No team has flown under the radar this season quite like the surging Buccaneers.
Tampa’s owners were vilified for replacing Lovie Smith with first-time NFL head coach Dirk Koetter during the offseason, but Koetter quietly has the Bucs tied for first in the NFC South at 7-5 and 10th in The Post’s Weekly NFL Power Rankings after a 28-21 win at San Diego last week.
The victory was Tampa’s fourth in a row and kept the Bucs on pace to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007, when they were eliminated by the Giants in the wild-card round.
Jameis Winston, terrific wideout Mike Evans (10 TD receptions) and an extremely opportunistic defense that has forced 11 turnovers during the winning streak are leading the way for Tampa, but that elusive postseason spot won’t come easily.
The Bucs have two games remaining with the Saints and Drew Brees, as well as a prime-time visit to the 11-1 Cowboys next week, so nothing is assured for Tampa at the moment.
But with Winston, Evans and a host of playmakers on defense, Koetter’s team appears primed to join the ranks of the league’s perennial postseason contenders.
Last week’s rank in parentheses
1. Cowboys, 11-1 (1): Dallas heads into Sunday night’s visit to the Giants 4-2 all time against Big Blue at MetLife Stadium.
2. Patriots, 10-2 (2): How balanced is New England’s passing attack? Pats quarterbacks have completed throws to 13 different receivers.
3. Raiders, 10-2 (3): Outside linebacker Khalil Mack, who is enjoying an NFL Defensive MVP-worthy season, has four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
4. Chiefs, 9-3 (4): Kansas City has returned four interceptions for touchdowns and one interception for two points on a failed two-point conversion try.
5. Lions, 8-4 (7): Matthew Stafford has directed 14 fourth-quarter comebacks in the past three seasons, the most in the league.
6. Seahawks, 8-3-1 (9): Seattle, which leads the league in scoring defense, hasn’t allowed more than 25 points in a regular-season game since Week 12 of 2015.
7. Broncos, 8-4 (10): Denver has scored 20 or more points in six consecutive games and in 10 of its 12 games overall this season.
8. Giants, 8-4 (5): Victor Cruz has been targeted just eight times in the past four games combined, equaling the targets he received in the Week 7 win over the Rams alone.
9. Steelers, 7-5 (12): Pittsburgh has allowed just 30 points combined in its three-game winning streak.
10. Buccaneers, 7-5 (13): Winston has compiled a 100.9 passer rating with six TDs and just three interceptions in Tampa Bay’s four-game winning streak.
11. Ravens, 7-5 (15)
12. Dolphins, 7-5 (6)
13. Falcons, 7-5 (8)
14. Redskins, 6-5-1 (11)
15. Packers, 6-6 (20)
16. Colts, 6-6 (21)
17. Titans, 6-6 (17)
18. Vikings, 6-6 (18)
19. Bills, 6-6 (14)
20. Texans, 6-6 (16)
21. Cardinals, 5-6-1 (24)
22. Saints, 5-7 (19)
23. Eagles, 5-7 (22)
24. Bengals, 4-7-1 (27)
25. Panthers, 4-8 (23)
26. Rams, 4-8 (25)
27. Chargers, 5-7 (26)
28. Bears, 3-9 (29)
29. Jets, 3-9 (28): Gang Green have forced just one turnover during their current four-game losing streak and are a woeful minus-15 in takeaway margin for the season (30th in the NFL).
30. Jaguars, 2-10 (30)
31. 49ers, 1-11 (31)
32. Browns, 0-12 (32)