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…