TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Sunday’s matchup is make or break for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
If the Bucs win, they’re in first place in the NFC South. If they lose, the Bucs would be three games behind the Atlanta Falcons with just four games remaining:
Week 15 @ Green Bay Packers
Week 16 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 17 vs. New Orleans Saints
Week 18 @ Carolina Panthers
“We already know what the deal is, Florida man. It’s going to be a battle. We know what time it is; we got to come out and hit them in the mouth. It’s that kind of game. Everybody knows it, the whole division knows what kind of time it is, but the thing about it is you approach every game like it’s a playoff game,” said Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ safety Ryan Neal.
“We’re treating it like a playoff game because, for us, it really is. We have to keep winning, especially these division games. That’s just kind of the mentality for us is keep winning, especially in these division games,” said Bucs’ rookie offensive lineman Cody Mauch.
Neal proved himself against the Carolina Panthers by stepping up and in a pivotal role as a linebacker. That’s how scarce the Bucs were at the position once linebacker K.J. Britt left the game with a back injury.
However, linebackers SirVocea Dennis and Lavonte David both returned to practice on Wednesday. This is huge because the Bucs get a lot better when David is on the gridiron.
