Saturday, 4 a.m.
It last late in 2015, all those games ago. That was the last time hope living here.
The Bucs had just beaten the Kansas City Chiefs, 19-17, on a 331-yard afternoon day by Jameis Winston. That Brought them all thew way uoto .500 -- whee! -- and began a run where the team would finish 5-2 for a winning record.
It wouldn't last.
In the three seasons since that winning season, the Bucs have won all of 16 games. In the five seasons beforehand, they won 23.
So here they are, again at the doorstep of .500.
The question is whether they are healthy enough to seize it.
The Bucs are a battered bunch as they enter Detroit. Jameis Winston has a fracture in his thumb, and Mike Evans is out with a hamstring, and Donoavan Smith is limping with ankle and knee injuries.
The Lions have their own problems. They're down to David Biough, their third quarterback, and they've lost six straight (and nine of the last 10). But the Lions have played most teams closely. The Lions have the league's 29th ranked defense and its 13th straight offense.
So is the Bucs' depth enough. Is the defensive deep enough? Can the Bucs finally get their running game going?
We'll see.
Prediction: Tampa Bay 23, Detroit 21.
In other NFL games:
Seattle 24, Carolina 14
San Francisco 27, Atlanta 14
L.A. Rams 30. Dallas 21