TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reached their bye week, week 10 of the NFL season, with a 4-6 record.

News Channel 8’s Dan Lucas assessed the state of the team with Matt Matera of PewterReport.com, the highs and the lows of a team that still has playoff aspirations.

Offensively, the Bucs are one of the better teams in the league, enjoying success under first-year Coordinator Liam Coen.

Even without Wide Receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, the Bucs have still produced yards and points. Quarterback Baker Mayfield is tied for the NFL lead in touchdown passes with 24 and is fifth in passing yards. The running game is averaging more than 125 yards per game.

However, missing pieces have kept the offense from producing at its rate earlier in the season which makes the potential return of Evans next week a topic of focus.

Also, Offensive Tackle Tristan Wirfs will be watched closely as he recovers from a grade-one knee sprain, suffered in the team’s loss to the 49ers last Sunday.

Defensively, the bye week cannot come at a better time as this unit hopes for a reboot.

Playing well in spells each game, the defense has been victimized for by big plays at crucial moments during games, particularly late-game situations. The Bucs have dropped four straight games, knowing there was a realistic chance to close out three of them for victories.

The addition of Safety Mike Edwards, a member of the 2020 Super Bowl team, will be a welcome sight when the team resumes practice next week. Edwards was acquired from waivers on Thursday,

Communication on defense is a lingering issue, according to Head Coach Todd Bowles. Now, the defensive backfield is reunited with Edwards, Jordan Whitehead and Antoine Winfield Jr.

The Bucs schedule is perceived to be lighter after the bye week, but there is just about no room for error. The Bucs trail the Atlanta Falcons by two games in the NFC South, but more than that in the playoff tie-break scenarios having lost two games to Atlanta this season.

The math is just as difficult in the NFC Wild Card picture, but each win the Bucs can post, combined with Falcons losses, will add pressure to the division leaders as December looms in the picture.