Haunted by a catastrophic late-season collapse that cost them the playoffs, Tampa Bay faces a high-stakes showdown against Justin Herbert’s surging Chargers to redefine their postseason destiny.
Last December, everything went wrong for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Tampa entered the month 7-5, having lost three of its last four games.
But in December, a relatively ordinary slump became a downright catastrophe. The month started poorly for the Bucs, thanks to a home loss to a New Orleans Saints team that came into the day 3-10. It only got worse from there. Tampa lost its remaining three December games by a total of seven points, all to teams that finished with losing records. When the calendar turned, the Bucs finally won again, beating the Carolina Panthers in their regular season finale.
It was too late.
Although Tampa finished with the same 8-9 record as Carolina, the Panthers won the NFC South on a tiebreaker, and for the first time in the 2020s, the Bucs watched the entire postseason from home.
It’s hard to say where the Bucs will be come Dec. 6.
But they are the favorites to win the NFC South, so the odds say that their game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Raymond James Stadium will be a big one, and not just for Tampa. The Chargers made the playoffs in each of coach Jim Harbaugh’s first two seasons, and right now, they’re favored to do it again. A big reason is their quarterback. Justin Herbert hasn’t had a perfect pro career and has struggled to get back to the form that made him a 5,000-yard passer in just his second season five years ago. Still, Herbert’s Harbaugh-era numbers— 49 touchdowns, 16 interceptions and a 66.1% completion rate— are nothing to sneeze at, and it’s likely he’ll have more help this year.
Herbert took 54 sacks last season, 13 more than his previous career high and just one away from the league lead.
Had one of tackles Rashawn Slater or Joe Alt, been healthy the whole year, it would have helped.
But Slater suffered a season-ending injury in August, and Alt only played in six games before his year ended due to injury.
The less time Herbert spends on the ground, the better things will be for the Chargers. Another thing to keep in mind is that, while the Bucs were falling apart last December, the Chargers were thriving. LA entered the last day of November 7-4, coming off an embarrassing 29-point loss at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars. But a 31-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders Nov. 30 (basically December) launched a four-game winning streak that left the Chargers 11-4 and a lock for the postseason.
Yes, this one could be big, and the Bucs will be happy to have it at home. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 on CBS.
