The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season is hanging by a thread after only three games.

Absolutely nothing has gone as hoped for the Bucs these first three weeks. Only seven teams since 1980 have reached the playoffs after starting 0-3, making the hole the Bucs have dug for themselves almost impossible to climb out of.

Luckily for Tampa, no other 0-3 team played in the current NFC South, where eight wins were enough to win the division a year ago, and looks like it may be enough to win it this season.

Despite looking like one of the NFL's worst teams, all hope has not completely vanished for the Bucs, who sit only one game behind their division rivals. As long as the Panthers, Falcons, and Saints keep losing, Tampa still has a chance to make the playoffs.

Unfortunately, nothing the Bucs have done this season has inspired confidence that they can turn things around, even in a weak division. All three division rivals have one game to hang their hat on so far. The Panthers destroyed the Falcons. The Falcons dominated the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau. The Saints defeated the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore.

The Bucs? Nothing.

As if the task in front of them wasn't difficult enough, the Bucs will have to navigate at least the next three weeks with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels at quarterback after Baker Mayfield dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand late in Sunday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Daniels' terrific play during camp and the preseason was a fantastic story, and winning the QB2 job over veteran backup Jake Browning was a great achievement. 

Handing the backup QB job to an undrafted rookie was an enormous risk for the Bucs. Now everyone will see whether that risk will pay off. If Daniels wants to continue the fairy-tale start to his career, he must deliver in real games and keep his team within striking distance until Mayfield returns.

What Can Buccaneers Expect From Jalon Daniels?

The situation Daniels is being thrust into is an incredibly difficult one for any backup QB, let alone an undrafted rookie. 

Daniels got his first taste of regular-season action against the Vikings after Mayfield was injured. Tampa got the ball at its own 31-yard-line with only 33 seconds left and no timeouts. The rookie was unable to complete any of his three passes, and his fourth-down Hail Mary was intercepted.

No, that is not enough of a sample size to insist that Daniels can't get the job done. However, the pressure on Daniels and the almost impossible circumstances of that scenario are about equal to what he will face over the next few weeks.

There will be rookie mistakes, which, of course, are normal. But for a Bucs team fighting for its season, any single unforced error from Daniels (or anyone else) could be devastating.

Making matters even tougher for Daniels is the play of his offensive line. Tampa's line was supposed to be one of the league's best, but it has looked closer to the worst through three games. Even with all the problems the Bucs have had, the offensive line has been the team's biggest disappointment.

If the line doesn't improve considerably, Daniels will have no chance at success.

Daniels will also have to play without WR Jalen McMillan, who is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a PCL sprain in his left knee. Fellow rookie Ted Hurst should become an even bigger part of the offense, and hopefully his big-play ability can make a difference.

For Daniels to succeed, he needs everyone around him to step up. The offensive line, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends all must do their part to ease his burden.

If everyone plays to his full potential, it is possible that Daniels can pull off some of the magic he showed in the preseason. His poise, football IQ, and dual-threat ability are ingredients for a starting-level NFL quarterback.

Daniels just needs to put them all together to cook up a couple of wins while Mayfield is out.