Buccaneers Await Divisional Round Opponent

The Buccaneers began defense of their Super Bowl title yesterday with a dominating 31-15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Tampa jumped out to a 31-0 lead before the Eagles added some points late but all-in-all it was an impressive postseason opener for the Bucs who scored over 30 points in the fifth straight playoff game under Tom Brady.

Also in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers held off a Dallas Cowboys comeback to advance to the divisional round and set up a date with the Packers in Green Bay next Saturday. That ensures that the winner of tonight’s wild card finale between the Cardinals and Rams will head to Tampa.

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Of course, the Buccaneers and Rams have already met this season with Los Angeles handing Tampa one of their four losses on the year. However, that came back in Week 3 and amidst some of the Buccaneers’ early injury woes. With that said, the Rams had yet to acquire wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. so it will be tough to judge a rematch based on the September meeting between the two.

Obviously, with the Rams, you get the star power. Aaron Donald may be the best defensive player of this generation. Jalen Ramsey is a top-flight corner. The aforementioned OBJ has had a resurgence out of Cleveland. And, oh yea, Cooper Kupp is coming off a “triple crown” receiving season.

The #GoBucs will meet the winner of the #Rams and #Cardinals wild card matchup Monday night.

Who would you rather see the Bucs face? #FPC #NFL @FullPressNFL

— Full Press Buccaneers (@FPC_Buccaneers) January 17, 2022

In the previous meeting between the two, the Bucs outgained the Rams, and time of possession was split, however, the Bucs were penalized seven times for 41 yards and it wasn’t so much the total yardage but the timing and the nature of the penalties. They also struggled on third down, converting less than 50 percent on the day and the defense allowed four passing touchdowns from Rams quarterback, Matt Stafford.

The Bucs and Cardinals, on the other hand, last met during the 2019 regular season. Kyler Murray was the starter in Arizona but Jameis Winston was under center for the Buccaneers that day in a 30-27 Tampa win. This season, the Cardinals were the last undefeated team but have struggled down the stretch having lost four of their last five and losing the NFC West to the Rams. They fell all the way to the fifth seed in the conference after starting the season 9-2.

Regardless of who wins tonight, a victory next Sunday puts the Buccaneers right back into the NFC Championship game and will be the sixth postseason victory since the arrival of Brady which would match the franchises total prior to his arrival in the Bay.