Having an 8-9 record going into the playoffs isn’t the most flattering way to enter the NFL’s postseason tournament, but that’s the position the Bucs find themselves in. Because of this, not many are expecting the Bucs to go far in the NFC, let alone win at home against the 12-5 Cowboys in the Super Wild Card round on Monday night.

Various gambling websites including MyBookie.ag have the Bucs listed as a three-point underdog. That’s a rarity in the postseason for a home team, and even more rare when Tom Brady is the starting quarterback.

It’s difficult to blame pundits for not trusting the Bucs, though. They have decreased their production significantly in a number of areas such as points per game, going from 30.1 last year to 18.4 this season, and defensive turnovers where their takeaways dropped from 30 to 20.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While many are counting the Bucs out, the players and coaches have heard the noise and they’re blocking it out. The team is looking at the playoffs like it is a new season where everyone has the same record.

“Everybody has a lot of heart,” head coach Todd Bowles said. “You really can’t worry about people counting you out. When you lose games, they’re going to talk bad about you; when you win, they’re going to talk good about you. That’s part of it.

“Different guys get motivated over different things, so whatever can make you play on Sunday, that’s what you try to do and play on Sunday. We know we’ve been in the foxhole since we got to training camp and we’re going to continue to stay in that foxhole and we’re going to fight our way out of it.”

To the Bucs’ credit, they have gotten their way out of some of the most dire moments. They’ve rallied for late fourth quarter comebacks multiple times this season against the Rams and Saints and as recently as Christmas night against the Cardinals and their last home game againt the Panthers. It hasn’t always been pretty for the Bucs, but they haven’t quit when the odds are against them.

“It’s resiliency, toughness,” Bowles said. “We hang together, we stay in every game. Even though it might not be clean all the way, we find a way to be in it and we just have to make plays at the end the ballgame. We’re confident and we understand that, so we don’t feel like we’re out of any ballgame.”

Bucs Offense Improving For The Playoffs?

You can point the finger in a number of directions for Tampa Bay’s struggles, but at the top of the list is the inefficiencies on offense and the play calling of Byron Leftwich. With that said, the Bucs were able to score 30 points in a de facto playoff game during Week 17 when they clinched the division by beating the Carolina Panthers. They hit plenty of chunk plays down the field and the connection between Brady and Mike Evans was back, evidenced by three touchdowns spanning 30 yards or more.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In a small sample size from Week 18, the offense scored a touchdown on its opening drive with some of the starters in. That’s been few and far between this season, and it’s a positive sign moving forward. This could easily be a flash in the pan type of situation, but should they harness that potential from the last two weeks, Tampa Bay could go far in the postseason.

“I think there’s been moments where we haven’t really been that bad,” Leftwich said last week. “I think you guys over exaggerate because we look different. The numbers say we’re not far off. We’re awful on third downs and red zone, it’s disappointing, those two things, for us as a team with who we have.

“But when you listen to people talk about us, that’s emotions talking. That’s not people really watching us get better every week. For some reason everybody wants to throw dirt on the Bucs, but we’re not ready for people to throw dirt on us.”