TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now one step closer toward their goal of becoming back-to-back Super Bowl champs.
During Sunday's Wild Card matchup the Bucs handed the Philadelphia Eagles a hefty 31-15 loss. The Buccaneers came out strong and nearly managed a shut-out until the fourth quarter.
Mike Evans, Rob Gronkowski, Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard were able to find the end zone and came up big for the Bucs' dominating 31-0 lead for most of the game.
Bucs fans can also thank interceptions by Shaq Barrett and Mike Edwards for giving the reigning Super Bowl champs some extra chances with the football.
With 12:08 left in the game, the Eagles got on the board for the first time with a touchdown by Boston Scott. The team would then follow suit with another touchdown and a two-point conversion, pushing the final score to 31-15.
"We just tackled way better. We played the screen game way better and we were more physical in the first three quarters," Head coach Bruce Arians said regarding the defense's performance.
Moving into the Divisional Round, the Bucs are guaranteed a second game at home and are set to play at 3 p.m. on Jan. 23. Now, all that's missing is who the team will face off against.
The Los Angeles Rams or Arizona Cardinals could be making the trip to Raymond James Stadium after the Cowboys lost to the San Francisco 49ers Sunday night.
If the Rams come out on top, the Bucs would have a chance at redemption after taking a tough 34-24 loss to the Los Angeles team in Week Three.
No matter the opponent, if the Buccaneers continue on a winning track, they could become the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the Brady-led New England Patriots 17 years ago.
The key to accomplishing such a feat is keeping the team healthy. During post-game media availability, Arians said doing just that is one of the top areas of focus for the Bucs as they move through the playoffs.
“Probably [having] healthy bodies and just staying healthy. Hopefully, we can keep our offensive line intact because I think they’re the best in football – Tristan [Wirfs] especially. They’ll be working on that ankle nonstop. I think staying healthy, turnover free and taking the ball away – that’s a good recipe," Arians said.