Bengals vs. Buccaneers: What Are the Experts Saying About Tampa Bay?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are every bit as alive in the NFL playoff picture as the Cincinnati Bengals, but their situations couldn't be more different as the two teams prepare to face off this week.

The Bucs sit at just 2-9, but thanks to an extremely weak NFC South, they still remain in the running for the division title and a home playoff game.  Tampa Bay is coming off of yet another close loss last week, blowing a 10-point halftime lead on the way to a 21-13 road loss against the Chicago Bears.

On the other hand, the Bengals stand atop an AFC North division in which every team has seven wins.  Cincinnati's tie against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 keeps them just a hair ahead of the most tightly contested division in the NFL.

Tampa Bay is currently in the running for a top-three pick in the 2015 NFL draft while simultaneously still in the hunt for a division title.  While it would definitely burn the biscuits of a far more deserving team—you know, one with a winning record—it's evidently possible for the NFC South champion to finish 5-11 and host a playoff game, according to ESPN.

What are the experts saying about the Bucs as they continue their quest for either a top draft pick or the honor of possibly being the worst playoff team in NFL history?  Let's take a look.

Fox Sports' Andrew Astleford: McCown or Glennon? It Doesn't Matter

USA TODAY Sports

The debate regarding who should be the Bucs' starting quarterback has raged on all season long. 

But if you ask Andrew Astleford of Fox Sports Florida, he'll tell you it really doesn't matter who is taking the snaps for Tampa Bay right now:

"

McCown? Glennon? It's understandable why the debate receives attention, but it misses the larger point.

Neither option is good enough to lift the Bucs to victory by himself. Neither is a long-term answer who has the skill to carry a team on his back, fire passes with precision in the face of pressure and dust himself off before doing it all over again.

That's no surprise. Before the season, McCown and Glennon were considered game managers, not gamebreakers. They have lived up to their reputations. Nothing more.

"

It's hard to argue with Astleford here.  Tampa Bay's line play has been inconsistent at best and downright awful at worst, while the running game has been simply nonexistent for most of the season.  Throw in a struggling special teams group and a slowly improving defense, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a reason why either quarterback can elevate this team to consistent success.

ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas: Time to Focus on the Future

USA TODAY Sports

Thanks to their incredibly weak division, the Bucs still have not been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, despite owning a 2-9 record.

But while many—Lovie Smith being the quickest—will remind Tampa Bay fans of this fact, ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas says it's time for Smith and company to look toward the future of the franchise:

"

But it’s time for Smith and general manager Jason Licht to start thinking about next year. Long before the draft, they’ll need to decide who stays and goes from the current roster.

They should be looking to see who still is playing hard and who fits in Smith’s system. There obviously are some veterans that don’t appear to have much of a future.

But it’s all about the future for the Bucs. They need to focus on next season while still hanging by a thread in the NFC South race.

"

The Bucs should be picking in the top 10 for the second year in a row, if not the top five, and should be in position to add a top prospect who could make a difference from Day 1.  You won't see them tanking the rest of the season, for sure, but you can't blame fans for secretly hoping for a higher pick instead of a few meaningless wins over the season's final five weeks.

The Tampa Tribune's Roy Cummings: Jackson Expected to Be in High Demand

Bill Haber/Associated Press

Many expected the Bucs to deal veteran receiver Vincent Jackson at the trade deadline earlier this season, but the team chose to hang on to one of their offensive captains for the remainder of the year.

But according to Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune, the Bucs expect there to still be plenty of interest in Jackson from other teams this offseason, and a trade could make sense:

"

Statistically, Jackson ranks second on the Bucs behind Mike Evans in pass receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns, which is precisely why interest in him is expected to grow.

With an emerging star on their hands in Evans, the Bucs are seen as a team that might be willing to move Jackson, who has a $9.78 million salary in 2015 that could be deemed exorbitant.

Jackson, though, is not your typical No. 2 receiver. The Bucs still treat him like a No. 1, having targeted him with 92 passes this year, nearly double the times they targeted Evans.

"

Jackson taking a pay cut this offseason is another possibility, but with the Bucs clearly in a rebuilding phase and a rising star in Evans emerging as the team's new downfield playmaker, accepting an attractive offer for Jackson might be the best thing for the future of the team.

Tampa Bay Times' Greg Auman: Nothing Special from Return Men

Cliff McBride/Getty Images

Tampa Bay's special teams have struggled all season long, and their return specialists have been no exception.  Marcus Thigpen is the latest to get a crack at the punt return job, but he muffed a punt for the second game in a row last week and was subsequently waived on Tuesday.

According to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, the Bucs have gone through multiple return men and still have yet to find a reliable option:

"

Thigpen had a 53-yard punt return earlier this season, but in four games of kickoff returns, he's only once brought a kickoff out farther than the 21-yard line, and that was only the 27. The Bucs are already on their third returner of the season, having waived rookie Solomon Patton, then cut Trindon Holliday after only one game due to a hamstring injury.

"

Field position is obviously a key component in any NFL game, and the Bucs haven't done themselves many favors in that department this year.  A disappointing season from punter Michael Koenen hasn't helped, but a solid return man would go a long way toward improving the entire unit.

NFL.com's Elliot Harrison: Bucs Fifth-Worst Team in the NFL

Brian Kersey/Getty Images

Tampa Bay has been a cellar-dweller in most power rankings for pretty much the entire 2014 season.  NFL.com's Elliot Harrison's latest list is out, and he has the Bucs ranked 27th out of the league's 32 teams:

"

Merely a guess, but I'm thinking the Bucs would like to play that third quarter over again. Three turnovers and 21 unanswered points by the other guys kinda spoiled Lovie Smith's return to Chicago. The crazy thing is that a win there would have put Tampa Bay right back in the thick of the NFC South race at 3-8. Crazy.

"

The math might say the Bucs still have a shot at hosting a home playoff game, but nobody should hold their breath waiting for such a miracle.  Tampa Bay has lost to some very bad teams, and their schedule isn't getting any easier down the stretch.

At this point, a top-three draft pick is far more likely than an NFC South title for the Pewter Pirates.