The last time the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were 6-5, it was in 2012 when they were coached by Greg Schiano. Running back Doug Martin was a rookie out of Boise State and three-time All-Pro corner back Ronde Barber was finishing his 16-year career. Josh Freeman was the starting quarterback and they had notable names like New England Patriots‘ running back LeGarrette Blount, Seattle Seahawks‘ defensive end Michael Bennett and Denver Broncos‘ corner back Aqib Talib.
That year, they proceeded to lose four of their last five games to quality teams like the Broncos and the New Orleans Saints and finish 7-9. The Buccaneers’ last winning season was in 2010 with Raheem Morris as the head coach and Freeman was the quarterback. The team had popular names in Bucs’ circles such as Cadillac Williams, Kellen Winslow Jr., Jeff Faine and Barrett Ruud.
The last time the Buccaneers made the postseason was in 2007 with Jon Gruden as the head coach. They lost in the wild card game to the eventual Super Bowl Champions the New York Giants. Jeff Garcia was the quarterback, Joey Galloway was a wide receiver, Donald Penn was the left tackle. Defensively, they had Kevin Carter, Derrick Brooks, Barber and Phillip Buchanon.
The Buccaneers have the chance to make the playoffs in 2016 and here are five keys.
Five Reasons a Tampa Bay Buccaneers Playoff Berth Remains a Possibility
Opportunity
The Buccaneers are 6-5 with five games remaining on the schedule. They have a realistic chance to make the playoffs in the NFC because they are one game behind the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC South and they are a half game back of the Washington Redskins for the second wild card spot. A Buccaneers’ win and a Redskins’ loss would move Tampa Bay ahead of them.
Tampa Bay is a Hot Team
The Buccaneers are also playing their best football of the season. They are on a season-long three-game winning streak and two of those wins came against the best teams in the AFC and the NFC. Two weeks ago on Nov. 20, the Buccaneers went to Arrowhead Stadium and beat the Kansas City Chiefs 19-17. The Chiefs had won five straight games prior to that loss. Last week at home, the Buccaneers hosted the Seahawks and won the game 14-5. This was the same Seahawks’ team that went into Gillette Stadium on Nov. 13 and beat the Patriots 31-24. The Patriots still had a healthy Rob Gronkowski at that point.
Weather
The Buccaneers play in favorable weather conditions from here on out. They have three road games, but one is this week at San Diego and the other two will be indoors against Dallas and New Orleans. The Buccaneers have two home games against the Saints and Carolina. Their last game of the season against the Panthers should have better weather than a majority of the week 17 games.
The Secondary
The Buccaneers’ secondary has changed the defense and it started with a pick-six of Jay Cutler by Chris Conte against the Chicago Bears. Free safety Bradley McDougald had a 32-yard interception against Russell Wilson in addition to five tackles and corner back Alterraun Verner had a 16-yard interception. The Seahawks passed for only 151 yards in the game. Conte, a defensive back who has been starting at strong safety, had a 53-yard interception and six tackles against the Chiefs. The starting secondary of McDougald, Conte, Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves has not allowed 300 passing yards in their last three games.
The Offensive Line
The offensive line, which has been anchored by Donovan Smith, Joe Hawley and Ali Marpet while being supported by Ben Gottschalk, Demar Dotson, Kevin Pamphile and Gosder Cherilus, has defeated two of the best defenses in the NFL in the Seahawks and the Chiefs. Quarterback Jameis Winston has been sacked just twice in two games and Martin has returned and averaged a respectable 3.2 yards per carry against two elite defenses.
The Buccaneers play at 4:25 PM Sunday, Dec. 4 at Qualcomm Stadium against the San Diego Chargers.
