The conclusion of the 2021 regular season is finally here and there are no questions about how the experts think the Buccaneers will fare in their season finale.
All major outlets are picking the Bucs to best the divisional Carolina Panthers for the second time in three weeks, completing the season sweep of their fellow NFC Southers. Tampa Bay will have the opportunity to do so in front of their home crowd, where they are 6-1 on the season so far. It'll be a dress rehearsal of sorts for the first game of the postseason, in which the Bucs have earned the right to stay home after winning the division.
Tampa Bay could fall anywhere in the range of the second to the fourth seed in the NFC depending on what happens in Week 18. In order for them to capture the second seed, they'll need a bit of help. Not only will they have to win on Sunday, they will also need the Los Angeles Rams to lose to the Arizona Cardinals.
One game at a time, though. The Bucs were moved to the 4:25 p.m. slot along with the Rams and Cards, so we'll have no idea how things end up shaking out prior to the Bucs' kicking off.
But here are what the experts think will happen:
- NFL.com, Greg Rosenthal – Buccaneers
- ESPN.com, Consensus – Buccaneers (unanimous)
- USA Today (consensus) – Buccaneers (unanimous)
- SB Nation, Consensus – Buccaneers (unanimous)
- CBSSports.com, Consensus – Buccaneers (unanimous)
