September 23, 2025 • 26 mins
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are off to a 3-0 start for the first time since 2005 — and every win has come in dramatic, walk-off fashion. In this episode of the Bucs Report Podcast, host Dan Holmi sits down with Bucs insider Greg Auman for an exclusive Q&A breaking down how Tampa Bay has built early-season momentum. From late-game heroics to key defensive plays and special teams resilience, this deep dive looks at what’s fueling the Bucs’ undefeated start. The conversation also covers Jamel Dean’s resurgence, Mike Evans’ injury impact, offensive line concerns, and what this hot start means for Tampa Bay’s playoff outlook. With Greg Auman’s insider perspective and Dan Holmi’s analysis, Bucs fans get the most in-depth breakdown of the team’s 3-0 record, biggest storylines, and where the Buccaneers go from here.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
On today's show, the Buccaneers are three and oh on
the season for the first time since two thousand and five?
How do Baker Mayfield's late heroics continue to keep getting
it done for the Bucks? All the Scott's next don
this edition of The Bus Report, Let's get.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Out well, Hello end, Welcome into this edition of the
(00:55):
Bucks Report podcast, part of the Bucks Report podcast network.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
I'm so glad you decided to join me today. As always,
this podcast is free and available on all the major platforms.
My name is Dan Holmy. You can find me on Twitter.
It's at Dan Caps two and eight. You can find
us online at Bucksreport dot com. But the best way
that you can help this show is to subscribe to
The Bucks Report on YouTube and comment anything down below.
(01:24):
So in this edition of The Bucks Report, the Bucks
are three and zero on the season for the first
time since two thousand and five? How are they getting
it done? These late game heroics Baker Mayfield. Like I
talked about with Steve Versnick last week, this cannot be sustainable,
but they continue to keep getting it done. As I
(01:45):
take a look at it, though, at some point the
rubber is going to meet the road and the Bucks
are going to fall because I watch this game not
in real time. I had to work, Yes, I work
a job here, and I looked at the score of
the game and it showed that the Bucks lost the
game to the Jets, and I thought to myself, Wow,
this is not a good first loss of the season,
(02:06):
not that there is a good loss in any form
or fashion, but to lose to the Jets. And then
I refreshed my screen here my phone to see the
other scores around the NFL, and they say the Bucks
won again late game heroics by your favorite team in mind,
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning twenty nine to twenty seven.
(02:26):
But how do they get themselves in this position? Let's
dive into it here. I got Greg Amen a little
bit later on the show as we talk about the
Buccaneers how they got themselves in this position, and to
talk about injury concerns, Baker Mayfield, special teams, and why
Todd Bowles gets no love. But let's talk here first
about how the Bucks get in this position in the
(02:47):
first place. If we just want to rewind time here
a little bit. First game of the season against the Falcons,
Falcons took lead with two seventeen left, Baker Mayfield responded
Rookie a Mecca egg Huka caught a late touchdown with
fifty nine seconds remaining. Texans in game two block to punt,
got a long turn pylon on late points. Bucks trail late,
(03:09):
but responded. Mayfield led an eighty yard drive. Rashad White
ran in the winning touchdown. And the most recent here
against the Jets, Bucks blew a twenty three to six
lead in the fourth. Jets blocked a field goal and
returned it for a go ahead touchdown. Under two minutes.
Mayfield orchestrated a drive to set up a field goal
(03:29):
that gave the Bucks a twenty nine to twenty seven
dub I don't care how they get there. They continue
to get there. They continue to defy odds. Baker Mayfield,
the Buccaneers, the injury strap team continues to get it done.
And now Mike Evans the latest to add to that list.
We don't know if he's going to be full go
(03:50):
in the next game here, but all things considered, it
doesn't matter in some ways who's in the mix. They
continue to get it done. So, like I said in
today's episode, I have the man himself, Greg Ahman of
Fox Sports, as he joins me a true insider cover
this team forever, and we talk about the latest with
the Bucks, the late game comebacks, Baker Mayfield, Jason Light,
(04:12):
Todd Bowles, injury concerns. We'll talk about all of that,
but first check out this really cool gift that my
wife made for me here and if you want one
of these as well, this is a custom made Buccaneers cup.
In this case, I have my name right here. She
does these great art projects. She's involved in crafting and
that kind of thing. If you would like a cup
(04:33):
like that with your name on it, you can do that.
Just follow the link here or follow the email rather
minute cast Media and we'll hook you up there. But
thanks to her for doing that. And a lot a
lot to be excited about around the Bucks here already
early in the season, but it's not going to get
any easier, right as we know that the Buccaneers have
the Eagles on deck. And all right, welcome into this
(04:58):
edition of the Bucks Report podcast. In today's show, we
have Greg Ahman of Fox Sports. Greg, thanks for joining
me yet again.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Hey, thanks for having me. How Ak you're doing well?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
So we take a look at the Bucks here They're
finding a way to win these games, and it sometimes
takes until the last minute. I wasn't able to watch
the game live. I was kind of keeping track on
my phone and it said the Bucks lost to the Jets.
I'm like, Yets, that sucks. And then I hit refreshed
to check the other scores and wait a minute, the
Bucks won the game. So look at we look at
(05:31):
these scores. It comes down to Baker Mayfield some late
heroics here. Just a quick recount here against the Falcons,
Falcons took the lead to seventeen, Baker Mayfield responded to Abuca.
Texans blocked a punt. Bucks trail late, but responded. Mayfield
let an eighty r drive and then the most recent
one here, Bucks blew a twenty three to six lead
(05:53):
in the fourth quarter. Mayfield orchestrated a drive to set
up a field goal. So when we take a look
at it, it done. I had Steve Wersnik on the
show last week talking about the sustainability of these late heroics.
What do the Buccaneers need to do so it doesn't
calm down to the wire.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Yeah, I think they'd like to avoid all the drama
if at all possible. It looked like one of those
games you're sitting there at twenty three six and you're
thinking like, oh, they got an easy one for a change,
and that obviously didn't work out that way. No, I
think right now they're just trying to get through a
ridiculous amount of injuries and kind of short handedness. So no,
I think they'd like to be more in control. It's
(06:34):
like Todd Bowls's talking a lot about having kind of
a killer instinct latent games to put things away, and
they had that in like minute fifty nine and sixty
really well, which is a good time to have it.
