Can the Buccaneers catch the Saints with Drew Brees on the IR?

With Drew Brees out, it’s the Buccaneers’ division to lose.

Everyone knew the New Orleans Saints would be without Drew Brees for some time. Now, the team has a table on his prognosis.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, New Orleans will place the 41-year-old quarterback on the injured reserve, forcing him to miss at least the next three games. Brees left Sunday against the 49ers with five cracked ribs and a collapsed lung. In his absence, the Saints are expected to start Taysom Hill over former No.1 overall pick Jameis Winston.

A crushing blow for the NFC’s top team, this comes as a blessing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite both teams coming in with seven-win records, two of the three losses for the Tom Brady-led Bucs have come at the hands of New Orleans.

If the season were to end today, the Buccaneers would be traveling this postseason instead of hosting a playoff game or two. Now, the franchise has the opportunity to guarantee their status as the top club in the conference by capitalizing on New Orleans’ struggles.

That all is easier said than done when looking ahead at their upcoming schedule.

A test ahead for Bruce Arians’ squad

Tampa begins its toughest stretch of games Monday when hosting the Rams. Last week, Jared Goff and the offense dismantled the Seahawks secondary while the defense contained Russell Wilson to three turnovers and without a score. Go-to target D.K. Metcalf was blanketed by Jalen Ramsey in coverage until the fourth quarter.

Even if Ramsey takes away one of the receivers for Tampa, that doesn’t guarantee Mike Evans, Chris Godwin or Antonio Brown will be successful on the opposite side. Los Angeles’ pass defense has quietly been impressive, allowing a top-three mark of 199.7 yards per game and coming down with eight interceptions. It’s also best not to sleep on Aaron Donald up the middle as he continues to be the game’s top pass rusher.

If Tampa can survive Los Angeles, that’ll be just a warmup for the Chiefs’ offense. Patrick Mahomes continues to have a MVP season with a loaded arsenal in his back pocket, plus the defense rapidly has improved on both sides. And granted, while the Buccaneers’ defense leads the league in turnovers (19), Mahomes has committed just one in nine games.

Can Tampa pressure him enough to double that percentage in 60 minutes?

Throw in a rapidly improving Minnesota Vikings team in Week 13 and the trifecta of games Brees will miss aren’t clean sweeps for Tampa. On the flip side, Atlanta should give the Saints a run for their money, but a stop in Denver could be enough to keep them at worse 1-2. And in any case, Payton should have fun mixing up the play calls with two vastly different quarterbacks in his back pocket.

Life comes at you fast. For Tampa, the opportunity to command the NFC comes during the team’s toughest stretch. Barring a complete surge or collapse from all three teams, this could solidify the Bucs walking the plank to second place just in time for the postseason.