NFC Wild Card Discussion: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Washington Football Team

We’ve reached the third game of this Saturday’s NFL playoffs tripleheader, and we’ll be staying on the NFC side for this one. The late game this evening will see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head up the East Coast to take on the Washington Football Team.

The Buccaneers had an up-and-down season behind Tom Brady in his first year in Tampa, but wound up with an 11-5 record and the NFC’s top Wild Card spot. The Football Team had to go all the way to the final game of the regular season to have their fate decided, but won the Week 17 Sunday Night game to clinch the NFC East and a home playoff game despite their 7-9 record.

While people might not be expecting a lot out of the Football Team, it’s worth noting that the last two teams to make the playoffs with losing records won their first-round contests. The 2010 Seattle Seahawks (7-9) knocked off the Saints in the “Beastquake” game, while the 2014 Carolina Panthers (7-8-1) took down the Arizona Cardinals in the Wild Card round.

This game will be broadcast on NBC, with Mike Tirico and Tony Dungy handling the call.

Come on in and talk about this one with your fellow Vikings fans, folks!