The Buccaneers are the kings of the NFC South and have been for several years under a combination of Bruce Arians and Todd Bowles with either Tom Brady or Baker Mayfield at quarterback. This season, Mayfield has been playing at an MVP level, turning the Buccaneers into a serious threat in the NFC.

This almost didn’t seem possible heading into the season, with many predicting that the Rams defense would finish inside the bottom-10 or below average at best. Before the season, I did a ‘half-baked’ takes piece in which I wrote about things that I sort of believed and were at least within the realm of possibility.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are closing in on a historic pace in one area after the Week 8 win over the Saints, and Todd Bowles deserves credit.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost the top spot in the NFC last week with their loss and even though they won in Week 8, they didn’t get a ton of help in the playoff race. The loss by the San Francisco 49ers moved the Bucs up one spot from fourth to third.

The Los Angeles Rams have been a stellar fantasy football team in the 2025 NFL season. They add another elite option for Week 9's matchup.

USA Today's NFL experts make their picks for a Week 9 showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints