What’s Next: Bucs Get Much-Needed Bye Before Facing Giants on the Road

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ bye week has finally arrived, and it couldn’t come at a better time for a team with a mounting injury list and the mental strain of a string of close losses.

The Buccaneers won’t play in Week 11 after absorbing a last-second 23-20 loss to the visiting San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. It was Tampa Bay’s fourth straight loss, the last three of which have come by a single score in dramatic fashion. That streak took the NFC South’s three-time defending champions from 4-2 and first place in the division to 4-6 and two games behind the Atlanta Falcons. However, based on current records of the teams the Buccaneers will play during the final seven weeks of the season, they have the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL.

The bye week could be the last bit of rest and recuperation that wide receiver Mike Evans and cornerback Jamel Dean need to return from their respective hamstring injuries. Dean has spent four games on injured reserve and thus would be eligible to be activated in Week 12 if he is ready. Evans has missed three games but is not on injured reserve. Pro Bowl left tackle Tristan Wirfs also suffered a knee injury on Sunday against the 49ers but it is unclear if he would be able to return to action after the bye week.

The Giants will also enjoy their bye in Week 11 after returning home from Munich, Germany, where they suffered a 20-17 overtime loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. That defeat dropped New York to 3-7, as they are trying to snap their own five-game losing streak. Quarterback Daniel Jones threw two interceptions but did run for a touchdown in the narrow loss. Through nine games, Jones has thrown for eight touchdowns and five interceptions as the Giants have topped 20 points in just three of those contests. New York’s offense does appear to have a budding star in rookie running back Tyrone Tracy, who ran for 103 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers.