With the Bucs’ 27-19 win over the Saints at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday afternoon, they finished the regular season 10-7 and wrapped up a fourth straight NFC South title, as well as a fifth consecutive playoff appearance.

Tampa Bay knew all of that was at stake heading into Sunday, so when it finished off its victory, it at least knew it would be hosting a game on Super Wild Card Weekend. But the team had to wait to find out where it would be seeded, which meant its opponent for that first-round game was undecided.

Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

Well now, the matchup is set. The Bucs will host the No. 6 seed Washington Commanders next weekend, with the date and kickoff time to be finalized following Sunday Night Football.

With the Seahawks beating the Rams, who opted to rest key starters in Week 18, the Bucs became the No. 3 seed while the Rams slid to No. 4. Both teams finished 10-7, but it was Tampa Bay’s better record within the NFC that made the difference. With that, Todd Bowles and his team were locked in for a Super Wild Card Weekend matchup against the NFC’s No. 6 seed.

The No. 6 and No. 7 seeds were decided earlier Sunday. While both the Commanders and Packers had clinched playoff spots already, where both teams would end up came down to Week 18. With Washington beating Dallas, it clinched the No. 6 seed at 12-5. Washington had the tiebreaker over Green Bay, but the Packers’ loss to the Bears meant the tiebreaker wasn’t even needed as Matt LeFleur’s team finished 11-6.

So, it’ll be the No. 6 seed Commanders visiting the No. 3 seed Bucs next weekend while the No. 7 seed Packers head to Philadelphia to match up with the No. 2 seed Eagles. That leaves the loser of Sunday night’s game between the 14-2 Lions and 14-2 Vikings heading to Los Angeles as the No. 5 seed to face the No. 4 seed Rams.

Bucs Set For Rematch Against An Improved Commanders Team

Commanders QB Jayden Daniels – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs and Commanders will be seeing each other for the second time this season, matching up on Super Wild Card Weekend after meeting in Week 1 of the regular season back in September.

Back then, Tampa Bay started its season with a bang, beating Washington 37-20 in the regular season debut of 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels. Baker Mayfield threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns in that game, with Mike Evans catching two of those and both Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan catching one apiece.

Daniels didn’t get much from his receivers that day, with running back Austin Ekeler finishing with a team-high 52 receiving yards on four catches while Daniels went 17-of-24 for 184 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. The rookie did hurt Tampa Bay’s defense with his legs, running 16 times for 88 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.

When Daniels and the Commanders visit Raymond James Stadium again for his playoff debut, they’ll look to prove how much they’ve evolved since that Week 1 game. Daniels is firmly the leading candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year, having thrown for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns to nine interceptions while running for 891 yards and six touchdowns.

The Commanders won their last five games to close out the regular season and won 12 games for the first time since 1991. Despite being led by a rookie quarterback, this is a battle-tested group that has won close games (including a 36-33 win over the Eagles in Week 16 and a 30-24 overtime win over the Falcons in Week 17) and prevailed in some shootouts (including a 38-33 win over the Bengals on Monday Night Football back in Week 3).

This is a different Washington team than the one Tampa Bay saw in Week 1, and it’ll be a tough test for both sides as they match up with a trip to the NFC Divisional Round on the line.