Tampa Bay takes on Washington in Wild-Card round
Keys to the game
Protect quarterback Tom Brady
When a rookie defensive end calls out your legendary, future Hall of Fame quarterback, as an offensive line, you take that personally. That’s exactly what Washington rookie defensive end Chase Young did after they defeated the Philadelphia Eagle and locked their ticket to face Tampa Bay. A video surfaced on social media of Young running into the tunnel screaming ‘I want Tom!’ As Bruce Arians said in his press conference with reporters, be careful what you wish for.
Antonio Brown is heating up on offense
With Mike Evans’ status for Saturday’s game potentially up in the air because of the hyperextended left knee, most teams would be dreading putting together a game plan without one of their best wide receivers. I mean, unless if you’re the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and you have a treasure chest of receivers roaming around. Antonio Brown is heating up at the right time, as he caught 11 passes for 138 yards and two scores last weekend versus Atlanta. Brown figures to be a huge part of the game plan when it comes to the playoff game.
Defense must step up without linebacker Devin White
A beleaguered defense may have to step it up without one of their best players in middle linebacker Devin White. The star in the making notched 140 tackles this season and would have be a key cog in the middle against Washington’s more methodical offensive attack. Now players like Lavonte David, Kevin Minter and crew will have to pick it up in White’s absence due to the COVID-19 protocols. Tampa Bay takes this game if the defense plays to their full potential. Defense could see backup Taylor Heineke, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport after starter Alex Smith experienced soreness in his calf.
