TAMPA, Fla. — It was Dec. 29, hours after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had defeated the Carolina Panthers, 48-14, and each pair of eyes in quarterback Baker Mayfield’s lounge had been fixated on the TV with gamers nervously gnawing rooster tenders and onion rings.
The principle attraction? The Washington Commanders internet hosting the Atlanta Falcons on “Sunday Night time Soccer.”
The Bucs wanted the Commanders to win the Week 17 sport to maneuver forward of the Falcons within the NFC South race and management their very own playoff destiny heading into the Week 18 season finale.
“Massive Jayden Daniels fan tonight,” Mayfield mentioned in his CBS postgame interview earlier that day.
A loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16 snapped the Bucs’ four-game successful streak and put them in a tie with the Falcons, and Atlanta held the head-to-head tiebreaker after sweeping Tampa earlier within the season.
A little bit assist from the Commanders was all of the Bucs had been hoping for as they watched together with the remainder of the world.
“Lot of ups and downs, watching from a fan’s perspective,” Mayfield mentioned. “Not all the time the best one in your coronary heart price.”
With two seconds left in regulation and the sport tied at 24-24, Falcons kicker Riley Patterson trotted out to try a 56-yard area purpose.
The kick was up, and rookie working again Bucky Irving raced out of the home in frustration.
“I assumed it went in,” Irving mentioned.
“Watching it, it seemed just like the kick was in,” All-Professional left sort out Tristan Wirfs added.
Wirfs hung his head down, and hastily “I felt two large bear paws smack me,” he mentioned.
It was swing sort out Justin Skule — “He missed!” Skule shouted.
“It seemed prefer it was on line,” left guard Ben Bredeson added. “I could not see that it had fallen quick.”
Mayfield needed to go get Irving and produce him again inside.
“I sat down and watched the sport some extra,” Irving mentioned, earlier than punching in a DoorDash order. “I bought a milkshake after that. … Oreo.”
It might find yourself being a celebratory milkshake at that, because the Commanders went on to win in time beyond regulation 30-24, and the Bucs’ social media accounts reacted by posting a photograph of Mayfield hugging Daniels from their Week 1 sport with a handshake emoji.
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 30, 2024
With a sport in hand within the standings, the Bucs went into their Week 18 finale with the New Orleans Saints figuring out a victory would clinch the division. A Falcons loss or tie to the Panthers would additionally seal it for them, however why depart issues to likelihood? Particularly after every thing it took to get right here.
After a Week 10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Bucs fell to 4-6 with a 23.7% likelihood to make the playoffs, based on ESPN Analysis. Eight weeks later, after a bit of assist from the Commanders, that they had clawed again to the highest of the division however had been trailing 16-6 at halftime towards the Saints. Jalen McMillan’s 32-yard, toe-dragging landing catch within the fourth quarter gave them the primary lead of the sport, and the Bucs grew to become the primary workforce because the 2013 Chargers to beat a double-digit deficit within the season finale to clinch a playoff spot with a 27-19 victory.
“It feels good, however our purpose wasn’t simply entering into the playoffs. We wish to go all the best way,” Mayfield mentioned. “This can be a powerful, resilient group that is been examined all year long, and so we’re constructed for the playoffs.”
After successful six of their ultimate seven video games, the No. 3-seeded Bucs (10-7) are set to host the No. 6 Commanders (12-5) on Sunday (8 p.m. ET, NBC) within the wild-card spherical.
“The fellows really care about each other, play for one another,” Bredeson mentioned, “and I feel once we get in these powerful conditions, we’re capable of lean on one another and depend on a few of that non-public relationship to perhaps push you thru.”
THE BUCS’ SEASON noticed them pull off upsets over the No. 1 seeded Detroit Lions in Week 2 and the No. 2-seeded Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4. Additionally they thrashed the Chargers (the No. 5 seed) 40-17 in Week 15.
However then there have been devastating lows, like dropping Chris Godwin, the NFL’s chief in catches and touchdowns via the primary seven weeks, for the season and Mike Evans, the franchise’s all-time main receiver, in a single evening towards the Baltimore Ravens in Week 7.
“It simply completely sucks,” a shaken Mayfield mentioned on the time. “I’ve bought a heavy coronary heart proper now. … I do not know what we will do.”
Wanting again Wednesday, Mayfield mentioned, “Within the midst of that second … dropping these two guys sucks, dropping the sport, [it’s] not nice. However take a while after that, [you] notice that you just bought to instill confidence within the different guys, get them able to roll and go from there.”
Evans would return in Week 12, however not earlier than the workforce misplaced 4 in a row to the Ravens, Falcons, Kansas Metropolis Chiefs and 49ers — the ultimate three determined by one rating or much less and after having the lead or tying the sport inside the ultimate two minutes of regulation.
Evans was one among 18 starters who missed a mixed 62 video games.
“We knew that we had been going to face adversity in some unspecified time in the future in time within the season,” mentioned broad receiver Sterling Shepard, who mentioned coach Todd Bowles talked about making ready for all of it via camp. “We simply talked about, ‘How’s our psychological going to be each time that stuff does hit? As a result of you recognize it will hit.’ … You have to dig your self out of some holes all through the season.”
They wanted a colossal effort (and a few luck) to safe a fourth consecutive division title, a fifth straight postseason berth and assist elevate Evans to his eleventh consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season, tying Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Jerry Rice for essentially the most in NFL historical past.
