NFC Playoff Picture Predictions: Packers miss on top-two seed

NFC Playoff Picture No. 5 seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently sit at 6-3, good for second place in the NFC South. With the acquisition of legendary quarterback Tom Brady in the offseason, there was plenty of hype surrounding the Bucs coming into the season. Strangely enough, they have both succeeded and failed to live up to that hype.

Brady and the Bucs are currently ninth in the NFL in both points allowed and points scored per game. Consistency has been their downfall thus far, going from destroying the 6-2 Green Bay Packers by a score of 38-10 in Week 6 to getting embarrassed, 38-3, by the New Orleans Saints. They have an average remaining strength of schedule with their remaining opponents having a combined record of 28-29.

However, barring a complete collapse, they are still a lock for the playoffs with the number of uncompetitive teams in the NFC. The NFC South still looks out of reach, considering the Saints are currently a half-game up, hold the head-to-head tiebreaker and appear to be the better team based on their Week 9 matchup.

Despite Brady having a relatively average ratio of 20 touchdowns to seven interceptions, the Bucs have a historically strong receiving core when healthy. Pair that with their elite defense and they should be a force to be reckoned with come January.