​The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mount Their Dark Horse and Ride

It was an upset that shocked everyone: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans in the stands, the Seattle Seahawks fans on the opposite coast, and Vegas bookmakers in the middle. But on Sunday the six-point home underdogs turned the spread, and the NFL's dominant narrative, on its ear. And then some.

The Seahawks entered the game as The NFL'S Hottest Team, a palpable-if-ineffable title reflected not just in winning streaks and power rankings but eye tests and momentum. After beating the Patriots at home and trouncing the Eagles, the Seahawks' miserable 9-3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams seemed like a lifetime ago.

More to the point, Healthy Russell Wilson looked like a completely different quarterback than the poor schmo who was a sitting duck behind a terrible offensive line weeks earlier—and your humble columnist wrote in this very space that Wilson looked as good as, if not "better" than he ever has.

Well.

His final stat line against Tampa: 17-of-33 for just 151 yards, no scores, and two interceptions. His 80 rushing yards led the team by some distance (Thomas Rawls had just 38 on 12 carries), but when all your receivers are covered, it turns out pass protection really is an issue:

Russell Wilson was under pressure on more plays than he was not under pressure. 23 to 22.
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) November 28, 2016

Wilson did turn in some moments of brilliance Sunday evening, notably a 4th-and-14 conversion with the game on the line. But even that was for naught, as he then threw the game-sealing pick:

GAME. CLINCHER.@BabyLead picks off Wilson to seal the 14-5 upset WIN!
3 in a row! #SiegetheDay https://t.co/PvQn0QQ9Er
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@TBBuccaneers) November 28, 2016

On the home side, Jameis Winston continues to mature, at least on the field. Going 21-of-28 for 220 yards with two touchdowns and a pick against the Legion of Boom—even without Earl Thomas—is a phenomenal achievement, especially when Russell Wilson didn't do nearly as well against your defense.

Maligned veteran cornerback Alterraun Verner continued his redemption campaign with a critical pick for Tampa, but the rookie drafted to replace him, Vernon Hargreaves III, deserves his own mention:

Vernon Hargreaves III allowed just 11 receiving yards to the Seahawks; new career low for him.
— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) November 28, 2016

Rookie pass rusher Noah Spence had a sack and a half, as did veteran Gerald McCoy (who, it must be noted, did not come out of the game unscathed). Do-everything linebacker Lavonte David did everything, including return a fumble 53 yards:

But this isn't just one great team performance, either: The Bucs are now 5-2 in their last seven games—and one of those losses was the Raiders' miraculous Two Buc Chuck overtime comeback. The only team that beat Tampa in regulation is the team they're chasing: the 7-4 Atlanta Falcons.

At 6-5, the Bucs are just one game behind the Falcons, and the Bucs Week 1 win means the head-to-head tiebreaker is a wash. If the NFC East teams devour each other down the stretch, the Bucs are even in position to make a run at the Wild Card.

Tampa Bay didn't quite take the Hottest Team in Football crown off the Seahawks helmets and put it on their own, but you'd be hard-pressed to find many teams on a more impressive run since Week 5, and they're hitting their stride right when it counts.

Has Jameis already arrived? Will head coach Dirk Koetter make the playoffs in his debut season? Is superfreak wideout Mike Evans even better than we thought he could be? We don't know the answers yet, but we should have plenty of fun finding out.