I think they'd like to have it a little earlier
and have less drama. But they'll get there.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
And a lot of this, like I said, has been
orchestrated by Baker Mayfield, and there are certain things that
already have me concerned about his play. The thing about
him I love he's willing to do absolutely whatever it
takes to win the game. Sometimes that's laying his body
on the line running the football one maybe he probably shouldn't,
and then not taking the dive, you know, but you
can't take the dog out of the game. He is
(07:11):
the ultimate competitor. How concerned are you about Baker Mayfield
getting injured when he has a bit of a happy feed.
He's not Tom Brady who would sit back in the
pocket and wait for a play to develop, and if
there wasn't one, throw it away. Are you concerned?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Yeah, I think this is one of those things we
talked in the preseason with Baker about this and that. Again,
you have two things going in opposite directions. There's the
self preservation that the coaches would like to instill in him,
Like you said, there's that competitive spirit that wants to
do everything he can to win a game. And he
had talked at least in theory about wanting to know
(07:47):
the right time for each if you will. And I
think what you've seen, unfortunately, is that he's been a
lot of these must win situations. So for him to
take off like he did in Houston and scramble for
fourth and can and get hits so hard he kind
of flips in mid air not ideal from a self
pressuration standpoint. But and then honestly, I mean, he had
(08:08):
a thirty three yard run. You know, it's set up
a blocked field goal ultimately, so it wasn't that great,
But in terms of their late game. I think he
rushed for forty five yards in that game, which is
like fourth fourth most ever for a Bucks quarterback. So
it's one of those where he I think he recognizes
that he has to stop himself from putting himself in
(08:32):
harm's way. That's that's trying to get out of sacks,
that's scrambling, that's not sliding. It's a lot of different
things that very much endear him to fans but also
put him at risk of getting off the field for
a while. So yeah, I think that's a work in progress,
and I think the easiest way for Baker to do
that last is to not be in positions where he
feels like he has to do that to win a game.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Because that's where it gets difficult, right because as we
go down the depth chart Teddy Bridgewater and you know,
we've seen great things from him historically going all the
way back to Minnesota, and I think you know ultimately
why the Buccaneers went out and acquired Teddy Bridgewaters because
then it would have been Kyle Trask Football that you
saw that Baker Mayfield had that hand contusion. And I
(09:18):
think the feeling around the Bucks was like, uh oh,
we might get a real look at Kyle Trask football,
and that's a bit worrisome there. It's oftentimes said that,
you know, if your backup quarterback can get you one
or two games, they're worth having around. Do you think
big picture, it was the right idea to bring in
Teddy Bridgewater or should the Bucks have tried to go
(09:38):
in with, you know, somewhat of a fan favorite in
Kyle Trask.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think they can think about
fan favorites and something like that. I think they felt, like,
you know, Kyle Grafsk had some you know, you want
to say it's an advantage to have familiarity in this offense,
but they're on their fourth court in four years, so
it's less of an advantage that way. And I think
the overall lack of experience, like playing game experience. Kyle
(10:03):
Trask has eleven passes in his career and Teddy Bridgewater
is a guy, you know, again had seventy five touchdowns
in his career, So they're not close in terms of
have you been there, have you done it before? You know,
Teddy's at the opposite and where Teddy's probably closer to
retirement than he is the start of his career. I
think the other thing that I think worked in Teddy's
(10:24):
favor is and I think because of that experience, I
think he was able to add a lot more to
the quarterback room in terms of in meetings, even on
the sidelines, being able to say, Hey, Baker, they're doing this.
If you look at this, you should be able to
get this. It's essentially like having another coach on the field.
I think he got the job as a quarterback, but
I think the added benefit is having the wisdom and
(10:46):
the experience of someone who's been in the league for
a decade, has seen these defenses, has seen these players,
and can help Baker prepare in a way that unfortunately
Kyle Trash just can't. And I think the fact that
here we are in Week four Kyle Trask is still unsigned,
not even on a practice squad suggest that the rest
of the league kind of feels that way too. There's
been lots of injuries to other teams quarterbacks where they're
(11:09):
having to scramble and bring people in and they still
haven't got to the needing. Kyle Trask part of their desperation.
So I think again, the Bucks would rather never find
out and have this year be a lot like Ile's
four years here, where he's a backup but doesn't really
get to do anything just because they're starting going to
go off the field. Whether they get to that point
(11:29):
or not, I don't know, but so far they've been
fortunate to make this a mood conversation.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Uh, they're the Bucks. They're getting it done here. We'll
talk about offense here. We know that Baker Mayfield is
the big contributor, but we take a look at the
wide receiver room a Mecca Abuca big time. Now. Listen,
there was a lot of comments about did the Bucks
draft the right guy? And I think it's glaringly apparent
now that yes, he was the right guy. The one
hand grab, I mean, wow, that you know continues to
(11:56):
play in the highlight reel in my mind. Here they're
getting it done minus Godwin, minus McMillan, and now concern
surrounding Mike Evans as well. Talk to me a bit
about the depth just at the wide receiver position. You
also saw trust the old sterling Shepherd had some played
a big role in the last game as well. Talk
to me about the depth at the wide receiver for
(12:18):
the Bucks and what does it mean one Godwin who
was slowly edging closer to return, and the latest with
Mike Evans as well.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Yeah, probably their deepest position, and that's even with having
to cut some guys that are now in other rosters elsewhere.
I think Abook has just been a godsend for them.
I mean to do everything he's done in his first
three NFL games, to three touchdowns in the first two games,
some huge catches from like you said, the one hand
agram down the sidelines, twenty eight yard catch on that
final drive. Some would argue you had another just as
(12:49):
good catch that wasn't counted as a catch. So I
think he's helped them a ton in terms of getting
through this initial month where there's no Godwin, where there's
still no Jalen McMillan, their receiver depth again and in summer,
you know, talked a lot about that. And now, as
you mentioned, Mike Evans goes off the field the hamstring injury.
We don't know how long he'll be sidelined, but it
would be surprising if it's not at least one game.
