Everything is There for the Taking
The Buccaneers and Panthers sit in a tie atop the NFC South, with Tampa Bay currently holding the tiebreaker. Any two wins in the final three games, along with other various scenarios, will secure the Bucs their fifth-straight division crown and their sixth playoff appearance in a row. On Thursday Night Football, the Bucs fell to the Falcons, 29-28, as Zane Gonzalez drilled a 45-yard field goal as time expired. The Falcons posted 476 total yards of offense and converted five-of-11 third-down attempts. The Bucs were unable to capitalize off Atlanta's 19 penalties with a victory but after the Panthers loss to the Saints, the Bucs can punch their ticket through multiple scenarios, including two victories in the final stretch.
"I do not think we are discouraged," said receiver Sterling Shepard. "Everything that we want is right in front of us and I feel like it is up to us to buckle down and go get it. So, I think we have the right group of guys to be able to do so and like I said, everything is out there for the taking so we just have to do a good job this week of handling business."
Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan Bring Energy
Both Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan returned to action in Week 15, solidifying the offense. Baker Mayfield took advantage of advantageous matchups with the duo and completed six passes for 132 yards to Evans and a couple to McMillan for 38 yards. Evans had explosive gains of 33 and 45 yards, which ignited the aerial attack. He showcased his high-point skills, route-running acumen to bait coverage and efficiency working the boundary on out routes/corners. Evans energized the home crowd and McMillan became the beneficiary of an anticipatory throw by Mayfield towards the sideline. He quickly cut out of his break and had a touchdown catch reversed in the first. Both McMillan and Chris Godwin Jr. ran in-breaking routes and Mayfield moved the safety with his eyes. Motion pre-snap provided McMillan with the leverage he needed to cross in front of Mayfield to secure the grab.
"It was great to see those guys back out there and to see the energy and effort that the both of them were bringing," described left tackle Tristan Wirfs. "I think J-Mac only had two catches but he had his hand downfield in all the runs helping and Mike was fired up and they should be. They worked hard to get back out there this year. Mike broke his collarbone and J-Mac broke his neck. The rehab is not fun and it isn't easy. They put in a lot of work behind the scenes to get back out there and play this game, so super proud of them and super proud of the way they played."
Bucs Offensive Line to Host Annual "O-Line Lights Up Christmas"
On Monday evening, the Buccaneers' offensive line will surprise dozens of children with gifts and a festive shopping spree as part of its annual "O-Line Lights Up Christmas" event. This year, nearly 70 children selected by the Heart Gallery of Tampa Bay will join the Bucs for an evening of shopping. The festivities were made possible by the donations from Bucs' offensive linemen Graham Barton, Ben Bredeson, Benjamin Chukwuma, Dan Feeney, Luke Goedeke, Luke Haggard, Charlie Heck, Mike Jordan, Elijah Klein, Cody Mauch, Tyler McLellan, Lorenz Metz, Ben Scott and Tristan Wirfs, along with Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach Kevin Carberry and Offensive Line Coach Brian Picucci. Contributions made by the offensive line were matched by the Glazer Family Player Matching Fund.
