowboys, and Jets in three consecutive games. They've beaten the Packers, Rams, and Buccaneers, but also have lost to the Saints twice, 49ers, and Seahawks in the same stretch. Inconsistent is the best word to describe the Panthers, unfortunately. 

(Dale Zanine-Imagn Images)

The Buccaneers were the clear favorite in the division, and the fact that they are still playing for it tells you a bit about how their season has gone. In the first four or five weeks of the year, I took a stance that Baker Mayfield should be the MVP. Injuries definitely impacted this team, as they finally caught up, but the Mayfield magic also wore off as he couldn't keep getting them to make comebacks. At the Bye Week, the team was 6-2, again looking like they were easily going to win the division. Since then, they have gone 1-7. I know there were injuries, but they've gotten healthy since that point. The difference is that those comebacks that Mayfield was leading them to in the first few games are just not happening any longer. Of those seven losses, five of them have been by just one score. Two of the five saw the Buccaneers have the ball with a chance to win the game. Two of them they scored touchdowns and couldn't get an onside kick to get the ball back, and one of them they couldn't get the stop, allowing the Falcons to beat them. Late-game execution has disappeared for them. 

This is a game where I think you have to choose the better quarterback, and I do still think that is Baker Mayfield. The problem is that I have no faith in the Buccaneers' defense. They are pretty good against the run, but they've been awful against the pass. The Panthers are basically middle of the pack when it comes to defense overall. I'm sure the Panthers don't want to rely on the Falcons to beat the Saints, and would prefer to just win this outright. The line has moved in their favor, but the game is at Tampa, Mayfield is still the better quarterback, and I have more faith in the Buccaneers team in a must win game. Give me Tampa -2.5. 

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