Top shelf.

Does the road to the Super Bowl go through Tampa?

Well, Joe isn’t going that far yet. But one of the top NFL writers in the country, firmly entrenched in New England, suggested any team that doesn’t take the Bucs seriously will likely be in for a long afternoon.

The way the Bucs have been playing of late, especially yesterday lighting up a solid defense, Albert Breer of SI.com believes the Bucs put the NFL on alert.

In the immortal words of Warren Sapp, “Here come the Bucs!”

“The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are very much for real,” Breer said. “Ifyou only paid attention to the final score last week against the Eagles, you may have missed it.

“I think they are going to be there at the very end.”

The key for Joe is the Bucs cannot afford too many more injuries. But once this team starts to become healthy, they can do some damage.

.@AlbertBreer says the Bucs are in it for the long haul this season pic.twitter.com/EOPdc7m7D2

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 6, 2025