(13:10):
They could get Chris Codwin back from his ankle this week,
which would be huge but still very much shorthanded at
least for another month and change. And the depth has
shown up. I think, you know, Sterling Shepherd's very underappreciated
all this to have the clutch catches he's had. I
think he had four for eighty on Sunday, some really
big catches. You know. You think about the after they
(13:33):
lose the sideline throw to Abuka, they have that screen
to Shep, and Shep just works its way through about
three tackles to just muscle his way to be there
in position for a winning kick. If he doesn't make
that play again, it's it's a whole different storyline, and
we're talking about something very different right now in terms
of the Bucks collapsing after losing a seventeen point lead
in the fourth quarter. And then I think even the
(13:55):
younger I mean Kem Johnson, the guy hasn't really made
an impact on offense yet had a fifty four yard
punk return ted Johnson. I don't think he has done
anything yet. Really, I think you had one catch that
got overruled tuning in completion. Ryan Miller has had a
touchdown already. So yeah, their depth is shown up and
it's kind of had to to get them three and
oh so.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Far, and you know, you can kind of see the
future a little bit because we don't know how long
Evans is going to play. Chris Godwin, we know when
he's engaged, he's fully healthy as one of the best
receivers in the league. But they do have great options
in the future in Jalen Nickmillan and a Mecca Agbuka.
So you know that's Jason Light you know, kind of
just a masterclass of seeing down the football field a
(14:32):
little bit, if you will. Key contributors as well is
the running back room. As you take a look at
Bucky Irving a Rashad White. You got Talker in the
mix there, and that's a bit of an interesting story
as well as that Rashad White was perceived to be,
you know, the number one running back and Baki Irving
came and kind of supplanted him, Like Wow, Bucky ball
it's here. But we've seen glimpses of greatness from Rashad
(14:56):
White here lately as well. Talk to me about the
running back position here, it's a luxury of wealth. You know,
I was talking about earlier on another podcast with Talker
he would be probably a starting running back on another
team around the NFL talk to me about the depth
at the running back position.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
Yeah, I think it's one of those where I mean
Rashad White was the starter, but that's the starter when
the Bucks were the worst running game in the NFL
two years in a row. So to see Bucky Irvin
come in and change things last year to really elevate
the big play aspect of the run game huge part
of why they go from last in the league to
a top five run game. And I think they both
have played well. Obviously, Bucky really head a grind for
(15:33):
his yard Sunday, didn't have a lot of big plays.
I feel like a lot of that was kind of
they have the lead, they want to run the ball
just to solve the clock away. Needed to do that
to win. Rashad White obviously had a great game in
Houston in Week two. To get the three runs for
thirty seven yards in the middle of the offense was
lag game a little bit, and then to come up
big and get it to your touchdown to end the
(15:54):
game just massive. That's why you keep both. That's why
you have both. You look around the league, there's a
lot of teams that are keeping a second back at
a starter level. You think about Detroit last night with
David Montgomery, he's probably their number two, having one hundred
fifth yards and two touchdowns and just taking over a game.
The idea of having fresh legs in the second half
is really helpful. Sometimes Tucker's in a tough spot because
(16:17):
he's just a distant third here. I don't think he
had any carries in week three. I think he had
one in week two, kind of in that same boat
he's been in where again, if he gets the chance,
he's shown he can do a lot, but he's not
really getting the chance very much right now. So I
think as Josh Guarzzard figures out this offense in terms
of how they want to use things, how they want
to balance the workload between one and two, they'll find
(16:38):
ways to get Tucker involved as well. You see that
pony look with both backs at the same time, pretty sparingly. Still,
that's still like one, two three snaps a game, But
I think that's something they could really do more of
and get a lot out of. But yeah, they're running game.
I mean, I think of their offense is starting with
their running game. Baker Mayfield has whatever, six touchdowns so
he's a big part of it. Don't get me wrong,
(16:59):
but I think they would like to think of themselves,
especially when their offensive line gets closer to full strength,
as being a run first offense and a team that
can dominate the line of scrimmage that way.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Now, listen, special teams oftentimes can help you win a
game or lose a game as well. Chase McLaughlin had
a nice balance back game. There was some concern out there.
I think he was concerned that they were going to
be trying out some different kickers there. But you know,
oftentimes what is said, if there was a better option there,
then they probably be on a team you know that
they wouldn't be in the recycle bin.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
If you will.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
I think at the end of the day, the Chase
gives them the best bet at that position. How concerned
were you with Chase when you know just historically he's
been so lights out that he struggled in a game,
and you know, talk about how difficult that is in
a position like that, that you've got to kill it
every time or people are willing to show you the door.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Yeah, I mean, Chase has been remarkably consistent his first
two years in Tampa. So to have him have three
misses in the first two games, potentially costly misses, you know,
I think that's you can wear through hard earned patients
really quickly doing that. So I don't know that his
job was in jeopardy. I think had he had the
same problems this week, you know, and closer to that,
(18:09):
they're paying Chase a lot of money, So to move
on from him is a significant financial decision. And again,
the guys, for the most part, the guys you're getting
in mid September, aren't necessarily the most reliable guys in
the world either. So I think a lot of people
were happy as he chased get back to himself. Five
field goals in a game matches a Bucks team record.
Germanica did that once, and big kicks too. I think
(18:30):
there was a fifty four couple long ones in there.
The idea that you can have a kick block that's
not necessarily Chase his fault that the kick gets blocked,
but the idea that Bowles would go back to that
unit and trust that unit with the game on the line,
didn't make any effort to try and go to the
end zone in the last minute there just lined up
put himself in position, send him back out there and
won a game on his leg. So now I think Chase,
(18:53):
you know, it's been a remarkably consistent kicker since he's
been here. You would argue, I think, by the numbers,
the most accurate kicker in Buck's history. But again, like
you said, you have to earn that every week. You
have to kind of your reputation is what you did
the last time you were on the field. So hopefully
for him, it's more consistency moving forward.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
So injuries have been the theme of this season. You know,
right out of the gate, you know, there was a
lot of optimisms thrown the Buccaneers, but then the injury
to Tristan Works and I think that you know, that
of course is the biggest setback from this team, but
they found a way to rally around that, moving Graham
Barton around, moving Brettison around, Michael Jordan, these different guys.
But you take a look at the injuries that are
(19:35):
facing this team, Works, Godwin, Claudia, Cansie, McMillan, Evans, et cetera.
How big of an impact has injuries had on this
team this year? And you got to think that maybe
the Bucks would have won some of these games this
season had they been a full go. I know that's,
you know, not too crazy of a thought, but injuries
have had to have a pretty significant impact on the
Bucks so far this season.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
Oh yeah, I'm a huge impact. I mean they're three
and now. Don't get me wrong, but I think it's
been a lot more interesting as a result of those injuries.
