Bucs finish 9-7, but fall short of making playoffs again (Yahoo Sports)

Making the playoffs, though, would have been so much sweeter for the improved Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ''We're very close,'' cornerback Alterraun Verner said after Sunday's 17-16 victory over the Carolina Panthers left the Bucs (9-7) feeling good about their progress yet short of a goal of earning a postseason berth for the first time in nearly a decade. With Jameis Winston and a revitalized defense leading the way, the Bucs rebounded from a 3-5 start to climb into contention for what would have been their first postseason appearance since 2007.