Buccaneers Have One Big Thing Going For Them in Last 8 Games

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may be struggling, but this could help them out.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles looks on during training camp at AdventHealth Training Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a lot of work to do to get where they hope to go. They're currently 3-6 despite being just half a game behind the NFC South lead, and they'll have to start stacking some wins if they hope to genuinely compete in the postseason and beyond.

The Bucs have won all of their NFC South contests so far, which helps, but they have four more of those games to go (including both their matchups against the New Orleans Saints). If they want to win the division, though, they'll likely have to win more than those four games.

Thankfully, their schedule is very favorable when it comes to doing that, because the Bucs don't play many good teams for the rest of the year.

Buccaneers Have Very Easy Remaining Strength of Schedule

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles walks toward the field before a game against the Atlanta Falcons | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bucs have the easiest remaining strength of schedule in football over these next eight weeks, with a combined winning percentage of just .403.

The four NFC South games, with every remaining division opponent winning just three games so far, help with that. But that isn't all — they play the Baltimore Ravens (4-5) and the Los Angeles Chargers (0-8) on their schedule as well. Of their remaining eight opponents, just two of them have a winning record.

The two teams that do have winning records, though, will be quite the challenge. Tampa Bay will face off against the Detroit Lions next week in Week 11, and the Bucs will hope to avoid falling to 3-7 against a talented Detroit team. They'll also play the Los Angeles Rams at home in Week 17 — that game was touted as a crucial game for Tampa Bay before the season, but their season may already be over by the time that game comes around.

Tampa Bay's schedule format is also very, very beneficial. The Bucs will not play back-to-back road games all year, and they also have two home games in a row against the Panthers and Chargers back-to-back in Weeks 12 and 13. That's another schedule quirk that could help Tampa Bay.

The Bucs need to play good football to make any of this count, though, and they'll start by trying to knock off Detroit on the road in Week 11.

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