TAMPA — If they survive long enough, these guys could be something special.

The quarterback has, you know, a story of redemption that America would love. “Running Back” is the classic little guy story that is all too often overlooked. The head coach is a real footballer and is still being asked to justify his place on the sidelines.

By mid-November they were 4-6 years old and were in danger of needing an off-season overhaul. And yet they’re 5-1 over the last six weeks and have the best point differential in the NFL.

Yes, these guys could be dangerous in the postseason.

If they make it.

The 2024 Bucs’ deathbed revival continued on Sunday with a stunning 48-14 win over the Panthers. The win kept their postseason hopes alive, and their chances increased significantly a few hours later when the Falcons blew a fourth-quarter lead and lost to Washington in overtime.

Tampa Bay can clinch the NFC South next week with a win against New Orleans.

Given how well they played, would you want to play these guys in mid-January?

“I think we’re really close to being where we wanted to be all year,” left tackle Tristan Wirfs said. “I tell everyone, you just have to come to the dance. In my rookie year (when the Bucs won the Super Bowl) we were a wild card. We only won 11 games, or something like that. I just have to go to the dance, I just have to get hot.

“And it feels pretty good right now.”

Sure, there are some extenuating circumstances with this hot streak. Four of these five recent wins have come against teams ranked at the top of the 2025 draft. And capturing another NFC South crown would be like winning the Nerd Decathlon.

On the other hand, no other team in the NFC has picked up wins against both the Lions and the Eagles. Not to mention the wins against the Commanders and Chargers. Coach Todd Bowles has said the Bucs can play with anyone if they just avoid self-inflicted wounds.

And we saw that on Sunday against Carolina.

There were no turnovers and no serious mistakes, apart from a few botched markings in the first half. The offense scored on seven of its first eight drives before taking its foot off the gas midway through the fourth quarter.

Again, less competition is a factor, but it’s also worth questioning whether this offense has found its rhythm after offensive coordinator Liam Coen had 16 games to get everyone acclimated to his system.

“We’ve been feeling good for a while,” guard Cody Mauch said. “I couldn’t say for sure what game it was, but you can probably go back and watch that (video) and see the moment when everything started clicking.

“I can’t emphasize enough how much we love this offense. It’s such a good concept that involves all of our playmakers. The defense doesn’t know what to expect. We’ve got guys moving, we’ve got play action, we’ve got runs, we’ve got passes, there’s just so much going on. We’re doing so many things well right now.”

How good is this offense?

It’s starting to rival the numbers from the Tom Brady-led offenses of 2020-21. The Bucs averaged 30.4 points per game in two seasons, played around the clock and won five postseason games, including the Super Bowl.

After Sunday’s explosion, these Bucs are averaging 29.7 points per game with a date against the 5-11 Saints still to come.

The Bucs don’t have the same firepower they once had with Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, Leonard Fournette, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but Coen has done a masterful job integrating rookies (Bucky Irving, Jalen McMillan and on Sunday). , Devin Culp) and undrafted free agents (Sean Tucker, Ryan Miller and Rakim Jarrett) into the game while working on a season-ending injury to Godwin.

“I still don’t think we played a complete game,” Wirfs said. “With the young people we have here, we are only scratching the surface. Today it was close. It was pretty awesome, so it’s nice to get started like that. But we still have meat on the bone.”

The defense has been better since the bye week in November, but there are still some concerning signs. Bowles told sideline reporter TJ Rives at halftime that some of his defensive backs needed to get their heads out of their butts.

“It’s kind of self-explanatory, I don’t know what else to say after that,” Bowles said. “We had this discussion and they came out with it.”

The playoffs may be within reach, but nothing is guaranteed.

On the other hand, nothing is out of reach.

John Romano can be reached at [email protected]. Follow @romano_tbtimes.

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