The Buccaneers clinched the NFC South on Sunday, but that doesn’t mean Tampa Bay will take it easy this week as it prepares for the playoffs.
Quarterback Tom Brady said while he understands that the Buccaneers are locked into their playoff spot, he doesn’t see Sunday’s game vs. Atlanta as meaningless.
“I understand the context, but I don’t think anything’s meaningless,” he said on his Let’s Go podcast with Jim Gray. “Everything’s in preparation for what’s ahead. I think you could look at, okay, it’s not gonna matter per standing, but it matters because you’re a professional.”
After years of dominating the AFC East with the Patriots, Brady has been through many instances of playing games while already having clinched division titles and playoff seeds. However, the competitor in him always sees these games as chances to improve in areas that go beyond playoff seeding.
“I love going out there and playing, I love trying to get better,” he said. “We gotta use every opportunity, every day of practice to get better.”
No matter what happens against the Falcons, Tampa Bay will be the No. 4 seed in the NFC playoffs and get the chance to host a playoff game in the Wild Card round. However, at 8–8, there are many areas the Buccaneers can improve upon before heading into the postseason.
