Of all the teams the Tampa Bay Buccaneers could’ve faced in the Wild Card Round, they may have got to play the team who will give Tom Brady and company the least challenge on Saturday. Despite having a worse seed than the 7-9 Washington Football Team, the Bucs had their best season since 2007, when they won the NFC South with Jon Gruden as their Head Coach. Brady was spectacular this season while still learning Bruce Arians’ offense. Brady threw for 4,633 yards, 40 Touchdowns with just 12 Interceptions while posting a 65.7% completion percentage. It did help when Brady had three former Pro Bowl receivers to throw to, including Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Antonio Brown, along with future Hall-of-Fame Tight End Rob Gronkowski. The star-studded Bucs will have their work cut out for them, as Washington’s defense was one of the NFL’s top defenses all season long.
Key Matchup #1: Buccaneers’ Pass Attack vs Washington’s Stellar Defense
Ultimately, this will be the matchup that determines the winner in this game. There’s no doubt that the Buccaneers have the best offensive weapons, from Evans to Ronald Jones. Evans led the team with 70 receptions for 1,006 yards and 13 Touchdowns while missing various time in some games. Godwin also finished 2020 strong with 65 receptions for 840 yards and seven Touchdowns. Brown tallied 45 receptions for 483 yards and four touchdowns in just eight games too. Gronkowski was also able to find success in Arianis’ offense, with 45 receptions for 623 yards and seven Touchdowns. These stats weren’t from garbage time situations, either. Tampa Bay finished third in the NFL with 67 completions of 20+ yards, against pretty good competition too. The Buccaneers finished third in points per game as well as a seventh-place-finish in Yards per game. Tampa Bay’s offense has been impeccable at most times.
Even with Tampa Bay’s special passing attack, Washington does match up well against the Bucs. Washington’s talented front seven give Defensive Coordinator Jack Del Rio flexibility with his play-calling. Since Washington doesn’t have to rush six or seven players to get to the Quarterback, their front four gets pressure while Del Rio can make more conservative play calls. Washington’s defensive line was led by second-year-pro Montez Sweat with a team-leading nine sacks and two forced fumbles. Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner Chase Young has already blossomed into a superstar, with 7.5 sacks and four forced fumbles. Da’ron Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Ryan Kerrigan have all played pretty big roles in Washington’s success this season. Washington’s defense ranked fourth in points per game and second in yards per game. Washington’s pass-rushers getting to Brady will be crucial to try and throw the six-time Super Bowl Champion’s game off.
Key Matchup #2: Washington’s Passing Offense vs depleted Buccaneers’ Defense
Even with the Buccaneers possessing a great defense too, there is some concern for stopping Washington’s “dink and dunk” offense. Sure, the numbers’ aren’t pretty for Alex Smith this season. Smith has passed for just 1,582 yards and has thrown six touchdowns and eight interceptions, but Washington is 5-1 this season when Smith was their starting Quarterback, including a Week 13 upset against the then 11-0 Pittsburgh Steelers. Smith has occasionally thrown the ball down the field, with Terry McLaurin being his lone option. McLaurin built off an impressive 2019 campaign with 87 receptions for 1,118 yards and four Touchdowns in 2020. With McLaurin being the team’s only deep threat, Washington relied on Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic often out of the backfield. Gibson had 1,042 scrimmage yards and 11 scrimmage touchdowns in 14 games this season, while McKissic had 954 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns.
Normally, Tampa Bay would stack up well against a team like this. The red-hot Buccaneers led the NFL in yards per carry (3.6) and yards per game (80.6), so constantly running the ball wouldn’t be the best option to take. The Buccaneers passing defense was a lot more vulnerable, as Tampa ranked bottom-third in yards per game (21st) and completion percentage (29th). It would seem as if the Buccaneers’ passing defense couldn’t get any worse. Well, with the news of Cornerback Jamel Dean and Jason-Pierre Paul both not participating in Tuesday’s practice, it certainly could if they both miss Saturday’s game. Even with Tampa Bay’s horrible defensive numbers, they were still dominant in the turnover department. The Buccaneers finished tied for seventh in interceptions with 15 this past season, with Carlton Davis accounting for four of the 15 interceptions. Creating Turnovers will be crucial for Tampa Bay to win.
Injury Report for Tampa Bay
- RB Ronald Jones (finger) – Full Participation
- RB LeSean McCoy (not injury related/illness) – Did Not Participate – QUESTIONABLE
- WR Mike Evans (knee) – Limited Participation – QUESTIONABLE
- DL Jeremiah Ledbetter (calf) – Did Not Participate – OUT
- DL Ndamukong Suh (not injury related) – Did Not Participate
- OLB Jason Pierre-Paul (knee) – Limited Participation
- CB Carlton Davis (groin) – Full Participation – QUESTIONABLE
Injury Report for Washington
- QB Alex Smith (calf) – Limited Participation – QUESTIONABLE
- RB Antonio Gibson (toe) – Limited Participation – QUESTIONABLE
- WR Terry McLaurin (ankle) – Limited Participation – QUESTIONABLE
- G Brandon Scherff (shoulder) – Full Participation
- DT Jonathan Allen (not injury related) – Full Participation
- LB Kevin Pierre-Louis (ankle) – Limited Participation – QUESTIONABLE
- LB Thomas Davis Sr. (knee) – Did Not Participate – OUT
- DT Jonathan Allen (not injury related) – Full Participation
- CB Kendall Fuller (knee) – Full Participation