3 Buccaneers whose future depends on outcome of Wild Card game vs. Eagles

Monday's Wild Card game is the biggest moment of the last two years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, full stop.

It's more than just a win or loss on the line, as the future of the franchise might hinge on the outcome of the game. Tampa Bay has already played Philly once and played them close enough for Todd Bowles to consider it close to a moral victory.

There's no wiggle room in the playoffs, though, and there are three key figures in Tampa Bay who could have their future impacted on how things go.

3 Buccaneers whose future depends on what happens in Wild Card game

Todd Bowles

Perhaps nobody has more on the line on Monday night than Todd Bowles. All indications seem to be that he'll return for another season, but the Glazers have yet to publically endorse his future in Tampa Bay. To be fair, the Glazers aren't really the type to make things like that public, but it's something that warrants keeping an eye on given all of the speculation.

One thing that we do know is that the family likes progress, and the question is whether Bowles made enough of that in his second year as head coach. There's a solid argument to make for Bowles returning, as he helped coach the team out of a 1-6 slump and save the season, and he's the leader of a team that has won back-to-back NFC South titles under his watch -- this time with a winning record.

Is that enough of an improvement over last year to earn him another year?

Bowles coaching the Bucs to a Wild Card win would ensure he comes back next year, as it checks more boxes than anyone thought the team would this year. On the flip side, a loss doesn't guarantee he's going to be fired but it matters how Tampa Bay loses. If the team is blown out, that might create a situation like the one around Mike McCarthy in Dallas where the nature of the loss undoes any of the goodwill accrued throughout the season.