After five weeks, the Buccaneers have played on all sides of the football spectrum. They have played spectacularly and poorly this season, causing them to have a 2-3 record.

In week one, they won pretty firmly on the road against a currently 4-1 Atlanta Falcons. In week two, the Bucs were blown out by the Arizona Cardinals, losing 40-7. The week after, the Buccaneers lost a close game after almost completing the comeback against the Los Angeles Rams. Then week four came around, where the Denver Broncos came to Tampa and won 27-7. Most recently, the Buccaneers completed the comeback with a game winning field goal against the Carolina Panthers on the road.

There have been a number of key players that have caused the Buccaneers to own a 2-3 record.

The most obvious player is Quarterback Jameis Winston, who has had his ups and downs. Against division opponents (Falcons, Panthers), Winston has five touchdowns to one interception, which may be the reason why those two games where also the only games the Buccaneers have won so far. Against all other opponents, Winston has five total touchdowns (four passing, one rushing) to seven interceptions, albeit not all of the turnovers weren’t his fault.

Another player that has made an impact is Wide Reciever Mike Evans. Evans has more touchdowns so far this season (four) than he did all of last season (three). Furthermore, Evans has drastically cut down on his drops this season. On top of all this, Evans is averaging 89.8 yards per game, the highest in his career.

Linebacker Kwon Alexander has also impacted the team. Alexander has two sacks so far this year and also has a pick six to go along with that.

There is one player, however, that has definitely impacted the team, which is kicker Roberto Aguayo. Aguayo was drafted in the second round in the 2016 NFL Draft. With that pick comes idea of perfection. Aguayo has not been perfect, or anywhere near it. Sure, he made a game wining kick on “Monday Night Football” on the road, but going 4/8 on field goal attempts. Specifically, Aguayo hasn’t been great outside of 40 yards, going 1/4. Despite this, Aguayo is 3/4 from the 30 to 39 yard range.

Moving forward to a preview of the rest of the season, the Buccaneers schedule goes as followed,

Week 7- Buccaneers@49ers, 4:05 pm kickoff

Week 8- Raiders@Buccaneers, 1:00 pm kickoff

Week 9- Falcons@Buccaneers, 8:25 pm kickoff (Thursday Night Football)

Week 10- Bears@Buccaneers, 1:00 pm kickoff

Week 11- Buccaneers@Chiefs, 1:00 pm kickoff

Week 12- Seahawks@Buccaneers, 4:05 pm kickoff

Week 13- Buccaneers@Chargers, 4:25 pm kickoff

Week 14- Saints@Buccaneers, 1:00 pm kickoff

Week 15- Buccaneers@Cowboys, 1:00 pm kickoff

Week 16- Buccaneers@Saints, 1:00 pm kickoff

Week 17- Panthers@Buccaneers, 1:00 pm kickoff

On paper, this could be a great chance for the Buccaneers to make a playoff run. Wins could come easily against the 49ers, Bears, both times against the Saints, and the second games against the Falcons and Panthers that are both at home. That’s a possible 8-8 record at minimum.

Games, such as the Cowboys, Chargers, Raiders and Chiefs, are winnable games but are a steeper task (barring injury). Lets say the Buccaneers win two of those four games along with the aforementioned victories, that’s a 10-6 record, which gives the Buccaneers a great chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Another aspect to consider when viewing the upcoming schedule is the fact that injuries have plagued the Buccaneers so far this season.

Defensive end Robert Ayers missed games against the Rams, Broncos and Panthers after getting injured in week two against the Cardinals. Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy missed the Monday Night Game against the Panthers. Running backs  Doug Martin and Charles Sims are both injured to a certain extent, as Martin is expected to return after the bye week while Sims was placed on Injured Reserve, effectively ending his season in all likelihood. Outside of Sims, all players mentioned above will likely return after the bye week. Their returns will definitely help, as their impact has clearly been missed when injured.