Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: 2018 NFL Draft Week 15 rooting guide

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 29: A view of San Francisco 49ers helmets on the bench during their NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 29, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 29: A view of San Francisco 49ers helmets on the bench during their NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 29, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 26: Peyton Barber #25 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers jumps over the pile to score a touchdown during the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA – NOVEMBER 26: Peyton Barber #25 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers jumps over the pile to score a touchdown during the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on November 26, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

Atlanta Falcons at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Out of all the teams the 49ers should hope win games down the stretch, perhaps none stand out as much as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

At 4-9, the Bucs have a seriously difficult schedule to close out 2017:

  • vs. Atlanta Falcons
  • @ Carolina Panthers
  • vs. New Orleans Saints

Those three teams are all gunning for playoff berths, meaning the Buccaneers could realistically finish 2017 with four wins.

More from Niner Noise

Tack on a Niners victory, and the two teams would be right alongside each other. Making it even more interesting, though, is how close the strength of schedules are — 0.82 to 0.12, with the lower going to San Francisco.

A Tampa Bay win would keep the current three-spot gap between the Niners and Bucs the same, or increase it, depending on what happens in the 49ers and Titans game. And while the SOS would drop for the Buccaneers slightly, their proposed win here would be more important.

Next: Ranking the 49ers' 10 best players of 2017

So you better hope Tampa Bay pulls off an upset of upsets.