The Bucs, The NFC South Race And Home Field Advantage
October 29th, 2025
Bucs are still in a fight, says Bucco Bruce Arians.
So the Bucs are enjoying their bye week. They should.
The Bucs earned a full week off after having one of the best starts to a season in franchise history. Yeah, the Bucs are showing cracks of late, largely due to so many injuries, but 6-2 is 6-2.
The Bucs have a two-game lead on the Stinking Panthers in the NFC South and Jeff Kerr of CBS thinks the Bucs should cruise to a fivepeat division crown.
Yesterday on the “Pat McAfee Show” it was Bucco Bruce Arians day. The former Bucs’ Super Bowl-winning coach has a weekly spot in-studio with McAfee during football season.
There, when McAfee asked if the Bucs have the division locked up already, Arians called “total bullsh!t” on that idea. The Bucs, Arians cautioned, have four more division games on the schedule, including two against the team that is in second place in the division, the Stinking Panthers.
Arians seemed to think it was irresponsible of anyone to suggest the Bucs are going to skate the rest of the way and have the NFC South handed to them.
Joe tends to agree. The last two weeks the Bucs offense has looked terrible. It’s one thing to get shut down by the Lions. It’s quite another to get shut down by the slimy Saints, maybe the worst team in the league.
While Kerr may think the Bucs all but have the division won, he does believe home field advantage throughout the playoffs is still very much on the table for the Bucs.
October 29th, 2025 at 12:55 am
half way through the season, it looks good for the Bucs to end up division champs again and again 1 and done against a top teams…
wash, rinse and repeat!
October 29th, 2025 at 1:20 am
Still have a shot at finishing with the best record in NFC.
But the offense has to get healthy. It’s as simple as that. Baker, the WRs, the o-line… Rolling into the playoffs with the same level of injuries as we have right now would spell one and done no matter if we’re at home or not.
October 29th, 2025 at 3:34 am
I’m just going to wait and see how we do against a surprisingly good Patriots And an beatable, but solid Bills. I’ll worry about playoffs at Christmas.
October 29th, 2025 at 4:38 am
One week at a time.
The only game that matters is the next one.
If we start worrying about the playoffs now, we’ll be watching them from our living rooms.
October 29th, 2025 at 6:29 am
I’ll believe Godwin, Gedeke, and/or Bucky will be back when i see it with my own 2 eyes. Right now I wouldn’t bet a wooden nickel on any of them coming back.
Especially Godwin and the glass tiger Gedeke.
October 29th, 2025 at 6:41 am
the bucs are awesome! we love them, they have only lost to heavy weights- philly and detroit. the difference between the bucs and those elite teams getting ready for January is the bucs are very nice and professional and those teams are ugly and mean and want to hurt and kill someone. Tykee had a great sack of the qb and stopped before landing his weight on him avoiding a 15 yd penalty. detroits db landed on Mike Evans and helped break his collar bone, no penalty. Philly hip takled Bucky and put him out for a month, no penalty…
i hope the bucs can get it done. im impressed with their ability to make plays, thats why they are 6-2 and the lack of penalties and turnovers, they are doing great but maybe they lack the nasty mean streak that the other teams have
October 29th, 2025 at 7:03 am
Boy, if we could EVER get ALL of our skill position players on the field at the same time…
They haven’t faired well against the top tier teams (Philly, Det) and we still have Buf, an up-and-coming NE team and we never play well against the Rams. Win 2 of those games and go 5-1 vs. the scabs. I see getting to the Divisional round, then the rubber hits the road.
October 29th, 2025 at 7:11 am
Not getting home field when you lose to the two teams you needed to beat (lions & eagles). Show me something by winning the next three and I’ll be a believer.
October 29th, 2025 at 7:54 am
I’m with BA, ya don’t start dancing before you press play.
October 29th, 2025 at 7:55 am
BA knows a thing or two…and he’s spot on. Licht has done a good job with many things ( afforded tenure almost unheard of in the NFL )…perhaps his best move was pitching Arians about coming to Tampa. It’s been a lot of fun since.