Offensive line in particular has been just a crazy rash
of injuries there to have again, they knew they have
worfs out and then to lose Gettikey and to lose Malc,
to lose Mike Jordan as a replacement starter. You know,
the line they had on Sunday and the line they
(20:16):
won with on Sunday is as patchwork and as duct
tape a line as you're going to find. Where you
have two guys making their first NFL starts, one making
their NFL debut. Charlie Hack is not supposed to be
a starter. He plays every snap, Bretta Sen and Barton,
as you mentioned, out of position. Nobody is in a
comfort zone in that five. And yet they found a
(20:36):
way a ton of penalties early you know whatever, five
holding plans on one drive, but a drive they still
score on so I thought that was emblematic of them
being able to push through their own mistakes, settle down
a little bit less flags as the game went on,
and then and then grind out a win. I mean
that's they executed a two minute drive to win the
game with that same line. I thought it said a
(20:56):
lot that they didn't make any rash decision and didn't bench,
you know, either Lou Haggard or Elijah Klein when they
had multiple penalties that were holding things up and stuck
with them. I think part of that's that they really
didn't have very many options. I mean, they had players
that had just joined the team literally in the last
three or four days. So this has worked out for them,
(21:17):
you know, and that they're three and oh to get
worse back now that allows you to put Barton back
at center and Brendison back of guard. The left side
of your line looks fine. You got to figure out
the best way to kind of get through with the
right side of your line for a couple more weeks
at least until you get Getticky back and then find
that the best option at right guard as well. But yeah,
they've been through a lot there and that's not even
getting to as you mentioned Kanty and Godwin and all
(21:38):
the other injuries they've had to do with another part
of the team.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
So you take a look at the Buccaneers right now.
I mean, I'm on a high right now. You covering
this team for so many years, you've got to be
on a high. I know you cover the NFL at
large at now as well. But three and zero on
the season, and yeah, there's there's always haters, you know,
always doubters, And I think that oftentimes the Buccaneers play
better as the underdog with a bit of a chip
on their shoulder. I think that you could put Baker
Mayfield in that column as well. And Todd Bowles. You know,
(22:04):
every year I hear Todd Bowles is on the hot
seat if it's clock mismanagement or you know, the inability
to want.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
To go for it.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
He gets results at the end of the day. So
what is it about the Buccaneers organization generally and what
is it about Todd Bowles that they never get the credit.
I mean, you take a look at NFC South year
after year after year, they just don't get any love.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
What gives Yeah, I think their status just being in
the NFC South has kind of gotten them written off
as the best team in a bad division for a
couple of years. They only have one playoff win the
last three years, so it's not like they've really done
much in the postseason to change that. But you look
at last year. I mean, they beat the Eagles, they
beat the Commanders, they beat the Lions, they beat the
best teams in the NFC as a part of their season.
(22:49):
Last year, they weren't able to get past Washington the playoffs,
but I think I think they're minimized nationally because they
haven't gotten past the second round of the playoffs since
their Super Bowl in twenty twenty. So that's kind of
what it takes to build that currency nationally and to
be taken as more than just a division champ and
a bad division. I think Todd Bowles has done a
(23:10):
great job to stay true to himself and not change
his demeanor or his approach to the game. You know,
got an extension this offseason, so I mean, yeah, there's
people trust me every game. They've had some rough patches
in these first three games, and there are these moments
where people are like, oh, is it too early to
start saying, you know, fire balls, and there's people legit
calling for him to be fired, and they work through
(23:33):
things and they win a game. So yeah, I think
there's people that don't like bolls just because they don't
like bulls. I don't know that any amount of success
or time is going to change that. But I think
he's won a lot of people over. I mean, I
think for you know, you think about this as a
franchise that's never won back to back division titles, and
he's done it all three years. He's been the head coach,
has been to the playoffs all three years. You know,
(23:53):
has won more games each year as a head coach
than he did the year before, and I think they're
probably in a good position to do that again this year.
So that on field product, I think goes a long
way in terms of giving Todds something that he can
point to that's like, this is why I'm doing what
I'm doing. Yeah, I think that's something where you know,
I think nationally, with each win they get again, if
(24:16):
they can beat the Eagles on Sunday here in Tampa,
that will do a ton for them to put them
up into that next tier above whatever eight or nine
on power rankings. That's a huge win if they pull
it off. They've beaten the Eagles before, They've handled the
Eagles about as well as anybody has. It's a tough thing.
I mean, they've won whatever nineteen to twenty I think
right now coming in. So even if they lose that game,
(24:36):
if they play well in losing that game, they're not
going to do anything to hurt their standing nationally.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
All right, One last one here quick for you, because
I know you're a busy guy. How do you see
the NFC seuth shaking out at the end of the season.
I know this is going to require you to look
into your crystal ball a little bit. Here do the
Bucks do it again yet this year? How does the
NFC seuth shakeout?
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Yeah? Right now? The divisions a lot like I thought
it was going to be. I think you could see
the Bucks at the top and the Saints that bottom.
And you're curious how two and three shakeout. You know,
Saints have had their struggles and continue to look like
a team that's cap strapped and dealing with bad quarterback play.
To see Carolina come out and beat the Falcons thirty
nothing is a game changer within the division, I mean
(25:17):
a dominating shutout like that. Carolina hadn't shown very much.
Falcons had been there with tough opponents before that. So
that's kind of the race now, is those two one
and two teams, if you will, can one of them
get to a position to challenge the Bucks or challenge
for a wild card. That's the biggest question now for
this division. I mean division hasn't had a wild card
(25:38):
since the Bucks in twenty twenty. So the one way
you can kind of dig yourself out of worst division
in football conversation is to produce multiple teams in the
playoffs and to win games outside your division and those
kind of things. So I think of this is still
very much the Bucks division to lose. They have a
two game lead on the Panthers two and a tiebreaker
on the Falcons. They have to take care of those
(25:59):
division games. The next four are a decently nasty stretch
for the Bucks. When you think about having the Eagles
going to Seattle, having the Niners, I'm blanking on who
the fourth game in that stretch is, but Detroit. They
go to Detroit. So that's four really tough teams. They
could be a really good team and if they went
two and two in those four games, you wouldn't think
less of them for it. Their last ten after that,
(26:22):
there's only three teams with winning records in those ten
opponents to close out the year. So I think they've
got some downhill skiing ahead of them if they can
just get to that point and be in good shape
and start healthier. So that's how we think of how
that the South's shaken out right now.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
All right, Greg Ahman from Fox Sports, thanks for doing this.
