The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finally have their bye behind them. It came early, but it was nice for the team to have a chance to build and reinforce habits after starting the year with an impressive 3-1 record.
The focus in Tampa now turns towards one of the biggest tests of the year; the Detroit Lions.
The Lions may have dropped a game against the Seahawks, but the Lions are one of the best teams in the NFC, and the Bucs finding a way to keep that game close or even win will go a long way in proving this team walks the walk.
The Bucs may be 3-1, but there are a lot of people that have fairly pointed out that Tampa’s three wins have come against teams that don’t look all that convincing in their own schedules.
However, Tampa did have one great team in their first four games in the Eagles, and while that game ended in a loss, the Bucs were able to show enough in that game to prove they can compete with a team like Detroit.
The Eagles and the Lions are very similar on paper. Both teams have extremely dangerous weapons on offense, quality offensive lines, great quarterback play, and defenses that have played well, but the Eagles are obviously better than the Lions defensively.
Based on the many comparisons, Tampa should be in a position to keep the game close against the Lions if they can play the better football they briefly flashed against the Eagles.
Drops and silly plays are what cost the Bucs their first loss. In reality, that game was a good bit closer than the Eagles would have you believe, and Tampa has the weapons on offense to score against the Lions and the defensive talent to slow down the Lions’ offense.
With many people already penciling the Lions in as a playoff favorite alongside the 49ers and Eagles, this is going to be an excellent chance for the Buccaneers to prove winning the NFC South means more than just an automatic spot in the playoffs.