How far did the Bucs fall in latest NFL power rankings after loss to the Falcons?

It's the holiday season, but things are all but jolly in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are coming off two consecutive and inexcusable losses to two of the worst teams in the league in the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons.

It's been a rough season overall for the Bucs, but they are still in control of their own destiny when it comes to reaching the playoffs after the Carolina Panthers fell to the Saints in Week 15.

The Bucs and Panthers are set to gear up for the first of their two matchups over the course of the final three weeks of the season for the top spot in the NFC South. With so much on the line and after back-to-back troublesome losses, it would be expected that the Buccaneers would drop in the latest NFL.com power ranking, but instead, for the second straight week, they remain steady as Eric Edholm's 17th-best team in the league.

Buccaneers still mid for second straight week

Tampa Bay Buccaneer — Dec 11, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA against the Atlanta Falcons fan dressed as Dr. Seuss character the Grinch Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"The Buccaneers walked off the field at Raymond James Stadium last Thursday with some seriously bad vibes, having blown a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead in a 29-28 loss to the Falcons. Baker Mayfield threw a careless interception, and Atlanta overcame third-and-28 and fourth-and-14 on its final drive before ultimately nailing the game-winning field goal," Edholm wrote. "Yet somehow, the Bucs came out of the weekend -- thanks to New Orleans finishing a season sweep of Carolina -- in a remarkably similar position to how they started it: in first place, with a ton of questions. Whom do you trust more at this point, the Bucs or Panthers? The division comes down to the teams' two head-to-head games over the next three Sundays, with this week's showdown taking place in Charlotte. Can Mike Evans help Tampa regain a little of its early-season magic? The offense needs to step up with the defense seemingly in tatters."

Edholm once again hits the nail on the head with his evaluation of the current state of the Bucs, but it is shocking not to see them drop in the rankings with how horrible they have looked.

Things haven't gone right for Tampa Bay on either side of the ball, so it will likely be another tight contest in Week 16 in Charlotte against the Panthers, who, of course, are ranked just one spot below the Bucs as the 18th-best team in the NFL.

The Bucs will have to win two of their final three games if they hope to win the NFC South for a record-setting 5th straight time and make the playoffs, but the grand majority are also in agreement that if they do, they likely will not make it very far with how things have trended this season.

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