The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) are officially on a streak, after beating the Las Vegas Raiders 28-13 on Sunday for their third straight victory.
More importantly, the win -- combined with the Atlanta Falcons' 21-42 loss to the Minnesota Vikings -- puts Tampa in the NFC South divisional lead.
After losing both of their games to the Falcons earlier this season, things looked bleak for the Bucs' playoff hopes. Atlanta still holds the tiebreaker if necessary, but given the opposite directions in the momentum of the two teams, Tampa is in the driver's seat.
Baker Mayfield threw three touchdowns in the win, two of which were to rookie WR Jalen McMillan. After leading 14-10 at halftime, the Buccaneers pulled away in the fourth quarter.
Tampa's schedule has been favorable lately, with the three wins in its streak coming against teams with a combined seven wins. It will stay that way the rest of the year, with next week's matchup on the road against the Los Angeles Chargers being the only remaining game the Bucs will play against a team with a winning record.
The Falcons, on the other hand, are reeling with four straight losses to drop to 6-7 after starting the year 6-3. Falcons QB Kirk Cousins, after getting off to a strong start, has no touchdowns and eight interceptions during the losing skid.
Atlanta also has an easy schedule the rest of the way, playing the Raiders, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers in three of their final four games. But the Buccaneers gained the upper hand today, and now control their own destiny in the fight to win the division.
