My bye week annual traditions: Sleep in. Make a big pot of spicy chili (secret ingredient: Rotel) and serve it with sour cream and crackers. Spend 10 hours on the couch soaking up all the NFL football I don't normally get to see on game days. Obsessively follow my fantasy football teams.
And, of course, provide a Viewing Guide for fans of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who want everything to break just right for their team while it is enjoying its recuperative week off. I won't deny, some of this is pretty obvious. You don't need me to tell you that we want the Falcons to lose to the Chiefs. And there are some games that don't matter much to the Bucs' eventual 2026 fortune so our choices there may be more about vibes. But there are some more nuanced situations on the Week 10 schedule, so let's put our heads together to figure out what outcomesare in the Bucs' best interests.
Without further ado then, please consider my suggestions for which teams to root for during the Bucs' bye week, with the games presented in chronological order. This is your 2026 Bye Week Viewing Guide.
Washington Commanders (2-5-1) at N.Y. Giants (5-2-1), Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET
You wouldn't think that the eventual NFC South champion would have much of a chance to be higher than the #4 seed in the playoffs, given that all four teams are currently capped at three wins, but the NFC East could end up in a similar quagmire. The Eagles are rebuilding for the future, the Commanders have just two wins and the Cowboys are sub-.500 after a series of baffling games. If the Giants were to scuffle in the season's second half – and they have the 49ers, Seahawks and Lions on their remaining schedule – the division winner could end up being an eight or nine-win team. And in that case, the Bucs, should they capture the division title, might have a shot at a higher seed. Good enough reason to pull for the underdog on Thursday night.
Verdict: Go Commanders!
New England (5-4) at Detroit Lions (6-2), Sunday, 9:30 p.m. ET (in Munich, Germany)
The Lions requested not to have their bye week fall after an international game, which is the usual approach, because it would complicate their Thanksgiving week schedule. So the Buccaneers can only hope the rigors of oversee travel in Week 10 will put some stress on the Lions when Tampa Bay comes to town in Week 11. One could get tricky here and pull for a Lions win so they would be less desperate in an incredibly competitive NFC North race next week, but let's keep it simple. AFC team versus NFC team, we want AFC victors.
Verdict: Auf geht's, Patriots!
Kansas City Chiefs (6-2) at Atlanta Falcons (3-6), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Like I said above, this one is clear and obvious. Not only is it AFC vs. NFC, but the Falcons are tied with the Buccaneers in the NFC South standings at 3-6. And it's the Falcons, so duh.
Verdict: Go Patrick Mahomes' flexible elbow!
Houston Texans (3-5) at Cleveland Browns (5-4), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Miami Dolphins (1-7) at Indianapolis Colts (2-7), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Buffalo Bills (7-1) at N.Y. Jets (2-7), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
Jacksonville Jaguars (6-2) at Tennessee Titans (1-7), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
I'm lumping all the early-afternoon games that only feature AFC teams together because the outcomes won't matter much to the Buccaneers' The only team among those eight that the Buccaneers have played or will play is the Browns, so for strength-of-schedule tiebreaking purposes that's the only team to bother rooting for specifically. (Though if you have other reasons to root against the Browns, that's understandable.) Personally, if there's anything I'm paying attention to within this group on Sunday it's the Bills because Josh Allen is just so much fun to watch.
Verdict: Go…get that chili out of the pot.
Minnesota Vikings (6-2) at Green Bay Packers (6-3)
The return of Kirk Cousins adds some flavor to this already spicy matchup of the most unrestrained defense and unrestrained offense in the NFL. Jordan Love could complete five bombs to Christian Watson and Matthew Golden and he could also be sacked five times. Who should you root for in terms of the Bucs' interest? Well, both of these teams already beat Tampa Bay, so there will be no difference in terms of strength-of-schedule or strength-of-victory tiebreakers. Winning the division is obviously the most likely entry point for the Buccaneers to the playoffs – ESPN's playoff odds put the Bucs at a 65% chance to win the division and less than a 1% chance to earn a Wild Card berth. Still, with almost half a season left to be played, you can't totally rule it out. At least one of the team's from the NFC North will have to crash out for that to be possible, and of the two here it seems more likely to be the Vikings, who in fact have just lost their last two games.
Verdict: Go Pack Go!
Carolina Panthers (3-5) at New Orleans Saints (3-5), Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET
I believe that the majority of Buccaneer fans would claim to have more distaste for the Saints than the Panthers among NFC South rivals, and if that's what you want to base your rooting on, that's totally fine. However, I would suggest rooting for the Panthers because the Buccaneers already have a win in hand over Carolina and have yet to play the Saints. Hopefully the Bucs will fare well in those Week 15 and Week 18 tilts with New Orleans, but it would take two wins to get a series sweep there while they only need one more for a series sweep against the Panthers. Therefore, at the moment at least, we would be more comfortable falling into some tiebreaker situation with the Panthers and should be rooting for them here. Just this week. We won't make a habit of it.
Verdict: Go Canales Crew!
L.A. Rams (5-4) at Arizona (3-6), Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET
Again, we haven't completely given up on the idea of a wild card berth for the Buccaneers. Maybe we'll have to in a couple of weeks, but for now we'll keep rooting against the teams who might be bunched around that number seven seed when it's all said. It seems weird to put the Rams in that group, but given their avalanche of injuries – most recently Puka Nacua – that end up being their fate. (Or Myles Garrett will drag them to the promised land.) Arizona just traded one veteran quarterback and saw their other one land on injured reserve, so it's time for rookie Carson Beck. They do not feel like serious contenders given the state of their offense, so let's get them the win here and drop to the Rams to .500.
Verdict: Go Beck, Go!
Seattle Seahawks (5-4) at Las Vegas Raiders (4-5), Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET
The Seahawks have the same record as the Rams after losing three of their last five, but they are not quite as banged up, apart from Quenton Nelson, and still could round into their 2025 Super Bowl form. I personally think they will end well clear of the NFC's seventh seed and thus won't be much of a factor for the Buccaneers. Still, this is AFC vs. NFC, so let's show our friend John Spytek some love and root for an interesting showing by rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza in his NFL starting debut.
Verdict: Go Fernando!
San Francisco 49ers (7-1) at Dallas Cowboys (4-5), Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET
Realistically, the number-one seed in the NFC is not going to be in play for the Buccaneers, so it really doesn't matter which of the other potential division champions get it. The 49ers are out in front now, so there's no reason to wish for them to fall off. The Cowboys, on the other hand, are just a game ahead of the Buccaneers in the conference standings and the Bucs have a head-to-head victory in hand against them. This is exactly the team the Bucs would want to be matched up with in a tiebreaker, so let's pull them back to the crowd a bit and hurt their NFC East chances some more.
Verdict: Go Niners!
Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (6-2), Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET
L.A. Chargers (0-8) at Baltimore Ravens (4-5), Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET
The week ends with a pair of all-AFC matchup, so you can relax and just enjoy the action on these two evenings without worrying about the Buccaneer implications. It is notable that the Buccaneers do have upcoming games on their schedule against the two Monday night opponents, the Chargers in Week 13 and the Ravens in Week 14. That means we want to see both teams continue to struggle in what we hope is a sloppy game with poor quarterback play. On paper, the Ravens are the more challenging of those two matchups, so let's root for them to continue a slide that has seen them lose four in a row as well as quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley to injured reserve.
Verdict: Go Chargers!
