Bucs' path to NFC South title includes another collision with Saints Given their history, it might feel like a sin if it weren't the Saints and Bucs battling it out for the NFC South division title. New Orleans won four straight crowns from 2017-2020, even though Tampa Bay knocked the Saints out of the playoffs on the way to a Super Bowl 55 championship. Now the Bucs (8-7) will be trying to hang their third straight banner, something that has never happened in franchise history. It's fitting the Bucs' path to the playoffs includes a final encounter with the Saints, who stand one game back in the standings at 7-8. "It's definitely been hard to dominate any division," Todd Bowles said Monday. "But in our division, you know, the Saints have been running it for quite a while. We won a couple games, and we won it the last two years. We're trying to win it a third year, but it's always going to be tough sledding when you're in a division going for a title at the end." Entering December, the Bucs were 4-7, having dropped six of their previous seven games. But Bowles said he never lost faith that his club could turn it around, believing they were only a mistake or two from winning most of those games. "I was encouraged actually during the losing streak, because we were fighting and we were making bonehead plays here and there," Bowles said. "We knew if we cleaned those up, we could win a game by one or two touchdowns. We just kept looking at it every week and we kept with it. "It's okay to correct the guys and coach them and chastise them and all that stuff, but we knew we were close to at least playing solid football if we cleaned those things up. We cleaned those things up and it's kind of working for us right now." Following their 30-12 rout of the Jaguars on Christmas Eve, confidence was surging. Much of it surrounds quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is among the hottest passers in the league this month with a 4-0 record, 1,010 passing yards with 10 touchdowns and one interception. "He's been outstanding. He's been outstanding in December," Bowles said. "That's what you want from your quarterback in December. Everybody knows each other's plays right about now but when you're trying to make a push, if the quarterback is playing great, it gives you a chance." The Bucs' win streak has coincided with the growth of some young players, especially on defense, like outside linebacker YaYa Diaby. The rookie from Louisville took the starting job at outside linebacker from Joe Tryon-Shoyinka around midseason. On Sunday, Diaby led the Bucs with 1.5 sacks, five tackles, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. He leads the Bucs with 6.5 sacks this season. "When we drafted him, the biggest thing for me was that he was a shutdown run defender and he could close off the edge," Bowles said. "We knew he could run straight ahead. We didn't know that much of the pass-rush arsenal that he has because he played inside as a three-technique at Louisville. "We knew he was very athletic and once we saw him when he got in and we saw the movements, we said, ‘This guy has a chance to be a very good football player.' He's continued to grow and grow and progress and you're kind of seeing a lot of that right now." Bowles praised the young players in general for stepping up. "They continue to get better and better - you can see the confidence growing in them and it's growing at the right time," he said. Even the Bucs' four-game win streak started slowly. They didn't play well but persevered over Carolina, 21-16. The Bucs played poorly on offense at Atlanta with Mayfield leading a game-winning drive in the final seconds. Then came spectacular games by the Bucs quarterback, who had a perfect passer rating at Lambeau Field followed by Sunday's rout of the Jaguars in which the defense forced four turnovers. "You've just really got to be patient," receiver Chris Godwin said. "Trust the process. Trust in what we're doing and trust the guys around you. ... And now we're trying to keep this thing rolling." Now the Bucs have the potential hat and T-shirt game if they can claim a third straight NFC South title by sweeping the Saints. Celebrations are always better at home, Mayfield said. "That's our mindset. Going to close it out at home," he said. "And then, go in with the same mentality to Carolina (for the regular-season finale). We're still playing for a better seeding. Obviously, if we win the division, you get the fourth seed. But who knows what can happen?" Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times, published 26 December 2023