No, There’s No Reason A 3-6 Record Should Be “Celebrated”
November 12th, 2026
Not celebrating 3-6.
How godawful is the NFC South landfill? It’s bad and it may force the NFL to do something.
The creator, curator and overall guru of Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio, suggested (tongue in cheek?) that the NFL may want to investigate each team in the division to find out what they all stink.
All four teams being at best .500 or worse for most of this decade, it makes Joe wonder what is going on?
Fittingly, the two Bucs coordinators have the most years in the division. At least KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles has finally turned the defense around.
Turn on national sports radio shows and hollering shows and just about everyone believes the NFC South landfill winner should be stripped of hosting a home game in the playoffs and instead be treated like a wild card — if the winner has a losing record.
Joe agrees with that. Otherwise, which seems to happen in the NFC South landfill, teams seem only worried about getting a home playoff game — and the river of revenue it produces and they’re cool.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN typed yesterday that a team with a 3-6 record finds that reason to celebrate.
The Bucs play in the NFC South, where a 3-6 record is acceptable if not celebrated. But falling to 3-7 out of the bye would create a deeper hole than Tampa Bay would like to manage. Detroit is stacked but beatable. After this game, Tampa’s schedule is weak; the Bucs face just one team (Rams) that currently has a winning record over the final seven weeks. It would be nice for them to enter that stretch within striking range of a playoff berth.
Joe has no reason to celebrate a 3-6 record. Maybe celebrate that the Bucs are not yet out of the running to win the division. That’s more a product of the division and not that the Bucs being a juggernaut.
Fowler also noted the Bucs may dig themselves a hole too deep to climb out of if they lose to the Lions a week from Sunday and drop to 3-7. Joe does know Bowles has an awful record in games right after a bye week.
“This Joe” honestly believes sweeping the division (the Bucs are 2-0 in division play) just might win the NFC South landill with seven wins.
Yeah, the division is that ugly.
Oh, and for those who listen to the “Ira Kaufman Podcast,” the Sage of Tampa Bay sports is rigid in his stance that he will not entertain any discussion of Bowles returning in 2027 unless the Bucs win nine games.
Are the Bucs capable of going 6-2 the rest of the way?
November 12th, 2026 at 9:05 am
Just think if we hadn’t played in the sorry ass nfc south these last 3 years.
November 12th, 2026 at 9:11 am
Of course it’s not celebratory. I wonder if we were in a different division what the behavior of the GM would be like. Would there be trades one way or the other? Shuffling of the staff or roster? Guess we’ll never know.
November 12th, 2026 at 9:22 am
Add a rule saying that if a division winner’s record is at or below .500, they are seeded based on their record and not guaranteed a home game.
November 12th, 2026 at 9:27 am
I’ll take a division crown and top 10 picks 10 days a week
November 12th, 2026 at 9:34 am
3-6 is the gold standard in the NFL. It’s absolutely top notch performance.
Todd has crafted a team capable of going undefeated in the playoffs.
That alone should get him a raise and an extension at season’s end.
Christmas has come early with Bowles at the helm of this championship squad.
I love the direction of this franchise. 5-13 in the last 18. Superb!!!
November 12th, 2026 at 9:42 am
There were two other divisions with a lower cumulative wins last year.
Not really a river of extra money for a playoff game as all ticket revenue goes back to the league , but Bucs do get parking , concessions, and merch. Maybe 1-2 mil total , so more like a creek than a river.
I guess Ira will be calling for Bowles ouster then , because there is no freaking way this offense can produce a 6-2 record, no way.
November 12th, 2026 at 9:58 am
Ownership seems to be fine with it. How else do explain not firing Todd, and Licht after last season?
November 12th, 2026 at 10:12 am
No.
No adjustment for losing record.
That’s the division system in football.
If you want to just make it like college make it like college. Get rid of the divisions.
A losing team already sucks. Why make it worse for them? That’s the advantage of being in a division — you get a home game as the division winner.
And everything changes eventually. So someday the NFC South will be the strongest. And it may not be long.
November 12th, 2026 at 10:20 am
“ At least KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles has finally turned the defense around.”
Horse feathers! Until they perform in the clutch, they ain’t turned around.
November 12th, 2026 at 10:23 am
It’s really frustrating to watch – this team has been close or competitive in every single loss except maybe 2 the past 2 seasons…
The defense is good enough to win games.
The offense needs to get their passing game fixed but I don’t see that happening with Mr. Moxy at the helm and the current stable WRs and TEs.
Tez Johnson is now our best WR?
That is sad and I love Tez – but come on man!
November 12th, 2026 at 10:36 am
Who cares!! they’re still alive!! With plenty of time to fix the self inflicted mistakes
Bye came at the perfect time..
Go Bucs!