Hello, playoffs.

Okay, so it’s premature to send the Bucs to the postseason. Tampa Bay’s magic number to win the NFC South is three, so don’t start ordering the party trays just yet.

Then again, holy shit!

For the second straight year, the Bucs recovered from a four-game losing streak midway through the season to move to the top of the division. If the Falcons lose to the Raiders on Monday night, the Bucs could actually conquer the South by next weekend.

After beating three last-place teams in a row, the Bucs quieted any critics with a 40-17 win over the Chargers on Sunday at SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles.

The offense was spectacular with 506 net yards and six consecutive possessions. Baker Mayfield threw for 288 yards and four touchdowns, and the defense continued its surge in the second half by shutting down Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense.

Game of the day

Trailing 17-13 in the third quarter, Mayfield scrambled to left on a second-and-13 play. Cade Otton and Rachaad White were both near the sideline and Mayfield was trying to steer them away from each other when he spotted Mike Evans running freely down the field. While still crawling to his left, Mayfield launched the ball 30 yards into the air. Evans made the grab, bounced off a defender trying to throw him out of bounds, then ran into the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown that gave the Bucs the lead for good.

game ball

Yes, Evans deserves a game ball for his 159-yard receiving day. But let’s spread the love and reward Bucky Irving too. The rookie from Oregon rushed for 117 yards and added a 54-yard gain in the third quarter to start the game. He’s now averaging 5.6 yards per carry and only needs to gain 148 yards over the last three weeks to break 1,000 yards.

Keep an eye on it

Is this defensive revival real or a product of competition? The Bucs gave up an average of 26.6 points per game through the first 10 weeks. However, since the bye they have only scored 15 points per game. It certainly helped that they were playing the 2-12 Giants, 3-11 Panthers and 2-11 Raiders. But the Chargers (8-6) are a potential playoff team, and the Bucs just knocked them out with two starting safety backups.

NFC South update

Without the Bucs, the NFC South would have been relegated to the UFL by now. Over the last three seasons, Tampa Bay has a 15-17 record in non-division games. That’s nothing to brag about, but it looks impressive compared to the rest of the department. The Falcons, Saints and Panthers are 30-63 against non-division opponents. That would explain why the Bucs are on the verge of a record fourth straight division title.

Next

A Sunday night game in Dallas that Mike McCarthy has been training for his entire life. At 6-8, the Cowboys are having their worst season since 2020 and McCarthy may need a strong finish to avoid the axe. Dallas rallied for a 30-14 win against the Panthers on Sunday.

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