Wild Card Round

Commandos (12-5) at Bucs (10-7)

Kickoff: 8 p.m.

TV: NBC (WFLA-TV Channel 8, locally) with Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Carrie Underwood.

Streaming: NFL+, Peacock. (Geographic restrictions apply; subscription may be required).

Radio: Buccaneers Radio Network WXTB-FM 97.9 in the Tampa-St. Petersburg region (Transmisiones de radio en español en WTMP-FM 96.1 y WMGG-AM 1470 en Tampa). Additional stations throughout Florida on the Buccaneers Radio Network can be found here. The game also will be broadcast on SiriusXM Channel 225 (Buccaneers Radio Network feed). Westwood One national feed on SiriusXM NFL Radio Channel 88.

Weather: Tailgaters won’t have it too bad, per AccuWeather.com. Temperatures will hover in the 60s under sunny skies in the afternoon. But that will drop quickly once the sun goes down. At kickoff, look for a temperature of 56 dropping to 52 by game’s end.

Odds: Per Hard Rock Bet, as of midnight, Bucs -3 (-170); over/under 50.

Referees: Craig Wrolstad and his gang will work the game. This outfit plays it right down the middle. Home teams when Wrolstad’s gang works are 63-63.

Injuries: Commandos — Out: TE Colson Yankoff (hamstring).  Doubtful: WR Jamison Crowder (hamstring). Bucs — Out: CB Troy Hill (knee/foot). Questionable: CB Jamel Dean (knee), S Mike Edwards (quad), DL Logan Hall (groin), TE Cade Otton (knee).

Outlook: Playoffs, baby! Here we are. NBC. Prime time. Mike Tirico. Cris Collinsworth. Carrie Underwood. Big time! Now if the Bucs defense can only play morning TV. If the Bucs get any kind of defense today, they should win. The Commandos don’t have a great defense and their run defense is terrible. The Bucs’ running game is fantastic. Joe is tired of hearing about how good Commandos quarterback Jayden Daniels is. Oh, he’s good, but everybody and their brother is claiming he’s so much better than he was in his very first NFL game, a Bucs win where he was held him to 184 yards passing. Well, guess what else is better? The Bucs offense. The Bucs were breaking in a brand new offense in Week 1 and the offensive line wasn’t yet gelled. Another thing to keep in mind: Bucky Irving, also a rookie, was playing in his first NFL game and he only had nine carries in that game. He may have 20 tonight. Oh, lastly about Daniels: Only three rookie quarterbacks have ever won a road playoff game. The last was Russell Wilson in 2012. If the same Bucs defense that showed up in Los Angeles to curb stomp the Chargers shows up tonight, the Bucs have this game, man.

Fun facts: Commandos QB Jayden Daniels had the most rushing yards (891), highest completion percentage (69 pct.), third-most wins (12), fourth-most passing and rushing yards combined (4,459), fourth-most passing and rushing touchdowns combined (31) and sixth-most touchdown passes in NFL history for a rookie. He had 184 passing yards against the Bucs in the Week 1 meeting, his first NFL game. … In five of his six road games this season, RB Austin Ekeler had at least 50 yards from scrimmage. … In his lone playoff game which came against the Bucs four years ago, WR Terry McLaurin had 6 catches for 75 yards. … TE Zach Ertz has at least 5 catches for at least 50 yards receiving in four of his past six playoff games. … LB Bobby Wagner averages 10 tackles a game in his 16 playoff games. … DE Dante Fowler led the Commandos with 14 tackles for loss this season. … S Jeremy Chinn had a career-high 7 tackles for loss and five passes defended in 2024. … Bucs QB Baker Mayfield finished the 2024 regular season tied for second in touchdown passes (career-high 41) and completions (career-high 407) and third in passing yards (career-high 4,500). … RB Bucky Irving led all rookies in scrimmage yards (1,514), rushing yards (1,122) and rushing touchdowns (8). He also became the first rookie running back since 2018 (Saquon Barkley) with three games of 150+ scrimmage yards. … WR Mike Evans has 25 catches for 547 yards (109.4 per game) and six receiving touchdowns in five career games against the Commandos. He also had two touchdown catches in the Week 1 meeting. … WR Jalen McMillan has a current five-game streak with at least one touchdown pass. … LB Lavonte David was the only player this year with 100 tackles (122), 5 sacks (5.5), 5 tackles for loss (9) and five passes defensed (6), his 12th-career 100+ tackle season. David will turn 35 in 11 days. … DT Calijah Kancey led the Bucs with a career-high 13 tackles for loss this season including a crazy four tackles for loss last week against the slimy Saints. … CB Zyon McCollum was third in the NFL with 17 passes defensed.

The Washington Commanders take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC Wild Card showdown. pic.twitter.com/CXuSeG4ATw

— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 11, 2025