Buccaneers' Veteran: 'Season Isn't Over' Despite 0-4 Start

Plenty of Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans think the season is already over. 

This would normally be a crazy thought to have after four games. 

For instance, Philadelphia Eagles fans who have promised to sell their season tickets after a 2-2 start are probably overreacting a smidge, especially since their team won a Super Bowl less than two years ago. 

But Buccaneers fans who think the season is over might be onto something. The team is 0-4, which puts it two games behind the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, who share the NFC South lead. 

Furthermore, quarterback Baker Mayfield will miss at least the next two games, and former All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. could be out for the next four. So, yeah, times are hard. 

But veteran defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson isn't ready to give up. 

“The season isn't over," Robinson said after Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers via Pewter Report. "You can’t lose and be out (of) the playoffs in four games. We're just focusing on what we need to do now.” 

Robinson is correct in that the Bucs aren't mathematically eliminated. However, the chances of a 0-4 team making the playoffs are as rare as a small-market baseball team winning the World Series. 

Only the 1992 San Diego Chargers dug out of a 0-4 hole and reached the playoffs. It's the only time it happened in the history of history. 

San Diego dropped its first four, then won 11 of its last 12 to finish 11-5 and win the AFC West. The Bucs probably don't have to go 11-5 to make it to the playoffs, but it's still highly unlikely. 

Per PlayoffStatus.com, Tampa's postseason probability sits at <1%, with seven other teams sitting in the same boat. Interestingly enough, the Bucs found themselves in the opposite situation last year. Tampa started the year 6-2 and looked like a surefire bet to win the NFC South, with Super Bowl dreams not seeming too crazy. 

Instead, the Bucs crashed and burned, losing seven of their last nine games. Even though the NFC South didn’t have a team finish with a winning record, the Bucs missed out on the division for the first time since 2020. 

Robinson’s Panthers won the NFC South and nearly won their home playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams. So Robinson knows that coming from behind to win a division title is possible, and it would have been wrong for him to deny that making the playoffs was a possibility in a public interview. 

But for a franchise that's had its share of miracles, becoming the second team in league history to make the playoffs after a 0-4 start would be near the top of the list, if not No. 1.