TAMPA, Fla. — Win, and you're in. It's really that simple for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the team heads into the final week of the NFL regular season.
While that's a lot of pressure on the Bucs, the good news for Tampa Bay fans is the last regular season game will be against the worst team in the NFL, the Carolina Panthers.
Still, nothing is a given with this up-and-down Bucs team. The last time the two teams met, on December 3, Tampa Bay walked away with a three-point victory at home. That game was still in doubt until a late interception from Panthers rookie QB Bryce Young sealed the victory for Tampa Bay.
The Bucs were on a four-game winning streak until losing a New Year's Eve game against the New Orleans Saints. The loss pushed the Saints record to 8-8, matching Tampa Bay's record on the season.
But, Tampa still holds the edge over New Orleans heading into the Panthers game.
Looking at the game against Carolina, the Bucs' 25th-ranked defense will face off against the Panther's offense, ranked dead-last in the NFL. Conversely, the Bucs' 23rd-ranked offense will face Carolina's third-ranked defense on Sunday.
Tampa needs a big game from quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has thrown for nearly 4,000 yards, along with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the season. In his last game against Carolina, Mayfield threw for 202 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while being sacked just one time.
While the numbers aren't great if the Bucs hope to be playing past Sunday, getting running back Rachaad White involved early and often could be a formula for success.
On the ground, White has averaged 66.6 rushing yards in the Bucs' eight victories this season while carrying the ball nearly 20 times per victory. In the Bucs' losses, White averaged less than 48 rushing yards per game. He also had 20 carries in just one of the Bucs' losses.
For the Panthers, they're just hoping to score after getting blanked last week by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In fact, since the Panthers' bye in Week 8, Carolina has surpassed 20 points just once the rest of the season. Carolina has only scored in double-digits once since losing to Tampa Bay on December 3.
Here are the playoff-clinching scenarios for the Bucs as the play their final regular-season game on Sunday.
- Tampa Bay clinches NFC South division title with a win or a tie and a New Orleans Saints loss or tie.
- Tampa Bay clinches a playoff berth with a tie, and a Seattle Seahawks loss and a Green Bay Packers loss or tie.
