Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Why Bucs Can Do Some Damage in NFC South

The top of the NFC South is feeling "Young & Restless."

With their win against New Orleans, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers now sit atop the NFC South.

Whether they can hold on to first place is up for discussion. What isn't debatable is that the Bucs can make a run at the playoffs, or at the very least, play spoiler for some teams trying to make it in.

1. Josh Freeman

The man is ice cold and rarely lets his emotions get the best of him or affect his play. Like a terminator devoid of emotion, Josh Freeman keeps the team focused on the task ahead.

He's had some bad games against the Falcons and 49ers, but then again, every Bucs player had issues in the 49ers game.

But what's most promising, even more so than his second half comebacks, is the way he responded from that awful 49ers game. More than 300 yards and a pair of TDs while not throwing an interception against a division rival is nothing to scoff at.

2. Tanard Jackson

There's no denying Tanard Jackson is a talented player. He's able to cover and deliver a thunderous hit should receivers make the mistake of going over the middle while he's in the game.

But Jackson's worst enemy is himself. After missing 56 weeks of NFL action due to a suspension, Jackson was reinstated on Friday by the Bucs.

He responded emphatically with five tackles and a big interception.

If he, and Aqib Talib for that matter, can stay healthy/eligible, the Bucs secondary could be one of the better young defensive backfields in football.

3. Winnable Games Ahead

Looking ahead at the schedule, the Bucs still have a lot of road games ahead of them. Seven out of their 10 remaining games are on the road.

The game against the Bears is "techinically" a home game but considering it takes place in London, England, the game might as well be a road game for each team.

But the good news is that many of these games are winnable.

The team still has both games against Cam Newton and the Panthers along with winnable games against the Falcons, Jaguars and the Cowboys.

The Bucs were able to keep Michael Vick in check when he played in the division. They've already beaten the Falcons once. The Jaguars are a team in disarray, and the Cowboys can't get any momentum going.

On paper it looks like a rough stretch, but it's doable.

4. A "Signature Win"

Every team needs a "signature win" to build upon. The Bucs may have had theirs against Drew Brees and the Saints.

Not only did the Bucs beat their division rival, but they also forced Brees to make a handful of turnovers.

Perhaps the most telling part of this win is the fact the Bucs stopped the running game. Not that the Saints have a vaunted rushing attack, but Bucs fans have seen opposing teams gut the defense repeatedly on rushing plays.

The defense still has a lot of room to improve and getting Gerald McCoy back from injury would definitely be a big help.

5. Playing the Spoiler

The Bucs could make a lot of noise without making the playoffs as well.

Games against New Orleans, Green Bay, Titans, Falcons and Cowboys all give the Bucs plenty of opportunities to ruin other teams playoffs chances.

If you can't make the playoffs yourselves, you might as well ruin the party for everyone else as well.

In or Out?

Bucs fans need to call a time out if they're thinking playoffs already.

The team doesn't do anything spectacular and they're very young as evident by the team's second place in penalties and penalty yards.

And I'm not ready to place all my faith in the team's ability to win on the road just yet. Like I said, it is possible for the Bucs to make it to the playoffs; but just because it's possible doesn't mean it's probable.

The team needs to get starters Gerald McCoy and LeGarrette Blount back ASAP if they want to have any hope of making a postseason berth.