Games That Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fans Should Keep an Eye on in Week 13
It's the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' bye week, and a very late one!
The Bucs were awarded with the final bye week of the 2020 season and it may have come at a perfect time. The Bucs enter the month of December with a 7-5 record, riding a two-game losing streak, and owning the No. 6 seed in the current NFC playoff picture.
Should the Buccaneers win out, they'll make the playoffs. Even dropping a game probably won't be the end of the world considering there are seven spots moving forward. However, another dropped game would make things a bit more difficult.
With that, to ensure the Bucs are looking good for the postseason, which games are of most importance to keep an eye on today as Tampa Bay is on bye?
Minnesota Vikings (5-6) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-10)
Kick: 1:00 PM. Watch: CBS.
The Buccaneers are set to host the Vikings next Sunday. After dropping two consecutive home games, Tampa Bay might feel a little uncomfortable if Minnesota rolls into Raymond James Stadium 6-6 with wins in five of their last six contests, including two on the road.
That's likely to be the case, unless the Jaguars can snap a ten-game losing streak, in Minneapolis. Should the Jags pull it off, Minnesota would fall to seven losses and tumble down to the bottom of the playoff picture. It's a crowded group right now.
Chicago Bears (5-6) vs. Detroit Lions (4-7)
Kick: 1:00 PM. Watch: CBS.
Chicago is in the same boat as Minnesota in terms of their record, and that's about it. The Bears have dropped five straight games and struggle no matter who is at quarterback. Mitchell Trubisky continues to start over Nick Foles at quarterback, even though Foles is back to full participation in practice following a hip injury.
Meanwhile, this is Detroit's first game after the firing of head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn, with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell assuming head coaching duties. This one wouldn't be all too surprising but could Bevell pull off some interim magic with a bye week to prepare? That's what Bucs fans should hope for as the Bears own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
No. 5 Los Angeles Rams (7-4) vs. No. 7 Arizona Cardinals (6-5)
Kick: 4:05 PM. Watch: FOX.
The Rams own the head-to-head advantage over the Buccaneers as well, while the Bucs won't face the Cardinals in the regular season. Los Angeles will face Arizona again in Week 17, so ideally, you'd want the Cardinals to win both while the Bucs win out, for seeding purposes.
