As the Bucs get ready for their Super Wild Card matchup against the Cowboys, one thing is for certain, each aspect of the roster needs to pick up the slack as it is now playoff time. Win or go home. From here on out it will be a collective effort to stay in the win column.

That starts on the offensive side of the ball but extends to the defensive side as well. For the defense especially, it has been a struggle being at 100% throughout the season. Being as close to it as possible will be necessary to make it deeper into January.

Injuries have hit nearly every key contributing member of the secondary at some point this season. From the top three corners in Carlton Davis III, Jamel Dean, and Sean Murphy-Bunting to safeties Antoine Winfield Jr., Logan Ryan, Mike Edwards, and Keanu Neal.

Bucs OLB Shaquil Barrett and DT Logan Hall – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

That is not to mention the front seven. Defensive linemen Akiem Hicks and Vita Vea have missed time, while outside linebackers Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and Anthony Nelson have been forced to play most of the snaps with the loss of Shaquil Barrett to an Achilles injury in late October. Perhaps if the Bucs did better than 8-9 this season, overcoming their injuries would get more recognition.

Since training camp, it has taken a toll on both sides of the ball.

“We’ve been really fighting this thing from the beginning,” offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich alluded to Wednesday.

To get to this point, the Bucs have scratched and clawed to emerge victorious at the top of the NFC South by fighting through these kinds of challenges.

Bucs OC Leftwich: “None Of Them Came Easy This Year”

It has been a fight for the Bucs to stay in the playoff picture throughout the season. Week after week, easy games on paper were frustrating losses. No win was truly a dominating effort or blowout. Expectations have been higher in recent seasons with the addition of quarterback Tom Brady, but they have not been met this season as they have failed to look the part of a true title contender. Yet, the Bucs are like every other playoff team, 0-0 with a whole postseason ahead.

Bucs OC Byron Leftwich and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“It felt like we were fighting every week for a win, and we were in a battle every week,” Leftwich said of this year’s team. “None of them came easy this year – the wins or the losses – nothing was easy for us. Sometimes you have years like this in this league. I think it’s good for players and it’s good for coaches because I think we all grew. I think our players got better, I think we as coaches got better – we were faced with a lot of situations that we’ve never been faced with in the past with this group.

“I think we got better through it, our players got better through it. Sometimes you have these moments. When you have them, you accept the challenge. You accept the challenge of what you’re faced with week-in and week-out. Nobody really understands those challenges that you’re going through every week. To be sitting right here as one of the teams that have the opportunity to be in the tournament, I think it’s a sign of our players, I think it’s a sign of how good of a job our coaches have done throughout the year.”

Bucs Have Gotten Here By “A Collective Effort”

When inside linebacker and team captain Lavonte David spoke Wednesday, one could tell that he is grateful for having the opportunity to reach the playoffs. Since entering the league in 2012, David has been an anchor on a Bucs ship that often failed to make waves before the 2020 season.

Between 2012-2019, the only times the team did not finish last in the NFC South were in 2016 (2nd) and 2019 (3rd). For those other seasons, David did not know what being a part of a competitive team was like, much less a playoff contender.

Now, he does not take this lightly. “I don’t take it for granted, David said. “It takes a while to get here. It’s hard to get here. As you guys have seen, this season was rough – it was a battle to get here. We’re here now. But you definitely don’t take these opportunities for granted – you never know when you’re going to be back here again. Luckily, three years in a row, we’ve been able to be in this tournament – but it’s definitely a situation that every football player would dream to be in.”

It was hard to get to this point, with a group effort by the defense being the difference, team dinners paid for by David and inside linebacker partner Devin White included. After losing Barrett, the team replaced his production with many players getting involved and applying pressure on the quarterback. As a whole, the defense had 44 sacks, with no player having more than nose tackle Vita Vea’s 6.5. David spoke on this effort further.

Bucs LB Devin White – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“It’s a collective effort, every time somebody’s number is called, everybody tries to do their best to get to the quarterback. We know that one of the main things in this league for success is having win rates against quarterbacks. Getting to them, disrupting the passer. It’s something that you got to tip your hat off to the defensive staff, putting together great game plans to be able to affect the quarterback in many ways.

“Whether it’s blitzing linebackers or having great games up front with the defensive line, everybody [needs to] maintain their focus even though we did lose [outside linebacker] Shaq [Barrett], who is obviously a big part of our pass-rushing ability. Everybody just rushing together and working collectively to be able to pick up the slack.”

The first step will be stopping Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and Co. as they did in a 19-3 season-opening victory. To advance from here on out, it is up to each member of the 53-man roster to do their part.