The Bucs had dug themselves into a hole during their three-game losing skid that ended this past Sunday with a 26-23 overtime win against the Cleveland Browns at the hands, or rather the foot, of kicker Chandler Catanzaro. That improbable win did little to way most experts that Tampa Bay deserved to climb much higher in their weekly power rankings. These are the same experts though that have the 5-2 New England Patriots ranked number two ahead of teams like the 6-1 Kansas City Chiefs and even the 5-1 New Orleans Saints (as much as I hate to admit that), so take these rankings with a grain of salt, as always.
The Bucs did manage to climb as high as 19 according to Bleacher Report, cracking the Top 20. Otherwise, they hovered in the low 20s range.
See below for the full list of NFL Power Rankings:
Rank: 24
Last Week: 25
NFL Top 5: Rams, Patriots, Chiefs, Saints, Vikings
NFC South: Saints (4), Panthers (7), Falcons (20)
Week 8 Opponent: Bengals (16)
Rank: 21
Last Week: 21
NFL Top 5: Rams, Chiefs, Patriots, Saints, Vikings
NFC South: Saints (4), Panthers (7), Falcons (24)
Week 8 Opponent: Bengals (13)
Rank: 21
Last Week: 26
NFL Top 5: Rams, Saints, Patriots, Chiefs, Chargers
NFC South: Saints (2), Panthers (10), Falcons (14)
Week 8 Opponent: Bengals (12)
Rank: 24
Last Week: 26
NFL Top 5: Rams, Chiefs, Patriots, Saints, Chargers
NFC South: Saints (4), Panthers (9), Falcons (19)
Week 8 Opponent: Bengals (11)
Rank: 19
Last Week: 21
NFL Top 5: Rams, Patriots, Chiefs, Saints, Vikings
NFC South: Saints (4), Panthers (8), Falcons (20)
Week 8 Opponent: Bengals (13)