We'll talk to you again next time.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
No problem. Have a good day you too.
On today's show, the Buccaneers are three and oh on
the season for the first time since two thousand and five?
How do Baker Mayfield's late heroics continue to keep getting
it done for the Bucks? All the Scott's next don
this edition of The Bus Report, Let's get.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Out well, Hello end, Welcome into this edition of the
(00:55):
Bucks Report podcast, part of the Bucks Report podcast network.
Speaker 1 (00:59):
I'm so glad you decided to join me today. As always,
this podcast is free and available on all the major platforms.
My name is Dan Holmy. You can find me on Twitter.
It's at Dan Caps two and eight. You can find
us online at Bucksreport dot com. But the best way
that you can help this show is to subscribe to
The Bucks Report on YouTube and comment anything down below.
(01:24):
So in this edition of The Bucks Report, the Bucks
are three and zero on the season for the first
time since two thousand and five? How are they getting
it done? These late game heroics Baker Mayfield. Like I
talked about with Steve Versnick last week, this cannot be sustainable,
but they continue to keep getting it done. As I
(01:45):
take a look at it, though, at some point the
rubber is going to meet the road and the Bucks
are going to fall because I watch this game not
in real time. I had to work, Yes, I work
a job here, and I looked at the score of
the game and it showed that the Bucks lost the
game to the Jets, and I thought to myself, Wow,
this is not a good first loss of the season,
(02:06):
not that there is a good loss in any form
or fashion, but to lose to the Jets. And then
I refreshed my screen here my phone to see the
other scores around the NFL, and they say the Bucks
won again late game heroics by your favorite team in mind,
the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning twenty nine to twenty seven.
(02:26):
But how do they get themselves in this position? Let's
dive into it here. I got Greg Amen a little
bit later on the show as we talk about the
Buccaneers how they got themselves in this position, and to
talk about injury concerns, Baker Mayfield, special teams, and why
Todd Bowles gets no love. But let's talk here first
about how the Bucks get in this position in the
(02:47):
first place. If we just want to rewind time here
a little bit. First game of the season against the Falcons,
Falcons took lead with two seventeen left, Baker Mayfield responded
Rookie a Mecca egg Huka caught a late touchdown with
fifty nine seconds remaining. Texans in game two block to punt,
got a long turn pylon on late points. Bucks trail late,
(03:09):
but responded. Mayfield led an eighty yard drive. Rashad White
ran in the winning touchdown. And the most recent here
against the Jets, Bucks blew a twenty three to six
lead in the fourth. Jets blocked a field goal and
returned it for a go ahead touchdown. Under two minutes.
Mayfield orchestrated a drive to set up a field goal
(03:29):
that gave the Bucks a twenty nine to twenty seven
dub I don't care how they get there. They continue
to get there. They continue to defy odds. Baker Mayfield,
the Buccaneers, the injury strap team continues to get it done.
And now Mike Evans the latest to add to that list.
We don't know if he's going to be full go
(03:50):
in the next game here, but all things considered, it
doesn't matter in some ways who's in the mix. They
continue to get it done. So, like I said in
today's episode, I have the man himself, Greg Ahman of
Fox Sports, as he joins me a true insider cover
this team forever, and we talk about the latest with
the Bucks, the late game comebacks, Baker Mayfield, Jason Light,
(04:12):
Todd Bowles, injury concerns. We'll talk about all of that,
but first check out this really cool gift that my
wife made for me here and if you want one
of these as well, this is a custom made Buccaneers cup.
In this case, I have my name right here. She
does these great art projects. She's involved in crafting and
that kind of thing. If you would like a cup
(04:33):
like that with your name on it, you can do that.
Just follow the link here or follow the email rather
minute cast Media and we'll hook you up there. But
thanks to her for doing that. And a lot a
lot to be excited about around the Bucks here already
early in the season, but it's not going to get
any easier, right as we know that the Buccaneers have
the Eagles on deck. And all right, welcome into this
(04:58):
edition of the Bucks Report podcast. In today's show, we
have Greg Ahman of Fox Sports. Greg, thanks for joining
me yet again.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
Hey, thanks for having me. How Ak you're doing well?
Speaker 1 (05:09):
So we take a look at the Bucks here They're
finding a way to win these games, and it sometimes
takes until the last minute. I wasn't able to watch
the game live. I was kind of keeping track on
my phone and it said the Bucks lost to the Jets.
I'm like, Yets, that sucks. And then I hit refreshed
to check the other scores and wait a minute, the
Bucks won the game. So look at we look at
(05:31):
these scores. It comes down to Baker Mayfield some late
heroics here. Just a quick recount here against the Falcons,
Falcons took the lead to seventeen, Baker Mayfield responded to Abuca.
Texans blocked a punt. Bucks trail late, but responded. Mayfield
let an eighty r drive and then the most recent
one here, Bucks blew a twenty three to six lead
(05:53):
in the fourth quarter. Mayfield orchestrated a drive to set
up a field goal. So when we take a look
at it, it done. I had Steve Wersnik on the
show last week talking about the sustainability of these late heroics.
What do the Buccaneers need to do so it doesn't
calm down to the wire.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Yeah, I think they'd like to avoid all the drama
if at all possible. It looked like one of those
games you're sitting there at twenty three six and you're
thinking like, oh, they got an easy one for a change,
and that obviously didn't work out that way. No, I
think right now they're just trying to get through a
ridiculous amount of injuries and kind of short handedness. So no,
I think they'd like to be more in control. It's
(06:34):
like Todd Bowls's talking a lot about having kind of
a killer instinct latent games to put things away, and
they had that in like minute fifty nine and sixty
really well, which is a good time to have it.
I think they'd like to have it a little earlier
and have less drama. But they'll get there.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
And a lot of this, like I said, has been
orchestrated by Baker Mayfield, and there are certain things that
already have me concerned about his play. The thing about
him I love he's willing to do absolutely whatever it
takes to win the game. Sometimes that's laying his body
on the line running the football one maybe he probably shouldn't,
and then not taking the dive, you know, but you
can't take the dog out of the game. He is
(07:11):
the ultimate competitor. How concerned are you about Baker Mayfield
getting injured when he has a bit of a happy feed.
He's not Tom Brady who would sit back in the
pocket and wait for a play to develop, and if
there wasn't one, throw it away. Are you concerned?
