TAMPA, Fla. — As testimonials go, this one will not bring tears to anyone’s eyes.

It sounds more contrived than heartfelt. Almost like the bless-your-heart of compliments.

So, here it goes:

Dang, the Buccaneers get the most out of their talent.

Cheeky, right? If there was a back door for praise, that one just came strolling through. Except, it’s not meant to be snarky. It’s an honest tribute to what the Bucs have accomplished halfway through the season.

At 6-2, the Bucs have yet to lose a game they should have won. The Eagles can’t say that; they lost to the Giants. The Packers lost to the Browns, the Bills lost to the Falcons and the 49ers lost to the Texans.

Those are not entirely accidental. The NFL loves the any-given-Sunday perception of the league, which keeps fans coming back for more even when their teams are nowhere near the top of the standings.

So it’s not uncommon for even the best teams in the league to have the occasional grease stain on their record. And yet, the Bucs do not. They’ve lost to the Eagles and the Lions, the two teams with the best odds of reaching the Super Bowl from the NFC. Against teams with losing records, the Bucs are 4-0. Against teams with winning records, they are 2-2.

And that’s more impressive than you might think.

“It’s hard to maintain anything consistently for 17 weeks in this profession,” said Bucs backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who has lived the journey for 11 seasons with seven different franchises. “But when you have great leadership, you’re able to stop it at the door when you see anything that might interfere with what you’re trying to accomplish.”

This is what outsiders might not understand when they take head coach Todd Bowles to task for his perceived stoicism. Bowles has been in this league long enough to recognize that you can’t ride emotions from week to week. Approach each game with the same mindset, and you’re less likely to have letdowns.

That’s been especially important for the Bucs this season with their parade of injuries. Their margin for error has been reduced dramatically, which means even a slight downtick in focus could have devastating results.

Maybe there’s been some small degree of luck involved, but it should not go unnoticed that Tampa Bay is 4-0 in games decided by three points or less. No other team in the league can match that performance in clutch moments.

“You see it every week where the public thinks somebody is going to win a game easily and it goes the other way,” said edge rusher Anthony Nelson. “We talk about being ready every week, which is easy to say but hard to do consistently.

“It takes everybody. It takes a certain mentality for everybody to come together, believe in each other, do your job and play fast no matter who the opponent is.”

Which brings us to this weekend against the Patriots.

In some ways, the Bucs are in survival mode. Without Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan, the receiving corps is depleted. Without Bucky Irving, the running game is less dynamic. Without Cody Mauch, and with Luke Goedeke coming off weeks of inactivity, the right side of the offensive line looks shaky. The offense is essentially treading water until reinforcements arrive.

So, yes, the Bucs are vulnerable. And, more ominously, they’ve got road games against the Bills (6-2) and Rams (6-2) the next two weeks. A three-game losing streak for a banged-up roster is not out of the question.

That means the New England game looms large.

The Patriots, like the Bucs, have done a nice job of fulfilling expectations. They have the advantage of playing a last-place schedule — which means they’ve had games against the Saints, Titans, Browns and Falcons in recent weeks — and they’ve avoided stumbles.

“Honestly, you never know in this league,” said linebacker Yaya Diaby. “I was just watching Dallas against the Cardinals. It seemed like everybody was expecting Dallas to win, and it didn’t happen. That’s why your mindset is so important. Coach Bowles has been saying all week, ‘Don’t worry about Buffalo. Don’t worry about the rest of the season.’ If we focus on ourselves and how we’re going to play, nothing else should matter.”

The Bucs are 2 1/2-point favorites against the Patriots. That doesn’t mean anything on the field, except it’s worth pointing out that Tampa Bay is 3-0 when favored this season. That may sound like faint praise, but the Eagles, Rams, Packers, 49ers, Seahawks and Lions have all lost games they were favored to win in 2025.

The schedule gets dramatically easier once Tampa Bay gets past the next three games.

Take care of business this weekend, and everything else should begin falling into place.

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