The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a rain-soaked, 16-14 battle over the Carolina Panthers to keep their playoff hopes alive. Whichever team ends up with the NFC South title, whether Tampa or Carolina, is now guaranteed to enter the playoffs with a losing record at 8-9. 

The Buccaneers are now the biggest fans of the New Orleans Saints. The winner of Saints-Falcons on Sunday will determine who wins the division and makes the playoffs. A Saints win sends the Buccaneers to the playoffs; while a Falcons win means the Panthers win the South.

Either way, the South winner will be the No. 4 seed in the NFC bracket. The Buccaneers will face one of three possible opponents for the NFC Wild Card, should they advance to the postseason. We'll take a look at those opponents here.

The Seahawks enter Week 18 with the best record at 13-3. They still have to win at San Francisco on Saturday night to secure the No. 1 seed. Otherwise, they will fall to the No. 5 seed and visit the NFC South winner.

For the Buccaneers, that would mean a rematch of their 38-35 shootout in Seattle back in Week 5, when both teams donned their throwback jerseys -- both franchises entered the league in 1976 and are celebrating their 50th seasons in the NFL.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 379 yards and two touchdowns in the Bucs' Oct. 5 win at Lumen Field in Seattle, running back Rachaad White rushed for two touchdowns, and rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka caught seven passes for 163 yards and a TD. 

Should this matchup come to fruition, it would be the first time these two teams have met in the postseason. These franchises have been part of the NFC since 2002, despite each being in the league for a 50 years. The Seahawks played in the AFC West from 1977-2001.

Seattle leads the all-time series 9-7.

On the flip side of Saturday night's game is the team that is hosting Super Bowl LX, the San Francisco 49ers. A win for the Niners means they would not have to travel for the rest of the season, including for the Super Bowl. A loss Saturday drops them to either No. 5 (with a Rams loss) or No. 6 (with a Rams win).

This would also be a rematch from the regular season, another game won by the Buccaneers, 30-19, in Week 6. Mayfield threw for 256 yards and two TDs and the Buccaneers picked off 49ers backup QB Mac Jones twice and sacked him six times in the win that improved Tampa Bay to 5-1.

The Buccaneers and 49ers have met once before in the playoffs. Tampa Bay knocked out San Francisco 31-6 in the 2002 NFC divisional playoffs, en route to winning Super Bowl XXXVIII. The 49ers lead the all-time series 21-8.

The last possible opponent for the Buccaneers is the Los Angeles Rams, a team that looked like they were on their way to the No. 1 seed, but back-to-back losses to the Seahawks and the Falcons ended those hopes. The Rams were eliminated from No. 1-seed contention when the Niners edged the Bears on Sunday night in Week 17.

The Buccaneers will be looking for revenge if they draw the Rams, who would get the No. 5 seed with a win over the Arizona Cardinals and a 49ers loss. The Buccaneers were run off the field in primetime back in Week 12 on Sunday Night Football. The Rams won 34-7 as Mayfield left early with a shoulder injury and Teddy Bridgewater came on in relief, as the Bucs fell to 6-5 in what became a three-game losing streak before the Buccaneers stopped the skid against the Cardinals the following week.

The Bucs and Rams have met in the postseason three times, most recently after the 2021 season in a rollercoaster of a game; the Rams came out on top, 30-27, on their way to winning Super Bowl LVI. The Buccaneers are 0-3 against the Rams in the playoffs, also losing in the 1999 NFC title game (11-6) and the 1979 NFC championship (9-0).

The Rams lead the all-time series 20-10.

To recap, the Buccaneers -- if they reach the postseason -- will face whoever finishes in second place in the NFC West. 

• 49ers win = Buccaneers vs. Seahawks;

• Seahawks win + Rams win = Buccaneers vs. 49ers;

• Seahawks win + Rams loss = Buccaneers vs. Rams.