Speaker 3 (07:27):
Yeah, I think this is one of those things we
talked in the preseason with Baker about this and that. Again,
you have two things going in opposite directions. There's the
self preservation that the coaches would like to instill in him,
Like you said, there's that competitive spirit that wants to
do everything he can to win a game. And he
had talked at least in theory about wanting to know
(07:47):
the right time for each if you will. And I
think what you've seen, unfortunately, is that he's been a
lot of these must win situations. So for him to
take off like he did in Houston and scramble for
fourth and can and get hits so hard he kind
of flips in mid air not ideal from a self
pressuration standpoint. But and then honestly, I mean, he had
(08:08):
a thirty three yard run. You know, it's set up
a blocked field goal ultimately, so it wasn't that great,
But in terms of their late game. I think he
rushed for forty five yards in that game, which is
like fourth fourth most ever for a Bucks quarterback. So
it's one of those where he I think he recognizes
that he has to stop himself from putting himself in
(08:32):
harm's way. That's that's trying to get out of sacks,
that's scrambling, that's not sliding. It's a lot of different
things that very much endear him to fans but also
put him at risk of getting off the field for
a while. So yeah, I think that's a work in progress,
and I think the easiest way for Baker to do
that last is to not be in positions where he
feels like he has to do that to win a game.
Speaker 1 (08:56):
Because that's where it gets difficult, right because as we
go down the depth chart Teddy Bridgewater and you know,
we've seen great things from him historically going all the
way back to Minnesota, and I think you know ultimately
why the Buccaneers went out and acquired Teddy Bridgewaters because
then it would have been Kyle Trask Football that you
saw that Baker Mayfield had that hand contusion. And I
(09:18):
think the feeling around the Bucks was like, uh oh,
we might get a real look at Kyle Trask football,
and that's a bit worrisome there. It's oftentimes said that,
you know, if your backup quarterback can get you one
or two games, they're worth having around. Do you think
big picture, it was the right idea to bring in
Teddy Bridgewater or should the Bucks have tried to go
(09:38):
in with, you know, somewhat of a fan favorite in
Kyle Trask.
Speaker 3 (09:42):
Yeah, I mean, I don't think they can think about
fan favorites and something like that. I think they felt, like,
you know, Kyle Grafsk had some you know, you want
to say it's an advantage to have familiarity in this offense,
but they're on their fourth court in four years, so
it's less of an advantage that way. And I think
the overall lack of experience, like playing game experience. Kyle
(10:03):
Trask has eleven passes in his career and Teddy Bridgewater
is a guy, you know, again had seventy five touchdowns
in his career, So they're not close in terms of
have you been there, have you done it before? You know,
Teddy's at the opposite and where Teddy's probably closer to
retirement than he is the start of his career. I
think the other thing that I think worked in Teddy's
(10:24):
favor is and I think because of that experience, I
think he was able to add a lot more to
the quarterback room in terms of in meetings, even on
the sidelines, being able to say, Hey, Baker, they're doing this.
If you look at this, you should be able to
get this. It's essentially like having another coach on the field.
I think he got the job as a quarterback, but
I think the added benefit is having the wisdom and
(10:46):
the experience of someone who's been in the league for
a decade, has seen these defenses, has seen these players,
and can help Baker prepare in a way that unfortunately
Kyle Trash just can't. And I think the fact that
here we are in Week four Kyle Trask is still unsigned,
not even on a practice squad suggest that the rest
of the league kind of feels that way too. There's
been lots of injuries to other teams quarterbacks where they're
(11:09):
having to scramble and bring people in and they still
haven't got to the needing. Kyle Trask part of their desperation.
So I think again, the Bucks would rather never find
out and have this year be a lot like Ile's
four years here, where he's a backup but doesn't really
get to do anything just because they're starting going to
go off the field. Whether they get to that point
(11:29):
or not, I don't know, but so far they've been
fortunate to make this a mood conversation.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
Uh, they're the Bucks. They're getting it done here. We'll
talk about offense here. We know that Baker Mayfield is
the big contributor, but we take a look at the
wide receiver room a Mecca Abuca big time. Now. Listen,
there was a lot of comments about did the Bucks
draft the right guy? And I think it's glaringly apparent
now that yes, he was the right guy. The one
hand grab, I mean, wow, that you know continues to
(11:56):
play in the highlight reel in my mind. Here they're
getting it done minus Godwin, minus McMillan, and now concern
surrounding Mike Evans as well. Talk to me a bit
about the depth just at the wide receiver position. You
also saw trust the old sterling Shepherd had some played
a big role in the last game as well. Talk
to me about the depth at the wide receiver for
(12:18):
the Bucks and what does it mean one Godwin who
was slowly edging closer to return, and the latest with
Mike Evans as well.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
Yeah, probably their deepest position, and that's even with having
to cut some guys that are now in other rosters elsewhere.
I think Abook has just been a godsend for them.
I mean to do everything he's done in his first
three NFL games, to three touchdowns in the first two games,
some huge catches from like you said, the one hand
agram down the sidelines, twenty eight yard catch on that
final drive. Some would argue you had another just as
(12:49):
good catch that wasn't counted as a catch. So I
think he's helped them a ton in terms of getting
through this initial month where there's no Godwin, where there's
still no Jalen McMillan, their receiver depth again and in summer,
you know, talked a lot about that. And now, as
you mentioned, Mike Evans goes off the field the hamstring injury.
We don't know how long he'll be sidelined, but it
would be surprising if it's not at least one game.
(13:10):
They could get Chris Codwin back from his ankle this week,
which would be huge but still very much shorthanded at
least for another month and change. And the depth has
shown up. I think, you know, Sterling Shepherd's very underappreciated
all this to have the clutch catches he's had. I
think he had four for eighty on Sunday, some really
big catches. You know. You think about the after they
(13:33):
lose the sideline throw to Abuka, they have that screen
to Shep, and Shep just works its way through about
three tackles to just muscle his way to be there
in position for a winning kick. If he doesn't make
that play again, it's it's a whole different storyline, and
we're talking about something very different right now in terms
of the Bucks collapsing after losing a seventeen point lead
in the fourth quarter. And then I think even the
(13:55):
younger I mean Kem Johnson, the guy hasn't really made
an impact on offense yet had a fifty four yard
punk return ted Johnson. I don't think he has done
anything yet. Really, I think you had one catch that
got overruled tuning in completion. Ryan Miller has had a
touchdown already. So yeah, their depth is shown up and
it's kind of had to to get them three and
oh so.
