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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominated the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 to extend their winning streak to four straight games. The Bucs dropped 40 points on LA as they improved to 8-6 on the season. The team hopes to stay hot with a Sunday night matchup against the Dallas Cowboys coming up in Week 16. But injuries could slow Tampa Bay down.
The Buccaneers have ruled Cade Otton out for Sunday’s game due to a knee injury, per NFL insider Adam Schefter on X. Tampa Bay’s tight end was unable to practice this week before squeezing in a limited session Friday after getting banged up against the Chargers.
While Otton was red hot in the middle of the season when the Buccaneers were missing wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, he’s cooled off over the last month – coinciding with Evans' return to action. Despite the offensive explosion against LA last week, the third-year pro caught just two passes for 24 yards on three targets.
Still, Otton has put together a solid season, often operating as a security blanket for quarterback Baker Mayfield in the passing game. He has 59 receptions for 600 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games.
Cade Otton got banged up in the Buccaneers' Week 15 win over the Chargers
The Buccaneers survived a far more concerning injury this week. A knee ailment prevented Mayfield from practicing on Wednesday, setting off alarm bells for the team. But the veteran signal caller was able to return to a full session on Thursday and has been removed from the injury report. He’ll be under center in Dallas on Sunday.
Mayfield has enjoyed an excellent second season with the Buccaneers. In Week 15, he set a new career-high mark for touchdowns. The seventh-year pro has tossed 32 touchdowns this season. Mayfield has 328 completions for 3,617 with 32 scores and 14 interceptions through 14 games.
With Baker at the helm, the team’s offense is humming. The Bucs have scored 30 or more points seven times this season. The unit is third overall in yards per game and fourth-best with 28.8 points per contest in 2024.
Despite the a stellar offense, Tampa Bay is not a lock to reach the playoffs. The four-game winning streak has given the Buccaneers a one-game advantage over the Falcons in the NFC South. But if they don’t win the division, they could miss out on the postseason altogether. Because they’re on top of the NFC South the Buc’s are currently the third seed in the conference but their 8-6 record would leave them a game out of the final Wild Card spot without the benefit of the division lead.
Should Tampa Bay reach the playoffs, they could be a dangerous team. Sunday night’s matchup in Dallas should help clarify things as the playoff picture comes into focus. The Cowboys are technically still in the postseason hunt but they would need to win out and receive a tremendous amount of help to have a shot.
