The win in Dallas stopped the bleeding, but the next three weeks will show whether Tampa Bay can actually work its way back into the NFC South race. The Buccaneers host Pittsburgh on Oct. 18, travel to Carolina on Oct. 25 and then return home to face Atlanta on Nov. 1, giving them two division games in a three-week span.
Pittsburgh comes first, and the extra rest after Thursday night should help Tampa Bay before a physical matchup. The Steelers are 2-2 and will face Indianapolis before traveling to Tampa. The Bucs finally showed some offensive balance against Dallas, and they will need to carry it over against a Pittsburgh team that is rarely comfortable to play.
The trip to Carolina in Week 7 marks the start of a stretch of back-to-back NFC South games for Tampa Bay. The Panthers are 2-2 through four games and will face Philadelphia in Week 6 before hosting the Buccaneers on Oct. 25. Carolina has enough offensive firepower to make that matchup a problem, with Bryce Young running the offense, Chuba Hubbard providing the balance on the ground, and Tetairoa McMillan giving the Panthers a legitimate receiving threat. Tampa Bay’s defense will need to keep all three from controlling the game if the Bucs want to build on their win in Dallas.
Atlanta comes to Tampa Bay the following week and currently sits at 2-2 heading into Week 5. By the time the Falcons arrive, the shape of the NFC South could look very different, making this three-game stretch especially important for a Bucs team trying to recover from a 0-4 start.
Tampa Bay does not have much room left for wasted opportunities. The Dallas win showed what this team can look like when it runs the ball well, controls possession and gets timely plays from the defense. If the Bucs can repeat that formula over the next three weeks, they can put themselves back into the conversation in the NFC South instead of spending the rest of the season trying to climb out of the hole they created in September.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Looking ahead: Buccaneers finally have a path back into NFC South race