The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in trouble.
Yes, it is still early in the season and they are currently in second place in the NFC South. However, if the season were to end today, they would be cleaning out their lockers and heading home with nobody to blame but themselves.
They are losing to teams they cannot afford to lose to if they plan on playing in the postseason.
They are currently the seventh-ranked team in the NFC. The two teams currently in the wild card spots are the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears. The Bears and Lions own the tiebreaker with the Buccaneers since they represent two of the team’s three losses so far this season.
For a team that won 10 games last year and missed the playoffs, this is cause for concern. It is a very realistic possibility that the Bucs could find themselves fighting for a wild card spot at the end of the season with these teams.
The good news for the Bucs is that they are currently 2-0 against teams within the NFC South. If they can continue to win the games within their division, then all of this is a moot point, and they can advance to the playoffs as the division champion.
In order for this team to start winning, they need to get the ground game going. The Bucs are 4-0 this season when they rush for over 100 yards as a team, and 0-3 when they don’t. In their wins they average 132 yards rushing on 29 attempts. In their three loses they average a very pedestrian 57 yards rushing on 17 attempts.
With the injuries to LeGarrette Blount and Earnest Graham, this team doesn’t have the personnel to be successful on the ground. The team expects Blount to return against the Saints in Week 9, but that doesn’t guarantee that he will be able to be as productive as the team needs him to be.
It’s not time to panic yet, but it is not far from it. At this point, it appears to be division champions or bust for the Bucs. Even if this team wins 10 games again this season, they could likely find themselves watching the playoffs just like their fans, from home.
Jamal Wilburg is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.
Follow his thoughts, insights, and ramblings on Twitter, Facebook, or his website www.JamalWilburg.com
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