Each week, it seems like the Buccaneers' bar cannot get any lower, but it does. This past weekend, the bar hit a new rock bottom, and his name is Quinn Ewers.

Ahead of their Week 16 matchup with the Bengals—which they lost miserably—the Dolphins benched their starting quarterback for Ewers, a seventh-round draft pick who had played no professional football. In Week 17, in just his second start, Ewers threw for 172 yards and a pair of touchdowns with no picks against the Bucs' atrocious defense. In a game Tampa absolutely had to win, they gave Ewers his first win in the NFL, 20-17.

And yet, somehow, this deplorable farce of a season has not yet reached its end. With a win this weekend over the Carolina Panthers and an Atlanta Falcons loss, the Bucs will host a playoff game—with a losing record. So, with that being said, let's all be chipper. The Bucs still have an opportunity to reach the postseason, despite being a bottom-three team in the league throughout the second half of their season.

Let's talk about a pair of things the Krewe will have to clean up if they want to make it look even partially like they deserve a spot in the playoffs this weekend.

Yes. As a fellow Bucs fan, they are fueled by rage and filled with spite.

My Hottest Take: Please Baker, Wake Up!

Ah, the Baker Mayfield experience. He was an MVP candidate through six weeks, and then in the past seven weeks, he seemingly forgot how to play football.

It may be outlandish to say the Patriots broke Mayfield in Week 10, but the evidence backs the claim. Despite throwing for 273 yards and three touchdowns without a pick, Mayfield’s Bucs fell to the Patriots, thus beginning the eight-week span from Hell. Since that loss, Mayfield has looked like he plays for the New York Jets: nine touchdowns, eight interceptions and pedestrian passing yardage.

His moniker through his MVP candidacy was winning one-score games, and the Bucs have gone 0-4 in their last four, losing them by a grand total of 11 points. Against the Dolphins, he all but sealed the game with a late interception that made him look like he had eyesight issues.

If the Bucs are going to make the playoffs with a win this weekend, Mayfield does not have to get back to an MVP level—but he does have to look better than he has in the last two months.

What You Need To Know: We Should Maybe Touch The Quarterback At Some Point

In the same span since Mayfield fell apart—Weeks 10-17—the Buccaneers’ pass rush has recorded just 12 sacks, which is 1.5 per game. While that isn’t an abhorrent total, it is important to consider the context of coach Todd Bowles’ play-calling; namely, consider the zone blitzes he dials up numerous times per possession.

The Bucs cannot get pressure with just four pass-rushers, but to beat the Panthers on Saturday, they have to. Struggles with getting pressure from edge rushers is not a new phenomenon for Tampa Bay defenses. If you want a laugh, Google who has the most sacks for the Bucs since 2022. (Okay, you don’t have to Google it. It’s Vita Vea. He’s a nose tackle, he weighs just shy of 350 pounds and he has to contend with double-teams rather consistently.)

This weekend has to be the time where Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby earn their paychecks. If Tampa can make Carolina quarterback Bryce Young uncomfortable, the wheels could very well fall off the Panthers’ offense.

Before You Go: Just One More Statement

As frustrated as I am, and as all Bucs fans should be, some people would be thrilled to have a team playing for a playoff berth in Week 18.

It’s very important that even if you want Bowles and Josh Grizzard fired, and even if you hate the product on the field, we root for the Krewe this weekend. Maybe they will show some life.

[Editor's Note: They did!]