NFC Playoff Picture: The Buccaneers' Path to the Postseason

The NFL playoff races are heating up as we enter the final stretch of the 2020 season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to make a run for the playoffs for the first time since 2007. They’re currently the No. 6 seed in the NFC playoff standings with a 7-5 record. If the playoffs began today, Tampa Bay would face the No. 3-seed Los Angeles Rams out west.

After a much needed week off, Tampa will return for a four-game run until the end of the regular season. That starts with a matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 14, facing a team that has been climbing its way back into the playoff hunt by winning five of its last six games.

Following a 27-24 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars in overtime, the Vikings have taken the seventh seed in the NFC and are now just one game behind the Bucs in the conference standings with a 6-6 record. With this year's postseason being expanded to seven teams per conference, the Vikings could make the playoffs if they stay at this pace.

A Bucs loss on Sunday would make the two teams even at seven wins with Minnesota then owning the tie-breaker. It’s a winner-take-all type of situation in terms of their head-to-head race for the postseason. A win would move the Bucs to an 8-5 record and keep their playoff hopes alive with a No. 6 playoff spot.

Tampa also plays the Atlanta Falcons on the road in Week 15 and then back at home in Week 17, with a trip to Detroit to face the Lions in between. Those two teams combine for a 9-15 record, meaning the Bucs should handle them if they truly are a playoff-caliber squad.