Buccaneers Getting Healthy for Promising Postseason Run

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon begin the 2021 postseason on a quest that hopefully ends with the pewter and red raising a second consecutive Lombardi Trophy at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

That first step is in the Wild Card Round as the NFC Number 2 Seeded Bucs host the Number 7 Seeded Philadelphia Eagles. Like five of the six games on Wild Card Weekend, the Bucs/Eagles game will be a rematch of a regular season contest.

Tom Brady and crew went to Lincoln Financial Field on a Thursday Night in Week 6 to take on the Eagles. The contest wasn’t the best for either team, as can be expected playing on a short week. That said, the Bucs were able to get out of town with the all-important 28-22 win.

The Bucs hope to be getting some reinforcements back against the Eagles that they have been missing for the last few games this season.  Inside Linebacker Lavonte David is trying to come back from a strained foot, and running back Leonard Fournette is coming back from a hamstring injury. Both players were injured in the Bucs’ 9-0 loss to the Saints in Week 15.

Outside Linebackers Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaq Barrett missed the final two games of the regular season, but there is optimism that both will be ready for action against the Eagles. Pierre-Paul’s injured rotator cuff, while keeping him out for a couple of games, has been bothersome all season long. Barrett hurt his knee in Week 16’s win at Carolina.

The Bucs took a bit of a risk keeping some of their vital starters out at the end of the season with the hopes that the rest would make it more likely they would be ready for the playoffs. That strategy appears to have worked out nicely, as it looks like the team’s health is improving at the most important time of the season. The Bucs will need to round into postseason form quickly against Philadelphia if they want a repeat of last year’s Super season.