The Tampa Bay Buccaneers desperately needed a win Sunday afternoon coming out of their bye week. Todd Bowles' team delivered on that and then some, commanding the New York Giants to a 30-7 victory and snapping a four-game losing streak.
Tampa Bay has work yet to be done to climb back to the .500 mark, a figure they can achieve with a win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 13. For now, they remain alive not only in the NFC Playoff hunt, but also in the NFC South divisional race.
The odds also favor the Bucs who have the third easiest schedule over the final six games of the season. As the season winds down, they will likely rely on the high-powered offense that has them positioned 15th in ESPN's Week 13 Power Rankings, rising from 18.
Liam Coen's offense ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 28.1 points per game and that has correlated directly to an impressive individual campaign for Baker Mayfield. His 254.5 passing yards per game and 24 passing touchdowns rank fifth and third respectively.
Mayfield has put together those outstanding figures without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in the lineup for four games. Evans has since returned, but Godwin will be out for the remainder of the season. Nonetheless, Mayfield's efforts have continued to power this group without his usual assortment of passing game weapons.
Along with the Bucs' air raid, their ground game has taken significant strides after finishing last in the league a year ago.
With the addition of Bucky Irving into the backfield, Tampa Bay's run game has shot up the ranks and sits among the top 10 in the NFL at 128.1 yards per game.
Altogether, this revamped Bucs' offense has helped them contend against the powers of the league and could be the wagon they ride in the closing weeks to secure a spot in the playoffs once again.
These improvements and statistics will not perform the actual winning they need, but they are certainly signs the Bucs could find themselves in the thick of contention come January.
