Julio Cortez / Associated Press
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their first playoff game in 18 years after a 31-23 victory over the Washington Football Team in the NFC Wild Card Round Saturday night.
Tampa made its first post-season appearance since 2007 and had a favorable game against a Washington team that was 7-9 in the regular season. The Bucs also ended the year on a high note with four consecutive wins and the offense averaged 40.7 points per game in the last three weeks.
Washington’s key to success all season was a defense that finished fourth in points allowed per game (20.6). The offense was a question mark, especially since Taylor Heinicke only took his second NFL start in place of Alex Smith, who was found inactive due to a calf injury.
Although the defense of the football team looked bad for Tom Brady, the three-time NFL MVP was able to distinguish them. He finished with 381 yards over, though he was fired three times.
Heinicke managed to throw the ball to the field and create plays with his legs, picking up 352 total plots.
Remarkable game stats
- Tom Brady, TB: 22-of-40, 381 yards, 2 TDs
- Leonard Fournette, TB: 19 dra, 93 yards, TD; 4 reception, 39 meters
- Mike Evans, TB: 6 receptions, 119 meters
- Antonio Brown, TB: 2 reception, 49 yards, TD
- Taylor Heinicke, WAS: 26-of-44, 306 yards, TD, INT; 6 dra, 46 meter, TD
- Antonio Gibson, WAS: 14 carries, 31 yards
- Cam Sims, WAS: 7 receptions, 104 meters
Bucs survive ugly victory over Washington
Despite playing out as the No. 5 series, the Buccaneers have played as well as any team in the NFC over the past month.
Brady in particular is in the midst of one of the hottest streaks of his historic career. The 43-year-old threw at least 300 meters in four straight matches with 12 berths during that period.
In his first playoff game with Brady, Antonio Brown made an impact with a 36-yard catch in the first quarter.
Brown found his pass in the offense of Bruce Arians. The seven-time Pro Bowler has caught four touchdowns over the last three games of the regular season and had a season-high 138 yards in Week 17 against the Atlanta Falcons.
It’s a good thing that Brown increased, because Chris Godwin had an absolute nightmare game that he would immediately want to forget.
One of Godwin’s drops was a possible attack to capture four plays before Brown ended up in the finish line in the first quarter.
There are still signs that the Bucs will be vulnerable to better competition. Washington was able to move the ball against the field defense, averaging 5.4 yards per game, but the inability to complete drives led to its demise.
Brady had a number of major plays through the air, but his completion rate in the third quarter was less than 50 percent. Offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich stressed the running game much longer than he should have.
As the Buccaneers tried to drive halfway through the third quarter to extend their 18-10 lead, Ke’Shawn Vaughn lost a whisper that was repaired by Washington linebacker Jon Bostic.
If there is a silver lining, Brady led the attack after the whisper on three consecutive points in the fourth quarter that made the difference in the game.
Arians, Leftwich and the rest of the coaching staff will make enough adjustments next week, but the Bucs continue to prove that they can win games in different ways. This makes them very dangerous in an NFC that looks wide open to the Green Bay Packers.
Disappointing end does not diminish Washington’s season
As Washington enters the 2020 season with the longest chance to win the NFC East and have not reached the playoffs since 2015, it’s just a big step in the right direction for the franchise to get to this point.
Washington has the foundation of a potential juggernaut thanks to a dominant defense. That unit classified third in Football Outsiders’ DVOA and fourth in points allowed during the regular season.
The expectation the coming Saturday night was that Tampa Bay would blow down Washington’s doors. It certainly looked reasonable, especially with Washington turning to a quarterback who started one in his six-year NFL career.
A funny thing happened along the way: Washington hung around and even flirted with a disturbance.
Heinicke not only looked comfortable in his first playoff game, but also caused the Bucs defense with his arm and legs.
Heinicke threw more passes through the first three quarters on Saturday night (26) than he did during the entire regular season (19). The 27-year-old may not be Washington’s appetizer in the long run, but he certainly looks like an above-average backup.
Next gene statistics @NextGenStats
Taylor Heinicke reached a top speed of 19.29 MPH on this 8-yard TD run, driving 39.1 yards from the moment to the moment he crossed the pillar. Heinicke is responsible for the two fastest speeds by a ball carrier in tonight’s game (19.29 and 19.25 MPH). # TBvsWAS | Powered by @awscloud https://t.co/dTT5ClukWf
Washington’s defense has proven throughout the 2020 season that he is capable of keeping up with any team in the league each week. The quarterly situation left the offense in an ongoing state.
The offense has talent, with Terry McLaurin proving he is a quarterback after breaking the 1,000-yard dive in 2020. Antonio Gibson had a great rookie season with 1,042 yards of scratches and 11 touchdowns.
Head coach Ron Rivera and his staff will have to address this position during the off-season. If Washington can even get the quarter’s average production in 2021, the ceiling for this team is just as high as any NFC team.
What’s next?
The Bucs’ The game between the NFC division rounds is determined after the outcome of Sunday’s game between the Chicago Bears and New Orleans Saints.