Deep Freezes Should Help Tampa Bay
December 21st, 2022
Joe is fired up for postseason football, and Joe is especially fired up by the prospect of Tampa Bay clinching the NFC South crown before Week 18.
That would free up several Bucs starters to rest in the season finale. Joe would love to see Kyle Trask get the football in Week 18. Now that would make a meaningless game super exciting.
So having the Saints, Falcons and Panthers, all 5-9, lose this weekend is ideal. A quick look at the schedule shows Atlanta on the road in Baltimore and the slimy Saints in Cleveland — two dome teams heading to brutal winter conditions.
ESPN reporter Field Yates has been watching the weather forecast and notes the sub-zero kickoff temperatures forecast in both cities. That’s not sub-freezing, but sub-zero.
Joe can’t imagine seeing a lot of highly motivated Falcons and Saints players, guys likely thinking about their January vacations in the Caribbean. Yes, the football/weather gods continue smile at the Bucs, leaders of the NFC South with a 6-8 record.
Can the Bucs finally take advantage and end this race?
A Bucs win in Arizona on Christmas night after losses by the other NFC South teams (Carolina hosts red hot Detroit) would set the Bucs up to clinch the division with a win on New Year’s Day against the Panthers.
The current estimates for the "feels like" temperature at kickoff of some of the outdoor games this Saturday:
– Bills at Bears: -11°
– Seahawks at Chiefs: -6°
– Saints at Browns: -9°
– Texans at Titans: 5°
– Falcons at Ravens: 7°
– Raiders at Steelers: -4°🥶🥶🥶🥶

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) December 20, 2022
December 21st, 2022 at 1:11 pm
Well I’m glad this writer is fired up over the prospect of the Bucs winning this putrid division. You and 0.01 of the fan base is as well. Good luck to all 3 of you.
December 21st, 2022 at 1:16 pm
If the bucs lose to arizona they should fire this coaching staff already. What’s the point of keeping them? It only makes it worse by keeping them. Enough is enough. Idk what licht is trying to accomplish by keeping them. It’s never late to fire a coaching staff.
December 21st, 2022 at 1:17 pm
Joe – by doing the math i think if we win this weekend and next weekend against carolina, we will have the division wrapped up before the falcons game irrespective of if the other teams win or not. I used tie breakers and so essentially january 1 has a chance to be a huge division game. i would hope we would rest key players ahead of that january 8 game. we know dallas will be resting folks as they *SHOULD* have the 5th seed wrapped up by then. we should be cheering for philadelphia this weekend anyways.
December 21st, 2022 at 1:17 pm
A couple convincing wins would help.
December 21st, 2022 at 1:33 pm
“A couple convincing wins would help.
The wins don’t necessarily even need to be convincing. Just 60 minutes of focused, largely error-free football from all 3 phases would be a welcomed sight… even in a narrow 1pt win.
December 21st, 2022 at 1:44 pm
This abomination can’t and won’t win another game with the arrogant, stubborn, clueless and intransigent Todd Bowels and Bmoron Leftwreck leading the ship,directly into the iceberg.
Humiliating and embarrassing for this team, with so much talent and recent success, gives away games like Halloween Candy and prefers to punt than score points.
Hatem, as long as the Dufus Duo are Glazer employees.
December 21st, 2022 at 1:55 pm
I think Goatfarmer said it quite well……..the entire coaching staff needs to be shown the door…….with this talent, you have to TRY and lose this many games…..Bowles and his staff are a disaster, as he was with the NY Jets…
December 21st, 2022 at 2:02 pm
The Bucs are gonna screw up losing
December 21st, 2022 at 2:03 pm
I submit that the best help the Bucs could receive is that their other NFCS rivals win, we lose, and we end this season as soon as possible instead of entertaining sham playoff participation. This team is a TURD and needs to be put out of its misery as soon as ph0uecking possible.
December 21st, 2022 at 2:10 pm
Sure, we want our division opponents to lose……but, we need to WIN……I’m tired of hoping Saints, Panthers & Falcons lose because we are also losing.
Go out and win the damn game!!!
December 21st, 2022 at 2:28 pm
I believe most of us have had it with this 2022 version of the Tampa Bay Keystone Cops.
Goatfarmer summed it up correctly.
December 21st, 2022 at 2:28 pm
Feels good being a playoff team 🙂
December 21st, 2022 at 2:30 pm
I don’t think Todd Bowels learned his lesson from being the head coach of The Jets. I think he’s stubborn in his ways. Bruce Arians’s high-risk high-reward strategy won us a Super Bowl and Todd Bowel STILL REFUSES to accept it SMH!!!!
December 21st, 2022 at 2:31 pm
JJ Watt had 3 sacks last wk .. Against Smith -who knows , 5 maybe 6 this wk.?
December 21st, 2022 at 2:56 pm
This is what it has come to, hoping for poor weather so our poor rivals will play even more poorly.
December 21st, 2022 at 2:57 pm
Thursday here in montana will be a high of -19. perfect football weather!
December 21st, 2022 at 3:00 pm
AmauryGuzman Says:
December 21st, 2022 at 1:16 pm
If the bucs lose to arizona they should fire this coaching staff already. What’s the point of keeping them?
——-
You keep them because next year you’re tanking with Trask, and these loser coaches have proven that they’re the best guys to get you that #1 overall pick in 2024.
December 21st, 2022 at 3:08 pm
We’ve been reduced to rooting for the rest of the division to suffer their 10th loss, Colt McCoy out with a concussion and weather to befall our southern based divisional opponents.
December 21st, 2022 at 3:29 pm
are my comments being deleted?
December 21st, 2022 at 3:37 pm
And the last nobody QB’s have done what to us? Of course as they always do. If I was a gambler there is only one way I would bet on this game.
