The Buccaneers aren't quite king but most power rankings this week are indicative of what the current playoff seeding stands at – at least when it comes to the top NFC teams. Now that the Cardinals have fallen, the Bucs sit with them and the Packers at 10-3. NFL tie breakers then default to conference records and that's where we get Green Bay at the one seed, Tampa Bay at the two seed and Arizona in the three. Dallas, as the leader of the NFC East, is fourth but doesn't crack the top five with two AFC teams sneaking in there.
Most every major outlet is some order of the Packers, Bucs, Cardinals, Chiefs and Patriots. So while the beginning of the season may have been a bit topsy turvy, I struggle to see any surprises to where we have now landed.
Lucky for the Bucs, they've cemented themselves among the top tier and even in the top spot in ESPN's power rankings, thanks in part to their win over the Buffalo Bills, who were widely considered a top five team prior to Sunday. They've now dropped out of the top five as a result. Besides, the Bucs' biggest concerns lie in the ultra-competitive NFC, anyway.
Should the Bucs win this Sunday over the division-rival New Orleans Saints, they will clinch the NFC South for the first time since 2007. Regardless of Sunday's outcome, if Minnesota loses or ties the Bears and San Francisco loses to the Falcons, the Bucs clinch their second-straight playoff berth. To jump to the one seed from their current two seed, they'll need Green Bay to lose while they keep winning. We'll see how that goes down the stretch.
For now, here's where teams stand in the experts' opinions.
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- Rank: 2
- Last Week: 3
- NFL Top 5: Packers, Bucs, Cardinals, Chiefs, Patriots
- NFC South: Saints (23), Falcons (24), Panthers (28)
- Week 15 Opponent Ranking: Saints (23)
- Rank: 2
- Last Week: 3
- NFL Top 5: Packers, Bucs, Patriots, Cardinals, Chiefs
- NFC South: Saints (23), Falcons (25), Panthers (26)
- Week 15 Opponent Ranking: Saints (23)
- Rank: 2
- Last Week: 2
- NFL Top 5: Packers, Bucs, Patriots, Chiefs, Rams
- NFC South: Saints (22), Falcons (25), Panthers (27)
- Week 15 Opponent Ranking: Saints (22)
- Rank: 2
- Last Week: 3
- NFL Top 5: Packers, Bucs, Cardinals, Patriots, Chiefs
- NFC South: Saints (22), Falcons (25), Panthers (26)
- Week 15 Opponent Ranking: Saints (22)
- Rank: 1
- Last Week: 3
- NFL Top 5: Bucs, Cardinals, Packers, Chiefs, Patriots
- NFC South: Saints (22), Falcons (24), Panthers (26)
- Week 15 Opponent Ranking: Saints (22)
