Coming into the 2025 season, the Bucs had their sights set on a fifth straight NFC South title. Five weeks into the campaign, they’re in a good spot.

Their win over the Falcons in Atlanta on the season’s opening weekend was huge at the time, and it could prove even bigger late in the season if it comes to tiebreakers. However, Tampa Bay isn’t interested in needing any tiebreakers.

This is a team that has the division title as its first goal, and that’s a goal it would prefer to achieve far sooner in the season than the penultimate or final Sunday of the season. The race has gone down to the wire in recent years, and while the Bucs have prevailed, they’d love to wrap up a fifth straight NFC South crown earlier in December.

While there’s plenty of football left to be played – we’ve only just completed the first weekend in October – the Bucs have a strong hold on the top spot in the division right now.

NFC South Standings Through Week 5

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 4-1 (1-0 in NFC South play)
Atlanta Falcons – 2-2 (0-2 in NFC South play)
Carolina Panthers – 2-3 (1-0 in NFC South play)
New Orleans Saints – 1-4 (0-0 in NFC South play)

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

But again, these Bucs are aiming higher than the NFC South title, as they believe they’re well positioned to be one of the elite teams in the NFC and a true contender to represent the conference in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara next February. And right now, it’s safe to say that they are.

Sunday’s win over the 3-1 Seahawks in Seattle was a massive one for the Bucs. Not only did it get their October off to a good start after Octobers of past years have been less than kind to them, but it proved that they could go into a hostile environment and beat another one of the top teams in the NFC, one that had won three straight games and has serious designs on challenging for the NFC West title.

The battle of 3-1 teams at Lumen Field in Seattle was one of the marquee matchups of the NFL weekend, and for good reason. The game delivered, and it sets Tampa Bay up well in the upper echelon of the NFC right now.

NFC Standings Through Week 5

Philadelphia Eagles – 4-1 (holds strength of victory tiebreaker over 49ers, holds head-to-head tiebreaker over Bucs)
San Francisco 49ers – 4-1 (holds win percentage vs. conference opponents tiebreaker over Bucs and Lions)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 4-1 (holds win percentage vs. conference opponents tiebreaker over Lions)
Detroit Lions – 4-1
Green Bay Packers – 2-1-1
Seattle Seahawks – 3-2
Minnesota Vikings – 3-2

So, the Bucs are right there with the top teams in the NFC right now, with their lone loss coming to the NFC-leading Eagles in Week 4. And now, they’ll have two more tests in the next two weeks to prove they belong in the elite tier of teams in the conference.

Bucs Have Two More Tests Against NFC’s Elite In The Next Two Weeks

You might’ve read the headline of this article and wondered why the “for now” qualifier was necessary. It’s not just because we’re only five weeks into the season. It’s also the fact that while the Bucs passed their test against the previously 3-1 Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday afternoon, they have two more tough NFC tests coming up in the next two weeks.

Tampa Bay returns to Raymond James Stadium in Week 6 for a matchup with the 4-1 49ers, who have weathered their own injury storm to win four of their first five games, including an overtime thriller over the Rams on Thursday Night Football in Week 5.

Bucs DT Vita Vea and 49ers QB Brock Purdy – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

San Francisco won at Seattle in Week 1 and at New Orleans in Week 2, then beat Arizona at home in Week 3 before a hiccup at home against Jacksonville in Week 4. With Brock Purdy battling a foot injury, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk out of the lineup and Nick Bosa out for the rest of the season, it was fair to wonder if, even at 3-1, the 49ers were legit.

Then, Mac Jones led them to a gutsy primetime win over the Rams and made it clear that the Kyle Shanahan-led 49ers are still in the contender tier within the NFC. Now, it’ll be a battle of 4-1 teams at Ray Jay as the Bucs and 49ers both look for what could be a key head-to-head win next Sunday.

The next NFC test following that home game against the 49ers comes in Week 7, as the Bucs will head to the Motor City to match up with the 4-1 Lions on Monday Night Football. There were some questions about Detroit’s staying power in the NFC’s elite tier entering this season, as they lost both their offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator to head coaching jobs this offseason. A 27-13 loss to the Packers in Week 1 didn’t help, either.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and Lions QB Jared Goff – Photo by: USA Today

But the Lions have won four straight games since. They beat the Bears, 52-21, and won 38-30 on the road against the Ravens in Weeks 2 and 3, respectively, then they beat a pair of AFC North opponents in the Browns (34-10) and Bengals (37-24) over the last two weeks.

So, despite that season-opening loss to Green Bay, Detroit has the lead in the NFC North and continues to look like a threat to make a deep run into the playoffs. The Bucs went into Ford Field and beat the Lions early last season, but the rematch in a couple of weeks on Monday Night Football will be yet another tough test for Todd Bowles and Co. in what has become a long line of them from the end of September through most of October.

We’ll see how the Bucs come out of this stretch, but 4-1 – especially with the injuries and adversity they’ve been through – is a hell of a start. They’re among the NFC’s elite teams right now, and it’s up to them to stay there over the next couple of weeks.