December 21st, 2022 at 3:55 pm
“Joe is fired up for postseason football, and Joe is especially fired up by the prospect of Tampa Bay clinching the NFC South crown before Week 18.”
Yeah, well, if the Bucs limp in, they will last about as long as Jim in American Pie.
December 21st, 2022 at 4:19 pm
Bucs are going to slop into a playoff game and cost themselves about 10 spots and a premiere player in the draft. Awesome.
December 21st, 2022 at 4:20 pm
This is pathetic
December 21st, 2022 at 4:24 pm
How many Bucs ol and dl players does it take to screw in a light bulb in the second half of games? None, their all to tired and scared to play,
December 21st, 2022 at 4:39 pm
This is Pathetic……….🤔 The Buc’s are going to the playoffs with The GOAT. Anything can
happen in the playoffs, 2 seasons ago Tampa hadn’t been to the playoffs in a Decade, now
people are cry’n when we’re going to make them and get healthy all by the time The Buc’s beat Dallas at in Tampa. We won the super bowl as a 5 seed, anything can happen in the playoffs.
December 21st, 2022 at 4:55 pm
Ending the season the best of the worst is better than beaten by some of the worst….
Playoff: Cowboys will steamroll Bucs at Ray Jay i the wild card!
December 21st, 2022 at 5:13 pm
It’s only fitting Bucs fans hope for the worst so their team can take the least path of resistance to the playoffs.
December 21st, 2022 at 5:16 pm
Joe the sadist. Let Trask play against the stirred up hornets nets Falcons. Sit Mason, Wirf & Hainsley. Welcome him to the Bucs 2022.
December 21st, 2022 at 5:17 pm
It’s my team and I’ll cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to,.
You’d cry too if they played for you.
But hey. Maybe I will cry tears of joy. Never giving up on my team and Tom. GO BUCS
December 21st, 2022 at 5:50 pm
Has this team ever backed their way into the playoffs? How many times did they miss by a tie breaker? I’ll take it. It didn’t matter. We are still in it. Until we are mathematicly eliminated. Go BUCS.
December 21st, 2022 at 6:13 pm
Line for Sunday’s game has us giving 6.5 to the Cardinals…from the Associated Press today: “The Buccaneers (6-8) have lost to P.J. Walker, Jacoby Brissett, Brock Purdy and Kenny Pickett/Mitch Trubisky. Whether it’s Colt McCoy or Trace McSorley starting for the Cardinals (4-10), the Bucs aren’t good enough to beat anyone by a touchdown.”
That synopsis about sums up the season. Still, with the ARZ defense, we should probably cover that spread.
December 21st, 2022 at 6:16 pm
I’m fired up, I think the Bucs could make some noise in the playoffs, especially if we can rest some starters.
December 21st, 2022 at 6:24 pm
I don’t want to back in to playoffs. If Bucs can’t go take it then they don’t deserve it. I enjoy watching Chiefs, 49ers and Eagles. That’s football!
December 21st, 2022 at 7:09 pm
“That would free up several Bucs starters to rest in the season finale.”
If the Bucs wouldn’t pull the starters after getting down 35-0 against san fran, then why would anyone think they would pull their starters in week 18? Get off the drugs joe, joe and joe.
December 21st, 2022 at 7:24 pm
“Real feel” at +7 ain’t too bad when you’re living in it. For the Ravens that’ll be just a regular day, so that’s good for them.
Dolphins are lucky they’re playing at home against the Pack this week. Lol
December 21st, 2022 at 7:25 pm
No team in the NFC South deserves a playoff spot…Let alone get to host a game.
This year is a great example for Conference W-L ranking method vs Divisional winners. No below .500 team should make the playoffs while a winning record sets at home.
December 21st, 2022 at 8:54 pm
tallest midget
this season is a total disaster
December 21st, 2022 at 9:07 pm
The league will never get rid of division winners making the tournament. But, they shouldn’t host a team with a better record. I’d be fine with that for starters. Dallas isn’t that much different from the team we faced week one.
December 21st, 2022 at 10:39 pm
It’s freaking funny how much the “Joe’s” like what could be an advantage over divisional foes. If the bucs were worth a damn that wouldn’t matter. A sorry team makes it to the playoffs, while all the other divisional opponents get better draft position. I’ll be the 1st person on here yo eat Crow if the Bucs actually get a win in the playoffs. Buts let’s be real. This team has Gerald McCoy hype with Gerald McCoy results.
December 22nd, 2022 at 2:00 am
AmauryGuzman Says:
December 21st, 2022 at 1:16 pm
“If the bucs lose to arizona they should fire this coaching staff already. What’s the point of keeping them? It only makes it worse by keeping them. Enough is enough. Idk what licht is trying to accomplish by keeping them.”
A GM can’t fire a head coach or Coorinator without the approval of owners…and the Glazers NEVER fire them during a season.
So it’s not on Jason Licht.
December 22nd, 2022 at 2:02 am
I still say losing Jensen for the season is what did this offense in.
December 22nd, 2022 at 8:22 am
Changing the topic from how poorly the Bucs have played to the weather the Falcons and Saints are playing in is an insult to fans and readers that are focused on whet the Bucs need to do to win a game.
When you control your own destiny you step up and do your jobs. Other than a couple of players none of them are producing anything.
Any idiot can see that Cam Brate is no longer a legit target because he can’t get open. Any fool can see that JTS isn’t even an average pass rusher. Any 10 year old can see that Devin White isn’t shedding blocks and has little knowledge of how to diagnose where running backs are going.
We all see the inability of Leftwich to scheme to get the ball into the hands of Mike Evans and Cade Otton, the only 2 downfield threats the Bucs have.
December 22nd, 2022 at 8:39 am
Gotta love global warming!