Bet on Jeff Garcia, Bucs in the NFC South

Once again, Jeff Garcia has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in position to win the NFC South and make the playoffs. The 38-year-old quarterback does not put up huge numbers, but he does simply win football games.

That said, what sort of production will he have to produce for the Bucs to stay in the lead in the South, and what are his prospects for the rest of this season?

First, let’s look at the rest of the schedule:

New Orleans (home)

New Orleans’s defense has been porous all season and this looks like a good match up for the Bucs and Garcia. I would expect him to play well, especially since it is a home contest.

Carolina (away)

This will be a tough game for the Bucs and Garcia. The running game will have to produce in this contest.  Remember in their last game, the Bucs got a blocked punt for a TD that swung the momentum very early.

The Bucs highly-touted offensive line must open holes in the ground game and keep Garcia off his back if the Bucs are to win this one.

Atlanta (away)

Another tough division game for Garcia. Atlanta’s defense is above-average and their pass rush is fierce.

Again, the ground game will have to produce more than it has of late, and the onus will be on the offensive line to play well.

San Diego (home)

The Chargers defense has been better since Ron Rivera took over defensive coordinator duties, but it still has not been great. They are getting more pressure on the quarterback, but teams are still putting up big scoring numbers. 

Expect the Bucs to use a lot of their two and three tight end looks to exploit potential mismatches.

Oakland (home)

The Bucs have played well at home this year, and Oakland is still Oakland. Should be a nice way for the Bucs and Garcia to close out the year.

So, coming down the stretch, the Bucs have some tough division games, but they look to have a very favorable schedule with some soft defenses that Garcia should be able to put up good numbers against.

Garcia will have to continue his stellar play of late and play even better for the Bucs to remain atop the NFC South.

While Garcia has done a great job of minimizing mistakes this season, one thing he has not done is produce touchdowns in the red zone. Garcia has been great between the 20s, but inside the red zone, he has been shy of pulling the trigger despite open receivers or one-on-one matchups.

Jeff Garcia is a great game manager. If the Bucs are to win the South and then win in the playoffs, he is going to have to be much more than that. Garcia must make more plays and produce more touchdowns.  Through 21 games with Tampa, Garcia has thrown 20 touchdowns.

That’s not going to get it done in the playoffs, and don’t think Jon Gruden doesn’t know it. Why do you think he courted Brett Favre, the league’s all time leader in touchdown passes.

I expect Garcia will play well down the stretch and the Bucs will win the NFC South again. However, if the Bucs are to compete in the playoffs, Garcia will have to take his game to another level.