How did Buccaneers' playoff chances change after Panthers loss to Saints?

Sometimes, life gives you lemons and then makes the lemonade for you. That's precisely what happened to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15, who suffered an awful loss to the Atlanta Falcons 29-28 on Thursday Night Football — but their playoff chances haven't taken a hit.

The Buccaneers were in a very bad spot after their loss to the Falcons and before the Carolina Panthers played the New Orleans Saints, but now, after that game, they're sitting just fine with three weeks to go. Here's what Tampa Bay's playoff chances look like for Week 16, a week where they play the Panthers for the first of two matchups:

Buccaneers' playoff chances skyrocket with Panthers' Week 15 loss

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. (14) acknowledges the crowd with teammates after catching a three-yard touchdown pass thrown by quarterback Baker Mayfield | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Heading into Week 15, the Buccaneers' playoff chances were at 71%. That careened to a 54%, via Next Gen Stats, when the Bucs lost their game against the Falcons and the Panthers had an opportunity to take a one-game lead in the NFC South with a win over the New Orleans Saints.

That didn't happen, though. The Panthers squandered that opportunity by losing to the Saints 20-17, which put the Buccaneers back ahead in the NFC South. It also means the Buccaneers have to win two of their next three games in any order, and they can even win just one of the three if the Panthers also win one of their three games, The advantage goes to the Bucs, and the playoff chances show it.

Tampa Bay's playoff chances are actually higher now than they were coming into Week 15, standing at 77% via Next Gen Stats. The Panthers now have just a 23% chance to make the playoffs, but that number could change if they win the first of the two games against the Bucs they need in Week 16 at home.

The Bucs haven't been playing good football recently, but they now have a big chance to turn it around. They'll have the Panthers twice and the Miami Dolphins inbetween these last three weeks, and if they want to have any chance of actually winning a playoff game, they'll want to play much better football and definitively win the division over that timeframe.

The Bucs will play the Panthers at 1 p.m. on Sunday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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