If the Bucs go 4-0 to finish the regular season, and the Vikings lose one more, the Bucs will make the playoffs. The Saints, Bears, and Rams are all winnable games for them. Carolina is daunting BUT it will be the final regular season game, so it could be a case of "let's get the starters off the field and avoid a big injury" for the Panthers.Carolina has ATL, NYG, ATL, TB to go. All they have to do is win ONE game to clinch a first-round BYE. I can really see Carolina losing at least one of those four games: ATL is frustrated and still has a slight chance to make the playoffs and sees the Panthers twice in three weeks, while the Giants can beat any team if Manning is hot. If Carolina loses one of the three prior to the Bucs game, the likelihood that they will rest the starters is better for us since a perfect season will be off the table for them. The Vikings and Packers face each other. If the Packers beat the Vikings and the Bucs win out, the Bucs will make the playoffs over the Vikings by virtue of a better conference record.Remaining games for each NFC team that has a shot at the Wild Card:Green Bay (8-4): DAL, OAK, ARI, MIN.Minnesota (8-5): CHI, NYG, GB.Seattle (7-5): BAL, CLE, STL, ARI.Tampa Bay (6-6): NO, STL, CHI, CAR.Atlanta (6-6): CAR, JAX, CAR, NO.If the Bucs go 3-1 down the stretch, which is more likely than 4-0 (of course), then they'll need a little more help. Three more wins by the Bucs and two losses by the Vikings would mean the Bucs are IN by virtue of identical overall records (9-7) but the Bucs would have a better conference record (8-4 vs 6-6 for MIN).Also, if the Bucs and Seahawks both end up 9-7, the Bucs will go IN over Seattle if one of Seattle's losses is to either STL or ARI.To keep things simple: right now, if you're a Bucs fan, you're rooting for Bucs victories and losses by the Seahawks and the Vikings.
