Started from the bottom now we’re here. From 6-2 to now having a pretty good chance of missing the playoffs. If you don’t remember, the Buccaneers only have one path to the playoffs. They have to win and the Saints have to win. Being completely honest, neither seems particularly likely. Which raises the question of every team stuck in mediocrity hell, is it better to win or lose? The fanbase is divided over this, so I wanted to discuss instead of my usual how to win article.
I shouldn’t have to be writing this type of article
On the side of winning, the Bucs can still make the playoffs. Do they have a good chance of winning a playoff game? No, not at all. However, if you make the playoffs, that does make it more likely that you could. In the Bucs case, it may go from 0% to 10%, but it is still possible. But who knows? Maybe the Bucs just magically get hot and go on a run against teams they match up well against. I know this doesn’t exactly seem the most positive, but winning this game does get them one step closer to making the Super Bowl, as laughable as that may seem considering where the team is now.
On the side of losing, well there’s a few arguments for it. Even if the Bucs pull a rabbit out of their ass, they have to rely on the Saints. And they will be missing Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Brian Breese among many others. Atlanta has also looked fairly hot down the stretch. So the question then becomes if the Bucs win, what happens if the Saints lose. That is probably the worst case scenario for the Bucs. Big thanks to the NFL for putting our game today before that game so we know ahead of time. But not only would they be eliminated, but a meaningless win makes the draft pick worse.
The Buccaneers would pick at pick 11 if the Saints and Dolphins lost. That is the best they could do in terms of draft positioning. Too many teams are in the same spot as the Bucs, so I don’t fully know what the worst case scenario would be, but I do think if things work out really badly for the team, they could move all the way to 17. Again, that would require a lot of teams winning meaningless games, but it could happen.
At the end of the day, I am on the side of winning and making the playoffs. I would rather have a minuscule chance of making a run than a slightly higher pick. However, I can’t exactly blame people for wanting the better pick. This team hasn’t inspired too much confidence. Regardless of when the season ends, change is likely coming. I think Grizzard is gone. But now it seems like Bowles sticks around (unless he retires on his own). Regardless, this team will try to win today. Whether or not they do is a different story, but they will try.
Want more from Devin? Click here, then follow him on Twitter.
Follow, Like and Subscribe to Bucs Report
BucsReport.com
For more on this and everything Buccaneers check back here hourly at BucsReport.com.
