Sunday evening in London, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Chicago Bears, 24-20. The defeat, the Bucs' second in three weeks, sent them to 4-3 and into a tie with the Atlanta Falcons for second place in the NFC South. As a result, FOX Sports analyst Brian Billick dropped Tampa Bay a whopping seven spots in his latest NFL Power Rankings, to No. 16 overall. That's the lowest spot they've held in Billick's rankings this season. His reasoning:
Don't know what to make of the loss in London, as Josh Freeman looked absolutely terrible. Great time for a bye week to prepare for a run through New Orleans, Houston and Green Bay. That stretch will determine the fate of the Bucs.
One week after leading the Bucs to victory against the division-leading New Orleans Saints, Freeman threw four interceptions against the Bears and finished with a woeful passer rating of 51.4. The young quarterback will need to return to form in a hurry, given the tough schedule that looms ahead.
Elsewhere in the NFC South, the Saints place No. 3 on Billick's list. The Falcons climb to No. 9, and the Carolina Panthers improved to No. 20.
For more NFL Power Rankings, visit SBNation.com.