ESPN: NFC South Race Might Be Decided In Final Game
December 2nd, 2025
Looking over the shoulder at the Stinking Panthers?
Sometimes, the schedule-makers nail it. It appears, sadly, they did just that with the Bucs this year.
Two years ago at Carolina in the final game of the season, the Bucs needed a win to capture the NFC South and host a playoff game. The Bucs won, but it was a nailbiter — a 9-0 win.
Fast forward to 2025 and once again, the Bucs play the Stinking Panthers in the final week of the season. This time the game is in The Licht House.
Could this season set up with a win-or-go-home matchup for both teams in Week 18? Dan Graziano of ESPN doesn’t think that’s a crazy prediction.
Let’s say for the sake of this argument that the Bucs go into the Week 16 matchup at 9-5 and the Panthers are 8-6. If the Panthers win that game at home, the division race will be tied with two weeks to go, which means Week 18 will almost certainly settle things. The Buccaneers are starting to get healthier, and once they do, they should be scary. But no team looked scarier than the Rams did coming into Week 13, and the Panthers knocked them off with a tough, physical run game and an undermanned but opportunistic defense. There’s no reason to think they’re going away.
The Bucs play the slimy Saints this week. The Stinking Panthers have a bye. After that, the Bucs host Kirk “509” Cousins and the Dixie Chicks. The Stinking Panthers host the slimy Saints.
And “this Joe” has to apologize up front. The way the defense is playing, Joe is not 100 percent confident at all the Bucs will win the next two games. No game is safe until this defense turns things around. (The other Joe has no worries about the next two games.)
And if Bucs coach Todd Bowles hasn’t turned the defense around in the past month, what makes anyone think he can just snap his fingers tomorrow and the defense will suddenly be fixed?
It’s December, folks. By now, a team’s identity, for better or worse, is established.
So, yeah, it seems the NFL’s suits who map out the schedule nailed this one for the Bucs this season. This season very well may come down to the final day of the final week of the 2025 regular season.
Merry Christmas!
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:04 am
We very well could miss the playoffs Joe. But I think our team needs the extra rest, and we need to get a better roster. It may be time to clean shop of some loafers
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:07 am
Bowels and his D has been playing possum, its his MO. Once he gets backed into a corner, which is every season, he will flash his teeth.
We can only hope.
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:08 am
Win the next 3 and we are in!
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:17 am
Win the next 3 games and we lock up the division. Sit players that are hurt for the next 2 weeks.
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:21 am
All are BAD teams and will not get past their first round
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:22 am
I watched Young play the 49ers a few weeks ago and he was lousy. They have a good defense though, that’s true.
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:33 am
Bucs gave up 17 points the defense will produce if the offense gets our playmakers healthy and extend drives
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:36 am
Todd coaches to not lose games, instead off winning games.
He will blow at least one if not two of these winnable games.
The Glazers dropped the great father Dungy after a ref blew a call in the NFC championship. Why Todd still has a job baffles me.
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:43 am
A couple of things. First the Bucs need a need a new special teams coach. Every week there are gaffes in the kick return game giving the opposing team great field position and it has not been fixed. Second, they need to trade for a great pass rusher. Their track record says they can’t draft or develop a pass rusher. Stop wasting 2nd round picks on players that can’t rush the passer. Licht has been great a every other position, not this one. Also Bowles needs to stop dropping pass rushers into coverage. It takes away from putting pressure on quarterbacks and it creates a hole in pass coverage.
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:46 am
As a Bucs fan watching this team play I am with the Joe that worries.
This team has not shown me something that gives me confidence that a game is a sure win, especially the last month. Sloppy bad football and inconsistent.
They could turn up and win or they could just walk around the field dropping passes, missing throws, sitting 10 yds off receivers like they are allergic to PBUs.
We dont know what we re going to get.
Go Bucs
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:47 am
Todd might be bored. He sure looks like he is.
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:47 am
I’m hopeful the offense can pick up the slack with Bucky, Chris, Jalen and Evans back.
I am not expecting Bowles to do anything different on the defense, so I think the Bucs have to play ball control on the offense to keep the defense off the field.
