This is very interesting to Joe on many levels and suggests the Bucs are very close to having a very good team.
Unfortunately, Joe doesn’t believe the Bucs will get to showcase that talent this year.
So the Bucs have been in four, one-score games. The defense has choked away a game in three of them, including the past two games against the defending Super Bowl champs and the defending NFC champs (49ers).
If the Bucs had won all four of those one-score games, they’d have the best record in the NFC (8-2), a half-game behind the Lions for the overall top seed.
Even if the Bucs went 3-1 in those one-score games, the Bucs would be 7-3 and everyone in the Tampa Bay area would be talking about hosting a wild card round game.
Instead, the defensive-minded head coach’s defense has played lousy ball and has painted the team into a corner, needing probably six wins in the final seven games to grab a wild card berth.
