Buccaneers are 3-6 and still right in the playoff chase because the NFC South is woeful

If the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played in a different division, they’d be looking ahead to the draft and preparing for 2027.

But no team is out of the race in the NFC South.

The Bucs are 3-6 and just a half-game behind the Panthers (3-5) and Saints (3-5) heading into their bye week. They're tied with the Falcons (3-6) for last place but are 2-0 in the division with four games to play.

They couldn’t take advantage of five turnovers, including four interceptions on Caleb Williams, in a 27-24 loss at Chicago on Sunday night.

Baker Mayfield continued his dismal season, throwing a costly pick-6. He has just three touchdown passes, four interceptions and three lost fumbles in six games.

“That obviously was the difference in the game,” Mayfield said of throwing a 67-yard pass that Jaylon Johnson intercepted and returned for a touchdown after the Bucs had picked off Williams and were driving down 17-13 in the third quarter. “Defense, after they settled in, played amazing. So, you got to make the throws, you got to be more accurate. … If that’s one of the top teams, if not the top team in the league. We’re right there. So, if we play clean football, we’re going to be proud of that. Need to get it fixed. Got to take this bye to get healthy, continue to get guys back. And just have it on our minds, we need to go on a run. And mentally, it needs to be that way.”

Mayfield missed three games because of a fractured thumb on his throwing hand. He threw only 11 passes in a 43-13 rout at Carolina in his return and didn’t complete a pass last week, going 0 for 3 in a 16-0 win over Atlanta. But the Buccaneers needed more from him against the Bears and he couldn’t deliver.

It wasn’t all Mayfield’s fault. The offensive line struggled in pass protection and he was constantly harassed and pressured. The receivers dropped a few passes, including a couple on third downs that would’ve extended drives.

“It’s going to take everybody,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said. “We’re not going to be able to run the ball all ballgame. We’re going to have to throw, we’re going to have to catch.”

Running game. The Buccaneers followed up a franchise-best 324-yard rushing performance with an efficient 126 yards on the ground, averaging 4.5 per carry.

Passing game. Mayfield and the receivers must be better. The line has to improve in pass protection. Play-caller Zac Robinson has to be more creative.

Cornerback Zyon McCollum rebounded from a poor start after allowing a touchdown and wide-open completions to intercept two passes.

Mayfield missed throws and made poor decisions. He signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension before the season but has underperformed.

S Antoine Winfield Jr. injured his ankle and didn’t return.

3 — That’s the total net points the Buccaneers got off five turnovers. They turned four interceptions into minus 4 points because of Mayfield’s pick-6. Ifeatu Melifonwu recovered a fumble at the Chicago 17 and Bucky Irving turned that into a TD in the fourth quarter.

The Bucs visit Detroit (6-2) on Nov. 22.

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Chicago Bears defensive end Austin Booker (94) tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) in the second half during an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Chicago Bears defensive tackle Shemar Turner (95) tackles Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) in the second half during an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) reacts after a tackle by Chicago Bears defensive tackle Shemar Turner (95) in the second half during an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles speaks in a press conference after an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/David Banks)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) speaks in a press conference after an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/David Banks)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday told reporters he believes the war in Iran “militarily is effectively over," suggesting that — at least for now — he’s not prepared to resume the bombardment that has devastated the Islamic Republic and caused reverberations across the global economy.

The president made a surprise visit to the White House briefing room after meeting earlier in the day with Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani.

“Iran militarily is effectively over,” Trump said. “We’re just keeping it the status quo.”

He added that Iran has been “decapitated” but said he is still looking to make sure there’s a long-term solution to ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is defanged.

It was some of Trump's most definitive comments about moving away from his threat to resume strikes on Iran after the U.S. midterm elections had passed.

The president's Republican Party lost both chambers of Congress to Democrats in last week's elections. The elections were shadowed by dissatisfaction among the American electorate over the 8-month-old war, which has led to a surge in fuel prices that's impacted nearly ever sector of the global economy.

Trump, over the course of the conflict, has repeatedly said he is on the cusp of ordering U.S. forces to escalate attacks if Iran’s leaders don’t quickly agree to U.S. terms to end the war, only to back down. In earlier cycles, he has also edged away with a last-minute declaration, sometimes at the behest of Gulf allies, that he’s going to give diplomacy more time.

In a posting on social media shortly before speaking to reporters, Trump once again asserted that Middle East allies — Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and others — "would prefer the status quo." Minutes later, in his exchange with reporters, he sought to assure war-weary Americans that there was “positive momentum” and that he saw a “good chance” that the war “could get ended.”

“They’re talking to us, and they’re talking very politely, And we’ll see what happens," Trump said. He added, “The military action doesn’t seem to be a very necessary thing, but we’re locked and loaded, ready to go for any reason that changes."

Trump, however, gave no hint of a drawdown of the thousands of U.S. troops who have been shifted to the waters off of Iran and maintain a naval blockade to stem the flow of Iranian oil into the global market.

“We’re keeping it going. We have the greatest military blockade ever,” Trump said.

Qatari officials last week presented proposals on Iran’s nuclear program, according to two Middle East government officials familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The White House declined to comment, though Trump last week alluded to ongoing indirect talks with Tehran.

All the while, Tehran continues to insist on several concessions from the U.S., which Trump has declined in the past. Among the core demands Iran says must be met before engaging in nuclear talks: ending the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports, lifting sanctions, unfreezing its assets, issuing compensation for war damage and ending hostilities throughout the region, including Israeli operations in Lebanon.

Earlier Monday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has come under fire over the conflict, said the next steps on the war are up to Trump, including the possibility of telling Iran: “Hey, we’re done, and we’re going to watch your nuclear material. You better not move it.”

The defense secretary has been one of the administration's most prominent defenders of the war. Critics say the administration launched the war without proper authorization, violated the War Powers Resolution and subverted congressional war-declaring powers.

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky moved Monday to force a vote to impeachHegseth, largely over his execution of the war.

Trump told CNN in a phone interview Sunday that as long as the U.S. sees progress in negotiations with the Iranians and they sign a “strong agreement,” it’s “highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary” to resume strikes.

Trump said, however, that the U.S. had identified infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges, that it would strike if military action resumes.

The U.S. military, meanwhile, still has carried out limited strikes on Iran, including against its air defenses, at least twice over the past week. It also fired on and disabled a commercial ship Saturday that the U.S. says was trying to breach its naval blockade on Iranian ports.

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AP writers Konstantin Toropin, Samy Magdy and Seung Min Kim contributed reporting.

President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)