Envisioning Bucs Taking Advantage Of Dixie Chicks’ Choking
November 29th, 2024
Battle-tested.
The Dixie Chicks are playing badly and they’re playing a tough second half of the season.
The Bucs have a pumpkin-pie-soft schedule and looked like a winning team by clobbering the Giants in the first half on Sunday.
As a result, Dan Graziano of BSPN doesn’t believe it is fake news to believe the Bucs can turn things around and play meaningful football in January.
Why is Graziano slightly confident? Well, Atlanta is choking like dogs and the Bucs are playoff-run battle-tested.
I can absolutely see the Falcons falling apart and the Bucs sneaking in for a fourth straight division title. But it’s important to remember that the Falcons have a one-game lead and have already won both head-to-head matchups. If the Buccaneers are going to win this division, they will have to outright pass the Falcons. Meaning, if Atlanta goes 3-3 the rest of the way, Tampa Bay likely must go 5-1 to come out ahead. That’s a lot to ask.
“This Joe” has been all being uncomfortable expecting a bad team, now 5-6, will win six out of seven games to close a season. The Bucs already chalked up a win last week in New Jersey.
But yeah, the Bucs are battle-tested in making playoff runs. The Bucs won the division the past two seasons by the skin of their teeth, specifically last year when needing one last win to secure the title, the Bucs damn near lost to the Stinking Panthers.
Still, winning six of seven games is a tall order, even for a good team.
November 29th, 2024 at 12:50 am
The offense can score points. It’s the damn defense that’s the issue.
Wish we had Sapp’s mentality on defense. Plus side, it looks like Shaq will be back soon.
November 29th, 2024 at 12:56 am
Any given Sunday works both ways. The Panthers aren’t the pushovers they were 6 weeks ago. To no one’s surprise the Saints are playing better without Allen as coach. The Chargers are very tough to win against with Harbagh.
With our OLB talent problem and the never ending DB injuries I can’t see them avoiding a stumble..or two in the next 7 games.
November 29th, 2024 at 1:05 am
Looking back at our skis a little, no?
November 29th, 2024 at 2:23 am
an upset road win in san diego might be just what’s needed if looking down the road…
it’ll give us real leverage if we have a “clunker” along the way
November 29th, 2024 at 2:51 am
Any news on Shaq?
November 29th, 2024 at 4:53 am
We play the Panthers twice in December and would like to see the Bucs win both of those games along with the others. If the Bucs keep looking like they did last weekend, it will be done.
November 29th, 2024 at 7:05 am
There’s a small hole in this theory: the Bucs don’t have a good/decent Head Coach. That’ll cost the Bucs games, it already has cost them games. The 2 Falcons games were an inexcusable cluster fu€k at the end. I put Bowles at the same level as Eberflus with the Bears, if you happened to see the end of that game yesterday. Yes, the Bucs supposedly have an “easy” rest of the schedule, but nothing is easy with a bad Head Coach.
November 29th, 2024 at 8:05 am
Who cares what other teams are doing. Just win. We were lucky to get Devito not Locke. Looked good against the Cowgirls.
November 29th, 2024 at 8:45 am
Joe in Michigan……Good observation on the end of the Lions/Bears game yesterday. The last 5 minutes of the 4th quarter, I thought I was watching the Bucs playing Bucs. The Lions were trying their best to give the game to Chicago and did a great job of it. Then, the Bears did their part in trying to blow it with their clock management letting the clock run out with a timeout in their pocket. And they did a great job doing it. It was the Bucs beating the Bucs and they weren’t even there! If there was any doubt about the Bears coach being toast, there isn’t any now!
November 29th, 2024 at 9:05 am
Joes last article proves what I’ve been saying. This team has no discipline, Todd Bowles is to relaxed, doing walk throughs all week will get this team beat. Men need to work hard to succeed. Through out my whole life this country’s most successful men have been hard workers and the ones that don’t work are Bums. It wouldn’t surprise me if the panthers beat us on Sunday because they are out working us.
November 29th, 2024 at 9:21 am
Bowles = Eberflus. Hard to see the Bucs going 5-1, no matter who they’re playing.
November 29th, 2024 at 9:21 am
We went on a run last year after what a 4 game losing streak. So we can do it and if the defense plays like they did against the giants then we will be in the playoffs. It’s a long season and we deff have bin on this position before. We have the talent on both sides of the ball it’s time for the Bucs to put it all together
November 29th, 2024 at 9:34 am
I don’t know are they choking? Denver is a good team. Maybe they choked away the saints game like say the Bucs did against the falcons. Bucs and falcons both have the same 3 pumpkin-pie-soft teams on the schedule so assuming wins there if Bucs win 10 games falcons lose to commanders, chargers and Vikings then Bucs are champs. That’s not choking though it’s the same thing Bucs are doing
November 29th, 2024 at 3:38 pm
It all starts this weekend. Don’t discount the Panthers. They are better than many think and are a trap game if the Bucs go in there over-confident. The Bucs SHOULD win, though.
If the Chargers don’t beat the Falcons this week, I think it is highly unlikely that the Bucs can win the division.
A Chargers win puts the Bucs tied with Atlanta (assuming a Bucs win), but still a game behind due to the tiebreaker. They still have to face the Vikings and Commanders, giving the Bucs room to lose one more if the Falcons lose both of those games, as well.
It’ll be tight. If the Falcons beat the Commanders, it almost impossible for the Bucs to win the division without a full sweep of the remaining six games. Of course, that inches the Commanders ever closer to the Bucs record and the Bucs hold the tiebreaker over the former Redskins. (Commanders could also lose to the Eagles quite easily.)
It’s a tall order brought on by a hole the Bucs have dug for themselves after losing several games they should have won. At least there is hope still and that hope will stay alive week by week, one game at a time as long as the Bucs keep winning.