The Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent a stint atop the NFC standings, but they are 1-2 in their past three games—and the offense hasn’t looked great.

Today’s Hottest Take: Even If The Bucs Go 0-2, They Are Still Contenders

The panic button is out on the table for Bucs fans, but they should not push it yet. While the optics around Tampa’s recent situation are far from good, there is a major reason for a lot of the team’s woes: the injury bug.

Even with the team’s bye week coming in Week 9, the Bucs have remained chronically hurt. They entered Sunday’s tilt against New England missing numerous offensive playmakers, including dynamic running back Bucky Irving and veteran slot receiver Chris Godwin. Even many of the players who were active had some sort of injury designation throughout the week, including right tackle Luke Goedeke, who played his first game back from a seven-week absence. With that lengthy injury report, the Bucs finished with a five-point loss to the 8-2 Patriots.

They will now make the trip to Buffalo, which will be followed by a trip out west to play the Los Angeles Rams. Entering the season, every fan who looked at the schedule had this stretch circled—well, maybe not the Patriots, but you get the idea. They’re trying to win the road without some of their key players, and that’s obviously going to be a struggle.

Even with a pair of losses in the next two weeks, Tampa will sit at 6-5—more than likely still atop the NFC South—with some easy games to finish the season. As the Bucs get healthier and near the playoffs, the hype will grow again—so don’t jump off the bandwagon too early.

What You Need To Know: Important Players Are Coming Back (Maybe)

There’s no way to guarantee the Bucs will not see more injuries down the road, but many of the players who are currently sidelined are expected to make their returns by the end of the regular season. However, there is one problem: a lot of their timelines are still up in the air.

Irving, for example, first hit the sideline after Week 4’s loss to Philly, and at that time, he was expected to miss just a few weeks. Well, it’s Week 11, and Sports Illustrated just reported he’s expected to miss this Sunday’s game in Buffalo. If you watch the Bucs’ offense with and without Irving, his impact is palpable. Even in the loss to the Eagles, he racked up 165 scrimmage yards—nearly double the highest total of his replacement, Rachaad White (85).

Godwin, among others, is very much like Irving in the fact he is ambiguously injured. He is still nursing his lingering fibula ailment, but he has not seen the field in over a month, and there still is not a concrete timeline for his return. He is joined by Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan in the category of receivers that could—and probably will—return by the playoffs.

Along with the skill position players, some other guys who are expected to come back are Ben Bredeson and Luke Haggard—both starting offensive guards, neither of whom played in last Sunday’s five-point loss. With them, Haason Reddick, who is arguably Tampa’s best pass rusher, has been promoted to a "questionable" designation as of Monday.

While OL Cody Mauch and DL Calijah Kancey will probably not see the field again this year—though it has been speculated Kancey could come back somewhere in the playoffs—even without them, the Bucs will be getting quite a haul of players back on the field. The only question is when, but if they can stay in the playoff picture, their postseason squad will look very different.

Before You Go: It's A Cakewalk After Week 12

Yes, there is a chance that Carolina could win its next two games while the Bucs lose, and Tampa could take the passenger seat in the NFC South. But after the Week 12 matchup against the Rams, the Bucs’ schedule turns into a magical wonderland of below-.500 teams.

Entering last Sunday, with the Patriots, Bills and Rams still ahead of them, the Bucs had the sixth-easiest schedule. They will easily jump into the top five following this coming Sunday.

After the Rams game, they will face (in order):

• Arizona Cardinals (3-6)

• New Orleans Saints (2-8)

• Atlanta Falcons (3-6)

• Carolina Panthers (5-5)

• Miami Dolphins (3-7)

• Carolina Panthers (5-5)

So as a Bucs fan, if you’re worried about playoff contention slipping out of your grasp before your heavy-hitters return, don’t. The only team that doesn’t have a losing record entering Week 11 on that list is the Panthers, and they just got embarrassed by the Saints at home.

The Bucs will get healthy, and they will bounce back. These past few weeks have looked relatively ugly, but when the Bucs are at their best (See: the Weeks 5-6 wins against Seattle and San Francisco), they can hang with anybody.

Just think of this stretch as a chance to let the young guys eat, and the reinforcements will show up before you know it.