Speaker 1 (14:11):
Far, and you know, you can kind of see the
future a little bit because we don't know how long
Evans is going to play. Chris Godwin, we know when
he's engaged, he's fully healthy as one of the best
receivers in the league. But they do have great options
in the future in Jalen Nickmillan and a Mecca Agbuka.
So you know that's Jason Light you know, kind of
just a masterclass of seeing down the football field a
(14:32):
little bit, if you will. Key contributors as well is
the running back room. As you take a look at
Bucky Irving a Rashad White. You got Talker in the
mix there, and that's a bit of an interesting story
as well as that Rashad White was perceived to be,
you know, the number one running back and Baki Irving
came and kind of supplanted him, Like Wow, Bucky ball
it's here. But we've seen glimpses of greatness from Rashad
(14:56):
White here lately as well. Talk to me about the
running back position here, it's a luxury of wealth. You know,
I was talking about earlier on another podcast with Talker
he would be probably a starting running back on another
team around the NFL talk to me about the depth
at the running back position.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
Yeah, I think it's one of those where I mean
Rashad White was the starter, but that's the starter when
the Bucks were the worst running game in the NFL
two years in a row. So to see Bucky Irvin
come in and change things last year to really elevate
the big play aspect of the run game huge part
of why they go from last in the league to
a top five run game. And I think they both
have played well. Obviously, Bucky really head a grind for
(15:33):
his yard Sunday, didn't have a lot of big plays.
I feel like a lot of that was kind of
they have the lead, they want to run the ball
just to solve the clock away. Needed to do that
to win. Rashad White obviously had a great game in
Houston in Week two. To get the three runs for
thirty seven yards in the middle of the offense was
lag game a little bit, and then to come up
big and get it to your touchdown to end the
(15:54):
game just massive. That's why you keep both. That's why
you have both. You look around the league, there's a
lot of teams that are keeping a second back at
a starter level. You think about Detroit last night with
David Montgomery, he's probably their number two, having one hundred
fifth yards and two touchdowns and just taking over a game.
The idea of having fresh legs in the second half
is really helpful. Sometimes Tucker's in a tough spot because
(16:17):
he's just a distant third here. I don't think he
had any carries in week three. I think he had
one in week two, kind of in that same boat
he's been in where again, if he gets the chance,
he's shown he can do a lot, but he's not
really getting the chance very much right now. So I
think as Josh Guarzzard figures out this offense in terms
of how they want to use things, how they want
to balance the workload between one and two, they'll find
(16:38):
ways to get Tucker involved as well. You see that
pony look with both backs at the same time, pretty sparingly. Still,
that's still like one, two three snaps a game, But
I think that's something they could really do more of
and get a lot out of. But yeah, they're running game.
I mean, I think of their offense is starting with
their running game. Baker Mayfield has whatever, six touchdowns so
he's a big part of it. Don't get me wrong,
(16:59):
but I think they would like to think of themselves,
especially when their offensive line gets closer to full strength,
as being a run first offense and a team that
can dominate the line of scrimmage that way.
Speaker 1 (17:08):
Now, listen, special teams oftentimes can help you win a
game or lose a game as well. Chase McLaughlin had
a nice balance back game. There was some concern out there.
I think he was concerned that they were going to
be trying out some different kickers there. But you know,
oftentimes what is said, if there was a better option there,
then they probably be on a team you know that
they wouldn't be in the recycle bin.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
If you will.
Speaker 1 (17:29):
I think at the end of the day, the Chase
gives them the best bet at that position. How concerned
were you with Chase when you know just historically he's
been so lights out that he struggled in a game,
and you know, talk about how difficult that is in
a position like that, that you've got to kill it
every time or people are willing to show you the door.
Speaker 3 (17:48):
Yeah, I mean, Chase has been remarkably consistent his first
two years in Tampa. So to have him have three
misses in the first two games, potentially costly misses, you know,
I think that's you can wear through hard earned patients
really quickly doing that. So I don't know that his
job was in jeopardy. I think had he had the
same problems this week, you know, and closer to that,
(18:09):
they're paying Chase a lot of money, So to move
on from him is a significant financial decision. And again,
the guys, for the most part, the guys you're getting
in mid September, aren't necessarily the most reliable guys in
the world either. So I think a lot of people
were happy as he chased get back to himself. Five
field goals in a game matches a Bucks team record.
Germanica did that once, and big kicks too. I think
(18:30):
there was a fifty four couple long ones in there.
The idea that you can have a kick block that's
not necessarily Chase his fault that the kick gets blocked,
but the idea that Bowles would go back to that
unit and trust that unit with the game on the line,
didn't make any effort to try and go to the
end zone in the last minute there just lined up
put himself in position, send him back out there and
won a game on his leg. So now I think Chase,
(18:53):
you know, it's been a remarkably consistent kicker since he's
been here. You would argue, I think, by the numbers,
the most accurate kicker in Buck's history. But again, like
you said, you have to earn that every week. You
have to kind of your reputation is what you did
the last time you were on the field. So hopefully
for him, it's more consistency moving forward.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
So injuries have been the theme of this season. You know,
right out of the gate, you know, there was a
lot of optimisms thrown the Buccaneers, but then the injury
to Tristan Works and I think that you know, that
of course is the biggest setback from this team, but
they found a way to rally around that, moving Graham
Barton around, moving Brettison around, Michael Jordan, these different guys.
But you take a look at the injuries that are
(19:35):
facing this team, Works, Godwin, Claudia, Cansie, McMillan, Evans, et cetera.
How big of an impact has injuries had on this
team this year? And you got to think that maybe
the Bucks would have won some of these games this
season had they been a full go. I know that's,
you know, not too crazy of a thought, but injuries
have had to have a pretty significant impact on the
Bucks so far this season.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
Oh yeah, I'm a huge impact. I mean they're three
and now. Don't get me wrong, but I think it's
been a lot more interesting as a result of those injuries.
