Before they even took the field at the Superdome on Sunday afternoon, the Bucs knew they had a chance to build an even bigger lead in the NFC South with a win over the Saints. Not only would a win send the last-place Saints to 1-7 and create a five-game gap between the two teams, but results elsewhere during the 1:00 p.m. window created a major opportunity for Todd Bowles and Co.

The Panthers came into Week 8 on a hot streak, having won three straight to get to 4-3 after starting the season 1-3. But beating the Dolphins, Cowboys and Jets is one thing, and being able to beat a pissed-off Bills team off a bye week is another. As it turned out, Carolina wasn’t up to that task, losing 40-9 to Buffalo at home. Starting quarterback Bryce Young was sidelined and Andy Dalton started in his place, but it’s hard to imagine an up-and-down Young being worth 31 points.

The Panthers defense just had no answers for James Cook, who ran for 216 yards and two scores. Josh Allen had three total touchdowns to get back on track himself, and an all-around bad day sent Dave Canales and his team to 4-4.

Falcons HC Raheem Morris – Photo by: USA Today

In Atlanta, the Falcons were playing without quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Drake London. But still, they should’ve had more than enough to get the job done given the situation. They were facing a 1-6 Dolphins team — at home — with a $180 million backup quarterback in Kirk Cousins. Well, it didn’t play out the way anyone would’ve thought. Not only did Cousins and the Falcons lose to the struggling Dolphins — they were blown out, losing 34-10 in a game that wasn’t even as close as the 24-point difference would indicate.

Tua Tagovailoa, a week after seemingly getting benched by Mike McDaniel — who is on the hot seat and likely to be shown the door any day now — threw for four touchdowns on the Falcons defense. Bijan Robinson was held to 25 yards on nine carries and fumbled once, and the Atlanta offense was held to a 2-of-11 mark on third down. With that embarrassing loss, the Falcons have lost back-to-back games to slip to 3-4.

So, as the Bucs got going against the Saints in New Orleans, they knew they couldn’t lose any ground to the two teams directly behind them in the NFC South standings. And while it wasn’t pretty offensively, the defense-driven 23-3 win gave them a two-game lead over the next-closest team in the division as they head into their Week 9 bye.

Bucs ILBs Lavonte David and SIrVocea Dennis – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

The Bucs’ 6-2 start matches the best in franchise history, and the previous four times they were 6-2, they went on to at least the NFC Divisional Round. In 1979, they made it to the NFC Championship Game. In 2002 and 2020, they won the Super Bowl. And in 2021, they won a franchise-record 13 games before a heartbreaking loss in the Divisional Round.

This is a team that came into 2025 with higher goals than its fifth consecutive NFC South title. Of course, everything starts there, and the earlier Tampa Bay can clinch that title the better. In recent years, it’s gone down to the wire. The hope at the start of this season was that the talent was there to get the job done earlier and be playing for a high seed, potentially the No. 1 overall seed and the first-round bye and home-field advantage that come with it.

As of right now, the Bucs are on the right track. But there’s still plenty of work to be done.

NFC South Standings Through Week 8

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 6-2 (2-0 in NFC South)
Carolina Panthers – 4-4 (1-0 in NFC South)
Atlanta Falcons – 3-4 (0-2 in NFC South)
New Orleans Saints – 1-7 (0-1 in NFC South)

As for the NFC playoff picture as a whole, the Bucs jumped up a spot from where they were a week ago. The 49ers lost to the Texans on Sunday afternoon, dropping to 5-3 and falling out of first place in the NFC West with the 5-2 Seahawks and 5-2 Rams on their bye weeks. Those teams now have a half-game lead on the 49ers, who fell down to the No. 7 seed in the NFC.

The 5-2 Lions were also on their bye week and hoping for a Packers loss to the Steelers on Sunday Night Football so that they could move into first place in the NFC North. Unfortunately for Dan Campbell and Co., that didn’t come to fruition as Green Bay beat its former quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, and Pittsburgh to remain atop the division and the NFC.

Elsewhere in the NFC, the Eagles beat the Giants to get to 6-2, keeping them in possession of the conference’s No. 2 seed for the time being. Here’s a look at the NFC standings halfway through the season.

NFC Standings Through Week 8

1. Green Bay Packers – 5-1-1 
2. Philadelphia Eagles – 6-2 (holds head-to-head tiebreaker over Bucs)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 6-2
4. Seattle Seahawks – 5-2 (holds win percentage vs. divisional opponents tiebreaker over Rams)
5. Detroit Lions – 5-2 (holds win percentage vs. conference opponents tiebreaker over Rams)
6. Los Angeles Rams – 5-2
7. San Francisco 49ers – 5-3

Bucs Must Get Healthier During Bye Week As Tough Stretch Approaches

The Bucs have to be thrilled with where they are at the halfway point in the season, heading into their bye week at 6-2 despite the rash of injuries they’ve dealt with at just about every level of both sides of the ball thus far. Not to mention, they picked up key divisional wins against the Falcons and Saints as well as key NFC wins over the Seahawks and 49ers.

Not only has Todd Bowles’ team matched a franchise best with its 6-2 start, but it also avoided the big October slump that became such a major problem in recent years. The Bucs went 3-1 in the month of October, matching the 3-1 mark they posted in September. If they were going to wrap up the NFC South title earlier in the season as they hoped, it was crucial to avoid that midseason slide. In that respect, mission accomplished.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David and CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today

Now, though, it’s time for Tampa Bay to get healthier and make sure that October slide doesn’t shift to November this year. Because out of the bye week, the schedule is tough for a few weeks.

The Bucs weathered the storm that was their Week 4 through Week 7 slate, going 2-2 in games against the Eagles, Seahawks, 49ers and Lions. Now, they’ll have to survive the three-game stretch they face right after the bye. The 6-2 Patriots come to Raymond James Stadium in Week 10 to get the second half of the season started, then the Bucs go on the road for back-to-back games against the 5-2 Bills in Buffalo and the 5-2 Rams in Los Angeles — on Sunday Night Football.

Picking up wins in two out of those three games feels like a reasonable goal for Tampa Bay, as that would get the team to 8-3 ahead of a lighter stretch that includes back-to-back home games against the 2-5 Cardinals and 1-7 Saints. Enter those two games at 8-3 and win them as you’re expected to? You’re 10-3 going into the season’s final stretch, which includes a Thursday Night Football home game against the 3-4 Falcons, home and away games against the 4-4 Panthers and a road game against the 2-6 Dolphins.

The bye week comes at a good time, as the Bucs will hope to have a host of key players back on the field soon. Right tackle Luke Goedeke, running back Bucky Irving and wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. should all be on their way back, potentially in Week 10, and others like wide receiver Jalen McMillan will follow suit. Outside linebacker Haason Reddick will be back in the coming weeks, too.

So, it’s time for the Bucs to get healthy and prepare to build on their strong 6-2 start.

On to the second half of the season.