Tampa Bay Buccaneers Look To Play Spoiler For Saints’ Playoff Hopes

At 4-11, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ playoff destiny was written around Week Five of their 0-8 start to the 2013 season, but that doesn’t mean they can’t impact the NFL postseason picture; a Buccaneers road win this Sunday against New Orleans plus a victory by the Arizona Cardinals will make sure the Saints are watching Super Bowl XLVIII from the sofa instead of the sidelines.

The playoff implications were enough to merit a more choice start time for Tampa Bay’s last hurrah of 2013; the NFL moved the game to 4:25 in order to court more potential viewers.

“When you’re 4-11, you don’t usually get pushed back in the day on the TV time,” said Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano. “Obviously it’s a game with implications and we’re fortunate to be involved in it. Even though it’s not our implications, it’s our implications. It’s our playoff game. We’re going down to play it that way and come back with a victory.”

Schiano, at the end of his second season on Tampa Bay’s sidelines, might be playing for his job with a dismal 11-20 record with the Buccaneers. But Schiano dismissed the rumors of his interest in returning to college football with a potential opening at Penn State.

“I heard that. No, there is zero truth to that. I’ll make it clear: the only job I want is the one I have right now.”

Heading into Week 17 and heading into New Orleans, the Buccaneers want to play their game, insisting it’s not just about stopping the division rival Saints.

“Definitely – just the opportunity to finish strong and to finish with a win and finish 5-3 in the second half of the season,” said Tampa Bay defensive end William Gholston, via Pewter Report. “I think we’re going to go out there and give it all we’ve got, not just to spoil them but to make sure that we finish our second half of the season off on top.”

Can the Tampa Bay Buccaneers find a way to win in the Superdome? Will a Buccaneers victory be enough to save Schiano’s job? Which player should Tampa Bay be looking at for the 2014 draft?