Bucs are simultaneously leading a division, lowering expectations The Bucs are a modern athletic marvel. Clearly kaput, yet still leading a division. They have lost more than they have won, they have given up more points than they have scored, and they have wasted more goodwill than they have earned. Yet a much-needed autopsy could be delayed because the Bucs might be in a playoff game. A home game, at that. Remarkable. In a way, Sunday's 35-7 embarrassment against San Francisco was a godsend. It should disabuse any Bucs fan of the absurd hope that this team can still put a Super Bowl rally together. Why so pessimistic, you ask? Oh, let me count the ways: The Bucs are old and beat up. They are slow and not well-coached. They can't get the running game going and they can't complete passes deeper than 10 yards. The defense has faced a Beg-Your-Pardon list of quarterbacks - including Marcus Mariota, Kenny Pickett, P.J. Walker, Jacoby Brissett and Brock Purdy - in the last nine weeks and has managed one interception in 264 passes. And even that was a Hail Mary attempt on the final play of a half. So, no, this team is not in a slump or a lull. This is what their groove looks like. And, if you just keep that in mind in the coming weeks, it should make life more tolerable. Because, when you think about it, 2022 could be your payback. It could be revenge for 2010 when Tampa Bay went 10-6 and did not reach the postseason. It could be compensation for 2008 when the Bucs started off 9-3 and somehow missed the playoffs. Tampa Bay has had a losing record 30 times since 1976 and has never made the playoffs when below .500. Until, potentially, now. The Bucs are 6-7 with four games remaining. They are underdogs at home against the Bengals next week and could be underdogs the following week when they travel to Arizona. And it's possible that neither of those games will matter. The entire season likely will come down to the final two weeks at home against Carolina and on the road against Atlanta. Win those two games, and the Bucs should take the NFC South. How? If the Bucs win both of those games, they will at least be 8-9 and guaranteed of no worse than a tie with the Panthers, Falcons and Saints. And, in that case, the Bucs would have a 5-1 record in the division, which would win any tiebreaker. So, if you just lower your expectations, you might enjoy this bumpy, slow-moving, bad paint job, no-AC drive to the playoffs. Of course, there's no guarantee the Bucs will beat either the Falcons or Panthers. Since firing their head coach and dumping their quarterback, the Panthers are 4-4, including a 21-3 humiliation of Tampa Bay in October. And the Bucs nearly choked up a 21-0 lead against the Falcons in October, and that game was at home. The question, at this point, is whether the Bucs maintain their ridiculous status quo on offense or make some meaningful changes. This ball-control, short passing game worked moderately well in September, but has grown increasingly predictable, ineffective and painful to watch. I swear, at this point, there are pee-wee teams that could stop that quick, wide receiver screen to Chris Godwin. Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich can no longer hide behind the coach-speak excuses of execution and penalties. It might be too late in the season to overhaul the offense, but that doesn't mean the Bucs cannot make smart, calculated, innovative tweaks. For the last nine weeks, the Bucs have averaged 15.8 points a game. That ain't going to get it done in the playoffs, and it probably won't work against Carolina or Atlanta either. Since the division games will ultimately decide the season, the Bucs can be a little more carefree the next two weeks. The Cincinnati and Arizona games certainly matter, but not as much as the final two games. So the Bucs need to re-evaluate. They need to tinker. They need to do something to get Godwin, Mike Evans, Julio Jones and Russell Gage in more advantageous matchups. The Bucs looked like a Dead Team Walking against the 49ers on Sunday, but there is still a chance for a reprieve. There is still time to rescue the season and reward the fans. Maybe it would be mortifying to go into the playoffs with a losing record, but it beats the alternative. Because we just saw what that looks like on Sunday. John Romano, The Tampa Bay Times, published 12 December 2022