(My Sportsbook) - It's official now. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are here to stay in the NFC playoff picture.

Most had dismissed the Bucs' chances in the rugged NFC South, particularly after an inexplicable midseason loss to the conference's doormat, the San Francisco 49ers, that was followed up by a sound thrashing at home to the South's regarded kingpin, the Carolina Panthers.

That early November defeat to the Panthers stamped Tampa Bay as a team with glaring weaknesses on offense that was thought to be a notch below the NFC's elite clubs. Well, the Buccaneers have responded to their critics with four victories in five weeks since that game, and made their most emphatic statement yet on Sunday with an impressive 20-10 triumph on the road in their rematch with Carolina.

Now the team that next to no one pegged as a playoff contender before the season, the same one expected to fade away by the holidays, controls its own destiny in one of the NFL's strongest divisions.

"I know a lot of guys on this team felt a little disrespected," said quarterback Chris Simms, who contributed to the win with a solid 20-of-27 passing effort and a number of key third-down completions. "Everybody was picking the Panthers and really kind of overlooking us, so we came out here with something to prove today."

Although Tampa Bay is currently tied with Carolina at the top of the NFC South, with Atlanta lurking one game back, the Bucs currently hold the tiebreaker edge because they have only one intradivision loss, compared to two by both the Panthers and Falcons. Tampa Bay also has a chance to record a season sweep of Atlanta when the two rivals meet in Raymond James Stadium on Christmas Eve.

While Sunday's victory was clearly important to the Bucs from a positioning standpoint, it was far bigger from a psychological one. The Panthers had owned Tampa Bay over the last 2 1/2 years, having won five straight in the series and playing with a physical superiority in each one.

Things were different this time around, as Tampa Bay's offensive line controlled the point of attack to unleash an effective ground game and allow Simms to be virtually untouched throughout the afternoon. On defense, the Bucs played with both aggression and precision and didn't let the Panthers reach the end zone until the final minute of play.

"We talk about outplaying our opponent's defense every week, and the past five times we've played those guys we definitely haven't done that," said cornerback Ronde Barber, one of Tampa Bay's defensive heroes on Sunday. "Without a doubt, I'd say we did that this time."

The Bucs' all-around performance was certainly impressive, but in reality probably didn't do much to sway the public opinion that the Panthers are the class of the division. But when examining the two teams closely, they're really very similar in a lot of respects.

Both have small, lightning-fast number one receivers (Steve Smith, Joey Galloway) that are enjoying ultra-productive seasons. Likewise, each team has had trouble developing reliable secondary options in the passing game. Both also possess very strong defenses that are among the league's best in stopping the run and are successful in getting to the quarterback, led by two of the game's best pass rushers in Carolina's Julius Peppers and Tampa's Simeon Rice.

While Jake Delhomme's experience and resume' gives the Panthers an edge at quarterback over the youthful Simms, the Bucs counter with a significantly stronger rushing attack spearheaded by sensational rookie Cadillac Williams. Williams was a huge factor in Sunday's win, putting up 112 yards and two touchdowns against a Carolina unit that hadn't yielded a back to reach the century mark since Williams' Auburn teammate Ronnie Brown did so in Week 3. Conversely, Tampa Bay limited the Panthers' DeShaun Foster to 46 yards on 14 carries, most of which came on Carolina's opening series.

So upon further review, it looks the Bucs just may be for real after all. One thing's for sure, they're not going away any time soon.

BARBER MAKES HISTORY

Barber became the first cornerback in NFL history to compile both 20 interceptions and sacks in a career when he took down Delhomme on a blitz in the fourth quarter. The standout defensive back also came up with possibly the game's biggest play on the previous possession, when he killed a Panthers' scoring opportunity by stepping in front of Ricky Proehl and intercepting Delhomme at the Tampa Bay seven-yard line. His pick and 35-yard return helped set up Williams' second touchdown of the day, which gave the Bucs a commanding 20-3 lead with under six minutes remaining.

"Well, he's a legend now," quipped Tampa head coach Jon Gruden of Barber. "He's the only guy in the history of this league to do what he's done. I just hope he gets the national credit, the notoriety that a player of this magnitude deserves."

MCFARLAND TO MISS TIME

One negative on an otherwise rosy day for the Buccaneers was an injury to defensive tackle Anthony McFarland, who strained his left hamstring in the first quarter and did not return. McFarland, one of the pillars of Tampa Bay's stout defensive line, is not expected to be ready for this Saturday's game at New England.

Ellis Wyms, a five-year veteran who has never started an NFL game, will likely get the nod in McFarland's absence. Wyms played well in his extended time against the Panthers, recording a sack and a forced fumble among two tackles.

DEEP FREEZE?

The Bucs hope to carry the momentum from their most recent win when they visit the two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots this Saturday in an interesting interconference matchup.

If history is any indication, Tampa Bay appears to be facing quite a challenge. Not only will the Bucs have to play in one of the NFL's toughest stadiums for an opposing team, but will have to hear the talk all week of their all-time record of futility in cold-weather environments. The Buccaneers are just 2-21 lifetime when the temperature falls below 40 degrees, a near- certainty at Foxborough in December. However, Tampa Bay did shake that label somewhat the last time it played in frigid conditions, when the Bucs went into Philadelphia for the 2002 NFC Championship game and came away with a 27-10 victory.