December 2nd, 2025 at 7:49 am
In the last several years, I have noticed a very disturbing (and yet growing) pattern among defenders (NOT just the Bucs, but across the league). Defenders seem to ‘hit’ ball carriers instead of tackling them; and a lot of times, the ball carrier does not go down. Maybe the NFL Rules Committee needs to come up with a new penalty. It’s 15 yards and an automatic first down if a defender does not put his arms around the ball carrier. If the coaches can’t cure them of a bad habit…
December 2nd, 2025 at 8:05 am
The defense has been atrocious, but that has coincided with the collapse of the offense. IF the offense gets its’ mojo back, perhaps that will be the catalyst needed to jump-start the defense. But I’m still extremely concerned about the hidden yardage ceded weekly on ST:
KO Net 28th
KO Ret 27th
Punt Net 20th
Punt Ret 8th
December 2nd, 2025 at 8:10 am
‘In the last several years, I have noticed a very disturbing (and yet growing) pattern among defenders (NOT just the Bucs, but across the league). Defenders seem to ‘hit’ ball carriers instead of tackling them; and a lot of times, the ball carrier does not go down.”
This has been a thing for a very long time. If you tracked a player from pee wee football all the way to the NFL, you’d see it gets worse the older and more athletically specialized some players get. I’d guess it happens most between players transitioning from the HS level to college ball which is a major jump in the sophistication of the game.
I liken it to something like shooting a jumper in basketball, you’ve got guys who are ridiculous athletes in the NBA. Can jump out of the gym, dribble for an hour straight, but put them on the free throw line and they get exposed for having terrible fundamentals, but enough talent to mask it with insane displays of athleticism. Like Shawn Marion was a hell of a ball player, but that man had the ugliest jumpshot form I’ve seen in my life, but it went in a lot-so who cared?
December 2nd, 2025 at 8:25 am
“” No game is safe until this defense turns things around. (The other Joe has no worries about the next two games.)””
And THAT Joe should remove his rose colored glasses and see things as they really are. We’re a poorly coached team who plays with no passion. No fire. No improvement as the season winds down. This team is VERY likely to lose 2 more games (at least) the way they’re going.
December 2nd, 2025 at 8:40 am
Well, I’d say the defense played with passion that last series on Sunday and they stoned the Cardinals offense. And the offense played hard against a determined Cardinals defense. And we won.
When we stopped them on that last series, you coud see Brisset physically deflate.
And winning the division is a numbers game right now. And it’s tougher for the Panthers than us – and you can be sure they know that. More pressure on them than us. Lose the first game with us – it’s over. Lose that Seahawks game at the Seahawks – it’s over.
Best case – win next three. And you never know what will happen in the playoffs with basically everyone but Cody Mauch back.
December 2nd, 2025 at 8:46 am
The lack of faith in this team is disgusting. With half our team injured we hung with every team in nfl played 3rd hardest schedule. We got blown out once on coast to coast game in prime time and the majority of yoh fans think it’s over.
We played for weeks with not a single threat on offense managed to stay competive.
This divsion race will be over when we beat Carolina in Carolina every single one of you fair weather fans should be ashamed of yourselves.
When are healthy we are a problem with almost nobody left we were still very solid. Go cheer for Jags or Dolphins you don’t deserve to be a Bucs fan
December 2nd, 2025 at 9:57 am
Sweep Carolina and nothing else matters.
It’s time for slackers like Zyon and Red dick and SVD to step up and make plays.
December 2nd, 2025 at 11:52 am
“This Joe” is much appreciated. Give a box of Pom Poms to “other Joe.”
December 2nd, 2025 at 12:28 pm
This is exactly what I did not want to happen. The South should be wrapped up with like 3 weeks to spare.
I said in the off-season, that this CAN’T be another season where we battle to the end of the season to win the south, the bow out in round 1 of the playoffs.
We are becoming the Wayne Fontes-Lions of the late 80s/early 90s.
December 2nd, 2025 at 12:37 pm
Bucs need to get a little better each week and they’ll be fine. The defense won’t get worse and the OL should keep getting better. Getting Evans and MacMillan back by the end of the year would make them a dark horse, imo.
