With the NFC South lead and the playoff picture unclear, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in a must-win situation tonight against the division-rival Atlanta Falcons.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves in a must-win situation against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.
The Bucs (7-6) got off to a fast start in the NFC South, winning their first three games and six of their first eight. But the team has lost four of their last five, and now find itself fighting for not only the division title, but a spot in the playoffs.
Before losing three straight starting in Week 10, many saw the Bucs as serious contenders to challenge the NFC-leading Rams (10-3), Packers (9-3-1), and Eagles (8-5). Now, they could easily drop out of the playoff picture altogether.
Injuries have ravaged this team, but it looks as if they may be getting a few players back for Thursday night's high-stakes division game.
Receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillen are both listed as questionable, but are expected to return. That's a good thing for quarterback Baker Mayfield, who has struggled in recent outings after getting attention early on a possible favorite for NFL MVP.
On Thursday, NFL analyst Greg Cosell, on the “Ross Tucker Podcast,” explained what may be going on with Mayfield.
“To start the season out, he looked so decisive,” Cosell said of Mayfield. “He knew where to go with the football."
In his third year in Tampa Bay, Mayfield early on this season was making passes and running the ball effectively. He led the Bucs to 5-1 to open 2025, despite losing Mike Evans and Chris Godwin Jr. to early injuries and not having Jalen McMillan (neck) in the lineup through Week 14.
“I would say over this past month, he has looked indecisive," Cosell said. "If that first option is unavailable, it looks almost as if he creates his own pressure. He just looks very uncomfortable."
Mayfield has been dealing with a sprained left shoulder since Week 12, which may also explain his struggles. The usually feisty veteran left a Sunday night game against the Rams and did not return for the second half, as the Bucs fell 34-7.
The Falcons will start QB Kirk Cousins, who has found success over the years against the Bucs.
Starting for Atlanta last season, Cousins led the Falcons to a sweep of the Bucs, though the Falcons missed the playoffs after finishing second in the NFC South.
The Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention after losing to the Seahawks last week, but they could still play spoiler against the Bucs.
“You never want to be in this spot,” Falcons coach Raheem Morris told reporters early Thursday about his team's early ouster from playoff contention. “But really, the job is to go out and play spoiler right now. You’ve got a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team on Thursday that we’ve got a lot of respect for, that we love to play. That’s always a highly competitive football game, and I expect no different.”
Mayfield and the Bucs are fully aware of what awaits them tonight.
"It’s that playoff mentality," Mayfield told reporters Tuesday. "[W]e’re playing a divisional opponent -- they would love nothing more than to beat us and screw up our chances. So, you go into it expecting: 'Okay, do they really have a lot on the line? Yeah, because they’re trying to knock us out of the playoffs.' So that’s the mindset. It’s playoff mentality for us, and we have to expect to get their best."