Offensive line in particular has been just a crazy rash
of injuries there to have again, they knew they have
worfs out and then to lose Gettikey and to lose Malc,
to lose Mike Jordan as a replacement starter. You know,
the line they had on Sunday and the line they
(20:16):
won with on Sunday is as patchwork and as duct
tape a line as you're going to find. Where you
have two guys making their first NFL starts, one making
their NFL debut. Charlie Hack is not supposed to be
a starter. He plays every snap, Bretta Sen and Barton,
as you mentioned, out of position. Nobody is in a
comfort zone in that five. And yet they found a
(20:36):
way a ton of penalties early you know whatever, five
holding plans on one drive, but a drive they still
score on so I thought that was emblematic of them
being able to push through their own mistakes, settle down
a little bit less flags as the game went on,
and then and then grind out a win. I mean
that's they executed a two minute drive to win the
game with that same line. I thought it said a
(20:56):
lot that they didn't make any rash decision and didn't bench,
you know, either Lou Haggard or Elijah Klein when they
had multiple penalties that were holding things up and stuck
with them. I think part of that's that they really
didn't have very many options. I mean, they had players
that had just joined the team literally in the last
three or four days. So this has worked out for them,
(21:17):
you know, and that they're three and oh to get
worse back now that allows you to put Barton back
at center and Brendison back of guard. The left side
of your line looks fine. You got to figure out
the best way to kind of get through with the
right side of your line for a couple more weeks
at least until you get Getticky back and then find
that the best option at right guard as well. But yeah,
they've been through a lot there and that's not even
getting to as you mentioned Kanty and Godwin and all
(21:38):
the other injuries they've had to do with another part
of the team.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
So you take a look at the Buccaneers right now.
I mean, I'm on a high right now. You covering
this team for so many years, you've got to be
on a high. I know you cover the NFL at
large at now as well. But three and zero on
the season, and yeah, there's there's always haters, you know,
always doubters, And I think that oftentimes the Buccaneers play
better as the underdog with a bit of a chip
on their shoulder. I think that you could put Baker
Mayfield in that column as well. And Todd Bowles. You know,
(22:04):
every year I hear Todd Bowles is on the hot
seat if it's clock mismanagement or you know, the inability
to want.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
To go for it.
Speaker 1 (22:13):
He gets results at the end of the day. So
what is it about the Buccaneers organization generally and what
is it about Todd Bowles that they never get the credit.
I mean, you take a look at NFC South year
after year after year, they just don't get any love.
Speaker 3 (22:27):
What gives Yeah, I think their status just being in
the NFC South has kind of gotten them written off
as the best team in a bad division for a
couple of years. They only have one playoff win the
last three years, so it's not like they've really done
much in the postseason to change that. But you look
at last year. I mean, they beat the Eagles, they
beat the Commanders, they beat the Lions, they beat the
best teams in the NFC as a part of their season.
(22:49):
Last year, they weren't able to get past Washington the playoffs,
but I think I think they're minimized nationally because they
haven't gotten past the second round of the playoffs since
their Super Bowl in twenty twenty. So that's kind of
what it takes to build that currency nationally and to
be taken as more than just a division champ and
a bad division. I think Todd Bowles has done a
(23:10):
great job to stay true to himself and not change
his demeanor or his approach to the game. You know,
got an extension this offseason, so I mean, yeah, there's
people trust me every game. They've had some rough patches
in these first three games, and there are these moments
where people are like, oh, is it too early to
start saying, you know, fire balls, and there's people legit
calling for him to be fired, and they work through
(23:33):
things and they win a game. So yeah, I think
there's people that don't like bolls just because they don't
like bulls. I don't know that any amount of success
or time is going to change that. But I think
he's won a lot of people over. I mean, I
think for you know, you think about this as a
franchise that's never won back to back division titles, and
he's done it all three years. He's been the head coach,
has been to the playoffs all three years. You know,
(23:53):
has won more games each year as a head coach
than he did the year before, and I think they're
probably in a good position to do that again this year.
So that on field product, I think goes a long
way in terms of giving Todds something that he can
point to that's like, this is why I'm doing what
I'm doing. Yeah, I think that's something where you know,
I think nationally, with each win they get again, if
(24:16):
they can beat the Eagles on Sunday here in Tampa,
that will do a ton for them to put them
up into that next tier above whatever eight or nine
on power rankings. That's a huge win if they pull
it off. They've beaten the Eagles before, They've handled the
Eagles about as well as anybody has. It's a tough thing.
I mean, they've won whatever nineteen to twenty I think
right now coming in. So even if they lose that game,
(24:36):
if they play well in losing that game, they're not
going to do anything to hurt their standing nationally.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
All right, One last one here quick for you, because
I know you're a busy guy. How do you see
the NFC seuth shaking out at the end of the season.
I know this is going to require you to look
into your crystal ball a little bit. Here do the
Bucks do it again yet this year? How does the
NFC seuth shakeout?
Speaker 3 (24:55):
Yeah? Right now? The divisions a lot like I thought
it was going to be. I think you could see
the Bucks at the top and the Saints that bottom.
And you're curious how two and three shakeout. You know,
Saints have had their struggles and continue to look like
a team that's cap strapped and dealing with bad quarterback play.
To see Carolina come out and beat the Falcons thirty
nothing is a game changer within the division, I mean
(25:17):
a dominating shutout like that. Carolina hadn't shown very much.
Falcons had been there with tough opponents before that. So
that's kind of the race now, is those two one
and two teams, if you will, can one of them
get to a position to challenge the Bucks or challenge
for a wild card. That's the biggest question now for
this division. I mean division hasn't had a wild card
(25:38):
since the Bucks in twenty twenty. So the one way
you can kind of dig yourself out of worst division
in football conversation is to produce multiple teams in the
playoffs and to win games outside your division and those
kind of things. So I think of this is still
very much the Bucks division to lose. They have a
two game lead on the Panthers two and a tiebreaker
on the Falcons. They have to take care of those
(25:59):
division games. The next four are a decently nasty stretch
for the Bucks. When you think about having the Eagles
going to Seattle, having the Niners, I'm blanking on who
the fourth game in that stretch is, but Detroit. They
go to Detroit. So that's four really tough teams. They
could be a really good team and if they went
two and two in those four games, you wouldn't think
less of them for it. Their last ten after that,
(26:22):
there's only three teams with winning records in those ten
opponents to close out the year. So I think they've
got some downhill skiing ahead of them if they can
just get to that point and be in good shape
and start healthier. So that's how we think of how
that the South's shaken out right now.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
All right, Greg Ahman from Fox Sports, thanks for doing this.
We'll talk to you again next time.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
No problem. Have a good day you too.
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