I just saw a “power rankings” article on ESPN and the Patriots are ranked first. Not that scary a team, imo. The Rams, ranked second, just lost to the Panthers. Philly is floundering. Detroit might not make the playoffs. Green Bay has lost some headscratchers. There are no great teams. The door is wide open for a healthy squad.
December 2nd, 2025 at 12:41 pm
Bucs are still -575 to win division ,, Carolina is +400 ,,, the LA win was a surprise ,,, let’s see if they can beat Seattle ,,,, we beat them in 3 weeks then the last week is meaningless
December 2nd, 2025 at 12:52 pm
As usual it’ll be decided at the end of the season. We have a r roster full of average players. Licht and his late round picks and undrafted free agents with refusing to get a premier player. The stars are on offense, 2 on defense and they are safeties
December 2nd, 2025 at 1:54 pm
Lol everyone is quick to mention the bucs mid season slides under todd bowles… but no one mentions how good todd bowles is in December… Did all you of you forget about that or no? 8-2 the last 2 seasons in december. Crazy thing is with 2 losses by the 9ers. The bucs can go 11-6 and still get to
The playoffs as a wildcard
December 2nd, 2025 at 2:05 pm
Using the ESPN Playoff Machine… basically the Bucs HAVE to split with the Panthers to get in. Even if they win vs the Saints, Falcons and Dolphins, if they drop both games the Panthers, they’re most likely out.
However, if the Bucs split with the Panthers, then they likely would only need one win vs the Saints, Falcons and Dolphins — with two wins vs those 3 giving the Bucs the NFC South title.
The Bucs are still the heavy favorites — for now. But I’ve always had them losing that game in Carolina, so if that occurs, then yes, it likely could come down to the last game of the season to get in.
December 2nd, 2025 at 2:09 pm
The last time we played Carolina in the final game, our offense was not stellar. But our OC was somewhere in the process of getting a job as the Panthers’ next head coach. They were certainly impressed.
December 2nd, 2025 at 3:27 pm
At worst Bucs need to split with the Panthers. I am concerned about Miami and Atlanta because it’s all about matchups… and B Robinson and D Achane in the pass game vs our defense and LBs is a HUGE advantage for ATL and MIA. Those two will scorch Bucs D. Hopefully, TB offense will begin to really hit their stride and Mayfield can getting baking again.
December 2nd, 2025 at 4:05 pm
Newbie Says:
December 2nd, 2025 at 3:27 pm
At worst Bucs need to split with the Panthers. I am concerned about Miami and Atlanta because it’s all about matchups…
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Yeah, but as stated above, if the Bucs split with the Panthers, so long as they win vs the Saints, they’re likely in. The Panthers would need to beat the Seahawks — and they just saw what the Panthers did to the Rams, and they won’t be caught sleeping.
Still, if the Bucs win one vs the Panthers, and then two other games, they’re in regardless of what the Panthers do. But get swept by the Panthers, then the Bucs are almost certainly out- and frankly they wouldn’t deserve the spot in any case. But those games will be hard, and I figured the Bucs lose in Carolina, so like Joe says, it could all come down to the last game.
December 3rd, 2025 at 12:21 pm
Bucs need Evans and Jmac back but don’t use them heavily until the end of season, Both will have very fresh legs but Evans with a healing clavicle and Nmac with a healing broken neck will be dead ducks if a safety or LB comes at them with lead shoulder hit up high. It’s scary to think that they opponents are aware of these areas to go after.
I would prefer to see both of them get targeted outside the hash marks and near the side lines. Keep the hem out of the middle of the field. Let Godwin and Ebuka catch in between the hashes as they havnt had any upper body injuries.
It will be good to see a couple of fresh receivers out there but play it smart with them. They don’t need to take any tough hits gs Saints and Atlanta.
Carolina is a physical team so ring they back slowly.
December 3rd, 2025 at 1:02 pm
Well of course.
This is what happens when you p!$$ away winnable games against Philly, New England and Buffalo by coming out flat and making moronic, boneheaded plays on special teams and defense over and over and over.