Washington's commanding defeat of Detroit Lions a tough reminder for what could have been for the Bucs
The Washington Commanders took a blow torch to the 15-2 and top seeded Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Saturday night, winning 45-31 in the divisional round of the playoffs in a game that didn't even feel that close in the second half. Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels was absolutely electric. He completed 22/31 passes […]
The Washington Commanders took a blow torch to the 15-2 and top seeded Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Saturday night, winning 45-31 in the divisional round of the playoffs in a game that didn't even feel that close in the second half.
Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels was absolutely electric. He completed 22/31 passes for 299 yards with 2 touchdowns and added 51 yards on the ground. He was poised and looked every bit like a ten-year veteran while leading the Commanders to 38 points (Washington added a pick six in the first half)
It's a painful reminder of how close the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans were to seeing the Bucs take a big step forward this season in their quest to get back to the Super Bowl. Perhaps as close as the direction a football took after bouncing off a piece of metal.
Suddenly, the performance of a Tampa Bay defense that held the Daniels and the Commanders to 23 points a week ago looks a little bit less egregious, even if said defense couldn't find their way off the field when they needed to time and time again. The Bucs, for all of their struggles on money downs, allowed just two touchdown drives, and one came on fourth down after going just 13 yards following a fumbled exchange by Baker Mayfield with Tampa Bay holding a fourth quarter lead.
Conversely, the Lions' defense had no answer to Washington's passing game on Saturday night and got torched with chunk play after chunk play as the Commanders' offense went on five touchdown drives of 66 or more yards for the game.
It naturally led to the painful question of, "what would Mayfield and the Bucs' passing offense look like against that Detroit defense? How many Lions would Bucky Irving had made miss?" The answers are probably positive ones for those who are fans of the pewter and red.
And while it's never fully accurate to measure results in comparative losses, Saturday's result also shows that perhaps the Bucs really aren't that far from being at or near the top of the NFC in 2025 and beyond.
There are certainly moves the Bucs must make this offseason, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Reinforcements at cornerback and outside and inside linebacker spots are musts. With an offense that ranked in the top five in rushing and passing, that side of the ball appears in good shape, especially if Liam Coen stays in Tampa.
If Jason Licht can make those moves, the Bucs are in position to compete not just to keep their stranglehold on the NFC South, but perhaps to win the NFC again in the near future.
Saturday was a painful reminder of that hopeful possibility.
Latest NFL scheduling news opens the door for Tampa Bay Buccaneers to potentially make a first-ever franchise trip
The Bucs are one of a handful of teams in play to make history next season
