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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered Week 16 in control of their destiny in the NFC South. They left having fallen to second place in the division, as they suffered a crushing 26-24 upset defeat at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys on “Sunday Night Football.” Things aren't looking great for the Bucs with just two games left, but Baker Mayfield made it clear afterwards that just because they are down, doesn't mean they are out.
With the Atlanta Falcons falling apart, the Buccaneers had stormed back to take control of the NFC South. With their loss, though, and the Falcons beating the New York Giants, they dropped back down to second place in their division, lowering their chances of making the playoffs. After the game, though, Mayfield indicated there's no quit in Tampa Bay, even though their path to the playoffs just became a lot more difficult.
“I’ve said it all along, this group will not quit. That’s the standard that we try to set. It’d be nice to not have to be in that situation, if we’d take care of business earlier in the game,” Mayfield said after the loss, per ESPN.
Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers still alive in NFC South battle
The Buccaneers and Falcons both have 8-7 records, but Atlanta holds the tiebreaker since they beat Tampa Bay in both of their head-to-head matchups this season. However, Tampa Bay finishes off their regular season campaign with a pair of home games against the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, so they should have a decent shot to win both those contests.
Atlanta, meanwhile, has to take on a tough Washington Commanders team in Week 17, before closing things out against the Panthers, so Tampa may still have the inside track. However, it won't mean anything if they deliver another dud performance like they did in Week 16 against the Cowboys. Mayfield is intent on bouncing back, though, and Tampa Bay will have to do just that if they want to find their way into the playoffs.
