Buccaneers Playoff Scenarios: Tampa Bay clinches NFC South title

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored a major 30-24 win against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. In the most crucial game of the season, Tom Brady and Mike Evans played their A game and defeated their direct rivals for a playoff spot.

The Buccaneers clinched the NFC South title and they're now headed to the NFC playoffs as the fourth seed. They are guaranteed to play a home game in the Wild Card Round.

It was a tumultuous season for the Buccaneers, whose regular season campaign failed to meet expectations after Brady returned from retirement. The offense never clicked as it should and the team struggled to run away with the division, even if none of their rivals ever looked like contenders.

Although Tampa Bay has not played like a contender for much of the season, no team wants to face Tom Brady in the playoffs, especially as he looks for revenge after an array of critics throughout the season.

Interested in betting? The Bills and the Bengals play on Monday Night Football.

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Brady, Buccaneers guarantee playoff spot

The game against the Panthers had major implications for both teams - and was essentially a playoff game. The winner of the game would have the division lead for Week 18 and control its own destiny.

Tom Brady has endured a difficult season on and off the field. From Bruce Arians' retirement to his offensive line not being up to the standards of the previous two years and his divorce from Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, this has been a year where Brady certainly did not look like himself, especially with Tampa Bay's offense struggling throughout the season.

The Buccaneers were much better than any of their other NFC South foes, but they had to dig deep to clinch the division. All in all, Tampa Bay has at least a full week to rest its starters before their playoff run starts.

Of course, they would like to be fighting for the top NFC spot with teams like the Eagles, the Vikings, and the 49ers. They failed to be consistent over the regular season.

But do you think any of these teams would be comfortable facing Tom Brady in the playoffs? Best believe they don't want to go through that.

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Who are the possible Buccaneers' playoff opponents?

Brady and his friends will face the second-placed team in the NFC East. This could be either the Philadelphia Eagles or the Dallas Cowboys, depending on the results of Week 18.