2021 Divisional Playoff vs Rams

Lore & Background

The Buccaneers became the first team in the NFL's salary cap era to have all 22 starters from their Super Bowl championship team re-signed or under contract for the upcoming season. During the regular season, quarterback Tom Brady in addition to extending several ongoing records, set new individual NFL records for most career starts, most career passing yards, most career pass completions, and became the first player to achieve 600 career touchdown passes. A rash of injuries, however, put several starters on injured reserve, including Chris Godwin and Richard Sherman. In addition, key weapons Rob Gronkowski, Ronald Jones, Leonard Fournette, Lavonte David, and Tristan Wirfs and others, all missed playing time dealing with various injuries. Then in Week 17, Antonio Brown abruptly quit the team mid-game in a high-publicized incident.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Raymond James Stadium was thick with tension as the overtime clock ticked. The Rams had just failed to convert on fourth down, leaving the ball at the Tampa Bay 20-yard line. Tom Brady stood under center, his eyes scanning the secondary for a split second of separation. He spotted Mike Evans breaking inside, the defender slightly out of position. Brady launched the ball, a spiral that seemed to hang in the humid Florida night. Evans leaped, extending his fingertips just enough to secure the leather before the safety could make contact.

Reader's Guide

The Buccaneers' title defense came to an end with a 30–27 last-second loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round.

Did You Know?

• The Buccaneers entered the season riding a franchise record eight consecutive wins (including regular season and playoffs), which they extended to ten wins until they lost against the Rams.
• This was the first of 4 straight NFC South titles for the Buccaneers.
• Tampa Bay won a franchise record 13 games in the regular season.
• In Week 18, they secured the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs, then defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 31–15 in the Wild Card Round, notching postseason wins in consecutive seasons for the first time.