.@MikeEvans13_ was mic’d up for his record-breaking catch and it is unimaginable 🔊 pic.twitter.com/AfvoV0Vp73
— NFL (@NFL) January 6, 2025
“Lacking time, it was a grind to get again — it actually was,” mentioned Evans, who completed the season with 11 touchdowns. “That is most likely like my second-worst hamstring damage I’ve had in my life.”
Evans thought again to the rehab classes he had with Bucs vice chairman of sports activities medication and efficiency Bobby Slater and the objectives he set.
“[Slater] was telling me, each time I used to be outdoors working in that warmth and working all of [those] sprints, he saved saying, ‘We’re going to get 1,000 yards, and we’re going to the playoffs,'” Evans mentioned.
Evans’ milestone got here on the ultimate play of the common season. After Irving’s 11-yard landing run that gave them the eight-point cushion, the protection made a cease. Nonetheless, Evans was 5 yards in need of the 85 he wanted coming in to tie Rice. Bowles made the choice to not take a knee when the workforce bought the ball again with 36 seconds left on the Tampa Bay 32-yard line.
“I did not need an interception,” Bowles mentioned, calling Evans’ 9-yard seize one of many “best performs and best moments” of his teaching profession.
“To get a file like that for 11 years to tie Jerry Rice, who I consider is the best of all time, is one thing you may’t attempt to go up,” Bowles mentioned. “And I feel all people was so excited to see it occur and possibly all of the emotion I’ve seen out of Mike greater than I have been right here. In order that was nice to see. It was nice to see the fellows erupting on the sideline taking part in for one another, and it was only a cool second.
“It most likely was the very best sport ball [I’ve given out].”
Cornerback Zyon McCollum, who helped get the third-down cease main as much as that, and who idolized Evans, attending the identical highschool in Galveston, Texas, mentioned, “It is one thing I will always remember in my life.”
Teammates doused Evans with water within the locker room. He then broke the huddle with, “I really like you all, man. We ain’t accomplished. We ain’t f—ing accomplished.”
With the division and playoffs secured, the Bucs had cause to have a good time.
“I’ve mentioned it for a pair weeks now, ‘Simply maintain swinging. We’ll search for on the finish and see the place we’re at,'” Wirfs added. “There have been some ups and downs … however once we seemed up, it was 0:00, and we had been champs, man.”
THE PLAY OF Mayfield, who signed a three-year deal this offseason price $100 million, helped maintain all of it collectively, together with his four-touchdown efficiency in Week 1 towards the Commanders serving as a catalyst. In that 30-27 victory, he accomplished 80% of his passes.
Mayfield continued anchoring the workforce together with his scrappy fashion all through the season. There was Mayfield’s stiff-arm towards 49ers defensive finish Nick Bosa whereas finishing a fourth-down go to a leaping Rachaad White, Mayfield racing downfield to dam for Irving in Week 12 on the New York Giants and a 28-yard scramble on third-and-14 in Week 18 to maintain their playoff hopes alive.
“When he is doing the little issues like diving for fumbles and making an attempt to dam down the sector … all people else appears at him like, ‘Why cannot we do our half?'” Bowles mentioned. “I really like having him round right here, love every thing he is doing, love the best way he handles the workforce. All people has purchased in.”
Then there was the spotlight reel landing to McMillan towards the Saints on first-and-18, thrown off-platform, serving to McMillan atone for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty two snaps prior.
“The throw was unbelievable, and he was on the run when he did it,” Bowles mentioned. “To make that throw on a line drive within the air that far down the sector and for Jalen to make that catch — the throw was every thing.
“The yr he is had has been unbelievable.”
Mayfield’s 4,500 passing yards this season ranked third behind Joe Burrow and Jared Goff, whereas his 41 passing touchdowns had been tied for second with Lamar Jackson (and surpassed his profession better of 28 from the earlier yr). His 71.4% completion proportion was additionally second amongst passers with 500 or extra makes an attempt, and his air yards per try (7.9) and dashing yardage (378) had been additionally private bests.
The play of Mayfield has helped them within the clutch, as “ending” has been a mantra the Bucs’ teaching workers has preached. Their 19 whole touchdowns within the fourth quarter had been essentially the most within the NFL this season.
“Our identification is simply combating,” mentioned McMillan, who scored seven touchdowns within the ultimate 5 video games — tied for essentially the most of any participant within the league. “We simply combat and proceed to combat, and, I imply, whatever the consequence we will proceed throwing punches.”
Identical factor with the protection — their 22.6 factors given up per sport is sixteenth within the league, whereas their 5,810 whole yards given up on protection (399.6 per sport) is 18th, however, the Bucs’ 70 factors allowed within the fourth quarter (4.1 factors per sport) marks the second fewest.
As for Washington, the irony of all of it wasn’t misplaced on Mayfield with them now set to face the identical Commanders workforce they had been simply rooting for in a rematch from Week 1 — through which the Bucs received 37-20.
The Bucs is probably not followers of Daniels this week, however Mayfield had a hunch when he was internet hosting the watch get together that they’d face Commanders in Spherical 1.
“You have a look at simply eager to get an opportunity within the playoffs and clearly it was going to be one of many high groups and they’re,” Mayfield mentioned. “They completed out with an ideal file, simply needed to get in on a wild card. However you have a look at it — you are excited to play within the playoffs regardless of who it’s.”
