Buffalo Bills: Is Tampa Bay Buccaneers A Must Win on Sunday

After an ugly loss to the New England Patriots, the Buffalo Bills will face another tough matchup on Sunday. They’ll face a familiar rival in Tom Brady who has been a thorn in their side for years. The Bucs are defending champs and pushing a championship run again. Buffalo on the other hand just relinquished control of the division after sloppy play in sloppier weather.

There’s plenty of season left for the Bills to take back over including a game against those same New England Patriots. However, ultimately their late matchup against the Bucs could cement them as contenders or pretenders. Buffalo doesn’t need to win that game to make their way into the playoffs. The rest of the AFC is up in the air, whether its a wildcard spot or divisional races.

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So while the matchup between the Bucs is just another game, there’s more on the line. The Bills are struggling all the sudden and teams are looking like they have Josh Allen more figured out. Something about the Buffalo offense seems to be fizzling this year and their attack isn’t as potent. They’ve taken away the deep plays and forced Buffalo to attack underneath or run the football.

Traditionally this game isn’t a true must win, but a statement game against an old rival and defending champs needs to happen. This late in the season the Bills need to remind teams that they’re still a threat and not to sleep on them. The Buffalo Bills have a long history of late season collapses despite last year’s playoff push. Teams like the Patriots and Chiefs are making playoff pushes. It’s time the Bills do the same.

The Buccaneers and Patriots will be the toughest games remaining on their schedule. As the two remaining teams with winning records, the Buffalo Bills are in control of their own destiny. If Buffalo wants to be taken seriously after a season of struggles, their matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the definition of a statement game. They ought to easily make the playoffs but if they’re going to make a post-season push, they have to come out against Tom Brady swinging.