October 29th, 2025 at 8:03 am
1 game at at time…
we need to win the rest of out NFC games for sure…Rams will be tough
6-2!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 29th, 2025 at 8:31 am
Not sure if Godwin is ever the same player again, but let’s say he is.
It’s still possible to Roll out ME13,Chris Godwin, J McMillan, Eqbuka and Tez in the playoffs.
On the flip side it’s possible we only have Egbuka and Tez.
It really is maddening.
The 44 Million in guaranteed money to Godwin, could turn out to be the worst signing Licht has done. I love Godwin, but that could prevent us from getting a stud FA next year that helps win another SB.
We really need some good injury news in a bad way!!!!
October 29th, 2025 at 9:03 am
9 games left. I look at it as one game at a time. As a fan, I’m using this break to catch my mental breath. Bucs are doing it to rightfully rest and heal. Hope we get a few more vets back @ 100%. Rest Bucs!!
October 29th, 2025 at 9:05 am
I will never call the investment in Godwin a mistake. Never.
The message the team sends to other players is: We see you. You delivered. You’ve done what we asked. You will be rewarded.
Compare that to the Cowboys and you see why this team has won two SBs since 2000 and the Cowboys are a laughingstock of the league.
And I’d bet on Godwin to return to form. Any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
October 29th, 2025 at 9:12 am
One game at a time!!! Get healthy men!!! Rest up!! Work hard!! Play hard!! Go Bucs!!!
October 29th, 2025 at 9:12 am
“The message the team sends to other players is: We see you. You delivered. You’ve done what we asked. You will be rewarded.”
1000% agree
October 29th, 2025 at 9:40 am
We are sitting pretty much where the Falcons were last year when everyone was crowning them. Focus.
October 29th, 2025 at 10:32 am
The Panthers have been exposed. They built their 4-4 record against a weak schedule and we just saw how they match up against a quality team. Falcons are under achieving although it is difficult to pinpoint why. I suspect their HC can’t get them ready to play on a consistent basis. How can you go from soundly beating Buffalo to consecutive losses against weak opponents. And of course, Saints are now playing for draft position. I see it as likely the Bucs will finish the season with the only winning record in the division yet again.
However, Arians said all the right things.
October 29th, 2025 at 10:52 am
The saints don’t look much like a team that’s interested in winning but they did hang in the last game of the season last year.
The panthers however are more than capable of winning and the falcons will be amped up to play us on Thursday night.
If we can take two of the next three (lambs need to be one of them) and go 3-1 in division rest of the way that should seal it.
October 29th, 2025 at 11:09 am
ModHairKen Says:
October 29th, 2025 at 9:05 am
I will never call the investment in Godwin a mistake. Never.
BINGO!!!!!!
he’ll be back to form next year!!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 29th, 2025 at 12:05 pm
Right with you 813bucboi. Godwin is a Godsend. As well as Mike Evans too. Heart and soul.
October 29th, 2025 at 2:09 pm
I was here making predictions the other day and shouldn’t have been,
The division is certainly the Bucs to lose but it is far from over. We are looking at 3 more divisional game dogfights. Bucs could be 6-5 before we blink.
I expect to win a game or 2 out of the next 3 tough ones but only if we have some bodies back. As someone said, we already lost to the Eagles and Lions, NFC heavy hitters that hurts us come seeding time. Keep guys out and get them fully healthy for the Rams game. Bucs need that one.
6-3 to get to 12-5 … that’s what we need somehow, at least. 7-2 would be ideal and get us a top 2 seed I’d wager.
October 29th, 2025 at 2:24 pm
I agree with Modhairken Says
October 30th, 2025 at 7:46 pm
Godwin will be back and can still be a force this year. Mike might be back for the NFC Championship or the Super Bowl. McMillan likely out for year. If Godwin was not going to play again this year they would have put him on IR. CG is special. Don’t count him out and he has been instrumental in Emeca’s great start.
God bless Chris Godwin!