It's finally here; the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play playoff football tonight for the fifth season in a row. Before kickoff arrives, it's worth taking a step back to appreciate just how incredible this run has been for the Bucs -- one that is showing zero signs of being over.
Less than a decade ago the idea that Tampa Bay would make five straight trips to the playoffs, and four as NFC South champions, seemed like a pipe dream. There was no hope in the darkness of the 2010s, even after Jameis Winston arrived and provided more spark than we ever thought possible.
Think of how far we've come from that, and how bright the future remains. There's been a ton of negativity around the team this year, which to a certain degree is fair. Todd Bowles hasn't been perfect, the team has underperformed at times, and there's been legtimate things to be frustrated about.
But never forget where you came from, and the fact that the Bucs are hosting a playoff game for the fourth season in a row is reason to celebrate. Baker Mayfield is playing like an MVP candidate, the offense is out of this world thanks to Liam Coen, and for all his faults Bowles has managed to keep things together despite injuries that should have wore the team down.
The job isn't finished, and the Bucs still need to pull off a win in the Wild Card, but it's a night of celebration and nobody should stress about the team until given a reason to.
Who are the announcers for Buccaneers vs. Commanders tonight?
It's a much smaller slate of games than we're used to on a Sunday, but Wild Card Weekend can still spread some networks thin on announcer crews to send out. For example, CBS sent Ian Eagle to Houston for Saturday's Texans-Chargers game while Jim Nantz and Tony Romo will be in Buffalo for Bill-Broncos.
Things are pretty easy and simple for the Bucs, as Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth will be in the booth for a Bucs game the second time this year. It's the second time it's happening against an NFC East team too, but hopefully things go a little better this time around.
Tirico and Collinsworth were on the call for Tampa Bay's loss to Dallas back in December, a game that nearly derailed their playoff plans. It's the second time in two years the duo will be in the booth for a Buccaneers playoff game as they were working the Lions-Bucs game last year in the NFC Divisional Round.
Once again, let's hope things end a little better than they did then.
Tampa Bay is the better team, so as long as they stay out of their own way that should be the case. We've seen the team make things harder on themselves than it needs to be, and primetime has been unkind to the Bucs for the last handful of seasons.
Then again, Tampa Bay has proven it knows how to win in the playoffs, which hopefully outweighs the primetime woes of late.
Referees for Buccaneers vs. Commanders Wild Card game
Head Referee (Crew Chief)
Craig Wrostad will be the head referee on Sunday night and it will mark the 17th time he's called a Buccaneers game. That's not particularly great news for the Bucs, who are 5-11 in games that he's called, which goes all the way back to 2003.
Most recently Wrostad was in charge of the Buccaneers-49ers game in 2023 that Tampa Bay lost, and you have to go back to 2022 for the last time the Bucs won a game he was working. Of course, that was the Wild Card win over the Eagles, so perhaps that's a good omen for what lies ahead on Sunday night.
Full Officiating Crew
Here's the rest of Craig Wrostad's crew that will be calling the game with him for the Wild Card game on Sunday night:
- Umpire: Steve Woods
- Down Judge: Danny Short
- Line Judge: Brett Bergman
- Side Judge: Frank Steratore
- Field Judge: Jeff Shears
- Back Judge: Rich Martinez
Buccaneers vs. Commanders Wild Card TV channel and start time (January 12th)
Here’s everything you need to know to catch today’s game:
- Date: Sunday, January 12, 2025
- Start Time: 8:20 pm ET
- Location: Raymond James Stadium | Tampa, FL
- TV Channel: NBC
- Announcers: Mike Tirico
- Live Stream: Fubo (Locally)
- Radio: WXTB 97.9 FM | More Radio Affiliates
More Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and rumors