The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals have both dropped three straight, but only one of them still has something real to play for.

At 6-5, the Buccaneers limp into Sunday with a shrinking but still real lead in the weak NFC South. The 3-8 Cardinals, meanwhile, have almost locked up last place in the NFC West after losing eight of their last nine. In Tampa, this one feels a lot closer to a must-win than anyone at One Buc Place wants to admit.

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The headliner: Baker Mayfield’s left shoulder.

Mayfield sprained the non-throwing shoulder and sat the second half of last week’s 34-7 beatdown by the Rams, but he’s already framing this as a pain-tolerance game.

“I had dislocated my shoulder completely, had a torn labrum, partial (tear in the) rotator cuff and cracked the bone in the socket, so it’s very different,” Mayfield said, referencing his 2021 season in Cleveland. “Now, it’s just truly about pain tolerance management, being able to move around and being able to throw and go from there.”

The Bucs hold a half-game edge over Carolina (6-6) with two head-to-head meetings left. With the Panthers a big underdog to the Rams this week, Tampa has a chance to create real separation … if it takes care of business. If Mayfield can’t go, Teddy Bridgewater gets the nod.

“Where we are at right now, we’re viewing the rest of these games must-win situations,” Mayfield said. “I know it’s not, theoretically, but that’s how we’re viewing it… if I am physically able to go, then I’ll do it. … but understanding that if I sit one game out and that provides me to be healthier for down the stretch, then that’s how I am going to look at it. I have to be smart with that… it’s kind of a double-edged sword, but we’ll see how it goes.”

On the other sideline, at least one backup is locked in. Jacoby Brissett will make his seventh start in place of Kyler Murray, and he’s been quietly dangerous, averaging 314.5 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and just three picks.

“We aren’t playing bad. It’s just one or two things in those critical situations to get you over the hump,” Brissett said. “I definitely see it unfolding for us; it’s just a matter of when.”

Tampa’s pass protection will get tested by a sneaky two-man problem up front. The Cardinals only have 22 sacks, but edge Josh Sweat (nine sacks) and ageless monster Calais Campbell (5.5) can wreck drives by themselves.

“The fact that Calais Campbell is still playing at the level that he’s playing at is hats off to him,” Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard said. “Sweat does a really good job coming off the edge.”

Mayfield knows Campbell all too well.

“I don’t know how you’re that big and play for that long,” he said. “Kudos to him for taking care of his body the right way. I feel like everywhere I’ve been, I’ve had to play him… he keeps following me around.”

Tampa will get a huge boost in the backfield with Bucky Irving expected back after missing seven games. He was explosive as a rookie (1,122 rushing yards, 5.4 yards per carry) and was off to a hot start again with 237 rushing yards and 193 receiving before the injuries. Now he joins Rachaad White and Sean Tucker in a suddenly loaded room.

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“Everyone in that room is a great back,” Irving said. “I don’t look at it as I’m the starter, Rachaad is the starter, (or) Sean Tucker is the starter — we play for one another. I’m trying to bring that to this room and show that whoever is in the game, they can be a lead back… When you know you’ve got your brother’s back, everything is going to be all right knowing that you’re out there giving it your all.”

Both teams are bleeding, but only one controls a division and a playoff lane. For the Bucs, this isn’t just about ending a losing streak — it’s about proving they’re more than a banged-up quarterback and a soft division crown.

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