Despite all odds, Bucs are half a game out of first place in NFC South

Two weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were sitting at 1-5, coming off another disappointing loss and looking like a team that had run out of answers. The conversation around the season shifted to accountability, coaching questions, and whether the Buccaneers could salvage anything from a year that

Football Zone

SEE ALL

Patriots Wire

Patriots DT Cory Durden snubbed in Team of Week after breakout game

Ravens Wire

Ravens need to tighten up because Jags’ Bhayshul Tuten breaks tackles

Reuters

Browns place QB Deshaun Watson in concussion protocol

What is the story about?

Two weeks ago, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

were sitting at 1-5, coming off another disappointing loss and looking like a team that had run out of answers. The conversation around the season shifted to accountability, coaching questions, and whether the Buccaneers could salvage anything from a year that was quickly slipping away. Now, somehow, they are just half a game out of first place in the NFC South.

Tampa Bay has completely changed the conversation with back-to-back divisional victories. First came a 43-13 dismantling of the Carolina Panthers on the road. Then the Buccaneers returned home and shut out the Atlanta Falcons 16-0, finally giving their fans a home victory while producing one of the most unusual performances in franchise history.

The Bucs rushed for a franchise-record 324 yards and won without completing a single pass. The turnaround is even more significant when considering where this team stood just a few weeks ago. At 1-5, Tampa Bay needed more than one good performance to convince anyone it could return to the division race. It needed to beat the teams directly in front of it, and it has done exactly that. The Buccaneers are now 3-5 overall and 2-0 against NFC South opponents, putting themselves in a much better position if the division race comes down to tiebreakers.

Carolina currently sits atop the division at 3-4, while Tampa Bay and Atlanta are both 3-5. That leaves the Buccaneers only half a game behind the Panthers, despite having lost five of their first six games. The division is still wide open, and Tampa Bay has a legitimate chance to close the gap. Plenty of work remains. The Buccaneers cannot afford to treat two wins as proof that all of their early-season problems have disappeared. Their upcoming road games against Chicago and Detroit will test whether the recent improvement carries over against non-division opponents. Still, the situation looks considerably different than it did two weeks ago. The running game has found its rhythm, the defense is creating turnovers, and the Buccaneers are finally putting together complete enough performances to win football games. A season that looked headed in the wrong direction has suddenly become a race for the NFC South. Against all odds, first place is within reach.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Despite all odds, Bucs are half a game out of first place in NFC South