NFL Playoffs 2015: Five reasons the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can make it in by John Buhler 10h ago 
Nov 29, 2015; Indianapolis, INTampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) leaves the field after their game at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Indianapolis Colts won over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 25-12. Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY SportsThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter their Week 13 battle with division rival Atlanta with a 5-6 record and are very much alive in the NFC Wild Card hunt.The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their eyes set on making the NFC Playoffs for the first time since Jon Gruden was their head coach back in 2007. Tampa sits at 5-6 with five games remaining in their 2015 season schedule and are in a good spot for a postseason push.They have a vastly improving offense with rookie quarterback Jameis Winston growing in new offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter’s system. The Buccaneers have already more than doubled their win total from a year ago. This team that finished with the worst record in the NFL the year before at 2-14 has the ability to finish with a record above .500 and make the playoffs in 2015.Tampa Bay will have to earn either Wild Card spot, as their sixth loss on the season to the Indianapolis Colts knocked them out of the NFC South race. The Bucs can finish no better than 10-6 in 2015, while NFC South leading Carolina will finish no worse than 11-5 on the year. Carolina has yet to lose a regular season game in over a calendar year.It’s not going to come easily, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a better shot at making the playoffs than their 5-6 record indicates. After the 8-3 NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings, there isn’t a dominant team that could make the Wild Card.Recent struggles by Atlanta and Green Bay have left the door wide open for some team like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to come on in and take an NFC Wild Card spot. Here are five reasons Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ fans can feel good about their team possibly making the NFC Playoffs in 2015.
1. The Dirk Koetter OffenseHiring offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter away from the Atlanta Falcons was arguably the best coordinator hire in the NFL this season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were putrid on offense last season, resulting in a 2-14 record and the first overall draft pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.Pairing first overall pick quarterback Jameis Winston with the passing game guru that is Dirk Koetter has given the Buccaneers possibly the best looking offense this franchise has ever had. Normally when Tampa Bay is competitive, it is their defense that is leading the charge. The only iconic player they’ve had historically on offense is former fullback Mike Alstott.What makes this offensive situation so appealing in Tampa Bay for Dirk Koetter is that while his Air Coryell aerial attack is working very well with a rookie quarterback; Koetter has had more balance on offense than he ever had while in Atlanta. Doug Martin is having a strong season after a sophomore slump and the Bucs are third in the NFL in rushing yards with 1,551 entering Week 13.A balanced attack in a Dirk Koetter offensive system is a scary thing for opponents facing the 2015 Tampa Bay Buccaneers down the stretch. An improving Jameis Winston and a solid ground game could help the Bucs to outscore many of their final five opponents and make the postseason.
2. Jameis WinstonWhile the growing pains are obviously still there for rookie starting quarterback Jameis Winston, he has done well in leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense as a 21-year-old. Winston has led the Bucs to five wins in 11 games and will eclipse the 3,000-yard passing threshold in a matter of weeks. He has thrown for 2,650 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in his first 11 NFL starts.Winston is a big-bodied, gunslinger that is growing nicely in Dirk Koetter’s Air Coryell passing game. He is also a threat to run the football, scoring four rushing touchdowns on the year. The former BCS National Champion and 2013 Heisman Trophy winner is well on his way to becoming a Pro Bowl-caliber franchise quarterback. He’s ahead of where Cam Newton was when he first entered the NFL in 2010 and Winston is looking more like the next Ben Roethlisberger with every snap.He’s not afraid to make mistakes and has the charismatic qualities to lead a football team in crucial moments. On the gridiron, Jameis Winston has a knack for seizing the opportunities to make big plays for his team. He did it at Florida State and he’s doing it with the long-struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Winston seems to thrive when the lights are the brightest and he’s on the highest stage. That bodes well for Tampa Bay going forward, even if he does come up short in 2015. Jameis Winston is only 21 years old!
3. Their Wild Card Competitors are ReelingNot that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are ascending like a team on a championship run, but they are playing better football in recent weeks than some of their main competitors for the two NFC Wild Card spots.The Buccaneers will face a division rival in the Atlanta Falcons, who have lost five of their last six games after starting the year out at 5-0. Tampa Bay already beat Atlanta in the Georgia Dome a few weeks ago and a two-game advantage over division rival Atlanta could help should it come down to a tiebreaker.Green Bay has scuffled a bit in recent weeks, losers of four of their last five, going from 6-0 to 7-4 and a full game back of the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings. Not that Tampa will catch the Packers, but their continued struggles certainly lowers the ceiling of what it would take to earn a Wild Card berth. A 9-7 mark might get the Bucs in, as 10-6 seems a bit of a stretch.Even the Seattle Seahawks who are 6-5 will have to go the rest of the way without tight end Jimmy Graham or running back Marshawn Lynch. The Seahawks don’t have the stingy defense they once had that they can lean on if the offense isn’t up to par.The Buccaneers also have head-to-head match ups with 5-6 Chicago, 4-7 New Orleans, and 4-7 St. Louis left of the schedule. Outside of the Bears, neither the Saints or Rams are playing great football in the last month. Tampa Bay has less things going against them than many of their NFC Wild Card competitors. Perhaps that ends up serving the Bucs down the home stretch.
4. They Will Play All Teams Fighting For the PlayoffsThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ final five games are as follows: 6-5 Atlanta, 4-7 New Orleans, @ 4-7 St. Louis, 5-6 Chicago, @ 11-0 Carolina. Tampa will have to play five teams that are still at this point are playing for something. Sure, New Orleans, St. Louis, and maybe Chicago will be out of the playoff mix by the time they face the Bucs, but as of now, Tampa Bay will have to bring their A-game each week to fight for a playoff spot.Owning the tiebreaker over the Falcons, the Saints, the Rams, or the Bears only serves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers going forward. Getting the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 is also a surprising benefit, as the Panthers will surely have locked up the top seed in the NFC by that point and may choose to rest players in the final week of the regular season. A playoff hungry Bucs team could win in Week 17 if the Panthers are playing for an undefeated regular season.This team hasn’t put together lengthy winning streaks in years, but they will need to do that if they want to sniff at the postseason. Tampa Bay wasn’t going to make the playoffs at the start of the year, given last year’s record and a rookie starting quarterback. They are playing with house money and if they just play hard in the final five weeks, good things might happen for this up-and-coming team. A playoff berth isn’t impossible.
5. Two All-Pros in the Front SevenFor as much flack the antiquated Tampa 2 defense of head coach Lovie Smith and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier has gotten in 2015 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team still has a great front seven, led by two former All-Pros in defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and linebacker Lavonte David.Having two absolute studs on the defensive side of the football bodes well for the Bucs should it come down to a defensive stop. Sure, the secondary is one of the worst in football, but this is a front seven many defensive coordinators would love to get their hands on.Over the last couple of years where Tampa Bay has been one of the worst teams in the National Football League, die-hard Buccaneers fans could gravitate towards the strong play of McCoy and David, knowing that at least on defense, they have some strong players to build a contending team around.Interestingly it has been the offense that has carried the 2015 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but since historically Tampa Bay is more of a defensive team, don’t feel surprised if the play of Gerald McCoy or Lavonte David gives the Bucs an added boost as they embark on their late-season playoff push.link
