3 things Bucs must fix in order to make playoffs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers once had a stellar 6-2 record heading into the bye week and were lauded as one of the best teams in the NFL, but as they say, the NFL stands for "Not For Long."

The Bucs have been brought low in recent weeks, losing their last three games in a row (and four of their last five). As a result, the Bucs now have just half a game on the Carolina Panthers in the NFC South, and a team that was sung as a potential Super Bowl favorite is now in danger of missing the playoffs altogether.

The Bucs have a lot of problems, but here are three they need to fix before the end of the season to ensure they win the NFC South and reach the playoffs once again:

Figure out the red zone (on both sides)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Tez Johnson (15) catches a fourteen-yard touchdown pass thrown by quarterback Baker Mayfield (not pictured) against the Los Angeles Rams | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Tampa Bay's red zone play on both sides of the ball has been quite frankly catastrophic. Tampa Bay's red zone efficiency on offense has been a struggle, with the Bucs converting on 50% of their trips this year, good for 25th in the league. It's especially apparent in losses, where the Bucs have converted just 19.6% of the time in the red zone.

On defense, it's even worse, with the Bucs defense giving up a touchdown 66.67% of the time — that's the 29th-best number in the league. It's been especially bad over the last three games, with the Bucs giving up 75% of their red zone trips en route to 106 total points given up over those same three games.

On offense, the Buccaneers have to get better in short-yardage situations like the red zone presents. In addition to going 50% in the red zone this year in general, the Bucs are 1-7 on two-point conversions this year, showing that OC Josh Grizzard and the offense have trouble figuring out what to do once they get in scoring range. Defensively, Tampa Bay simply has to play tighter whenever teams get in the red zone.

Believe it or not, the Bucs don't let teams into the red zone too often, as they're the No. 2 team in the NFL when it comes to red zone drives per game at 2.64 — but that's what we'll talk about next.

Stop giving up explosive plays

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles walks off the field during halftime against the Rams — Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles walks off the field during halftime against the Los Angeles Rams | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

When the Bucs defense isn't letting teams score in the red zone, they're giving up a slew of explosive plays. An explosive play is defined by SumerSports as run play 10 yards or greater or a pass play 15 yards or greater, and the Bucs have given up an astonishing 25 of them in their last three contests. Seven of those have gone for touchdowns, which has been backbreaking for the team.

The Bucs had 56 explosive plays given up in their first eight games, which means the rate has been similar, but they gave up six touchdowns from those explosive plays in that span — that means that, over the last three games, the Bucs have gone from 0.75 explosive touchdowns per game to a whopping 2.33 explosive touchdowns per game.

Todd Bowles has mentioned fundamentals and the little things being the culprit here, but that hasn't seemed to get much better in recent weeks. Whatever the cause may be, the team has to fix it fast, because it won't make the playoffs if it allows teams to succeed both in the red zone and far out from it.

Tighten up on special teams

Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter Riley Dixon (9) kicks a ball during the second quarter against the New England Patriots | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers have had quite a few special teams lapses so far this year. They've had two blocks on field goals and punts, and while that cleaned itself up after the beginning of the year, the Bucs have had a few special teams collapses that have cost them games. Their game against the Buffalo Bills is a great example, as the kick team gave up an astonishing 234 return yards on six kickoff attempts.

That's not where it ends, though. The Bucs also rank 28th in net punt yards per punt, with punter Riley Dixon averaging 38.4 yards per punt. The Buccaneers constantly disadvantage themselves on special teams, and in the playoffs, that type of poor play will lose games. If the Bucs can't fix these lapses and poor consistency soon, though, their special teams play might put them out of the running for the playoffs in general.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2025 season.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

• Bills players caught admiring Buccaneers All-Pro Tristan Wirfs during game

• Could the Bucs be getting back an important offensive weapon soon?

• Buccaneers OC named as emerging head coach candidate

• Former Buccaneers quarterback signs with NFC South rival