NFL Week 16 Power Rankings: Buccaneers getting hot at the right time; Lions fall to fourth after loss to Bills

There is a team lurking in the NFC that nobody will want to play come playoff time.

It’s the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

I thought the Bucs could be a playoff team this season. In fact, I picked them to win the NFC South. But after watching them do what they did to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, I am even more impressed by what they are as a team.

After falling behind, 17-10, in the second quarter, looking like a team that would flounder on the road, the Bucs scored 30 unanswered points in the second half on their way to a 40-17 blowout.

The Bucs had 505 total yards, 222 on the ground, and Baker Mayfield threw four touchdown passes against the league’s top-ranked scoring defense. The Tampa Bay defense harassed Justin Herbert all day long and limited him to 195 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. In the second half, he couldn’t do much of anything.

The Bucs are now 8-6 heading to the final three games, leading the NFC South....