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Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles revealed the plan for playing his starters for their Week 18 showdown against the Atlanta Falcons.
“We can get better at a lot of things. So, right now, I plan on playing them,” Bowles said during his January 2 press conference. “We’ll see how the week goes forward.
“We don’t want to take our foot off the gas,” Bowles added.
The Buccaneers offense scored 30 points in a game for only the second time this season with their 30-24 win against the Carolina Panthers on January 1, bringing into question whether the Bucs should play their starters for the season finale against the Falcons.
“I mean, it’s football. You can’t play 16 games and then worry about the 17th,” he said. “You can’t play three preseason games and 16 games and practice every day and say you may get hurt in the 17th game.”
Bowles’ decision to play his starters for the season finale comes with the chance to improve on both sides of the football but also comes with the risk of starters potentially getting injured in a game that will have no impact on the playoff positioning in the NFC. As winners of the NFC South, the Buccaneers (8-8) are locked into the fourth seed.
“You can get hurt the first week; you can get hurt in training camp. If you worry about that, you’re probably going to get hurt anyway. We signed up to play football and coach football; that’s what we’re going to do,” Bowles said.
Tom Brady Wants to Play in the Season Finale
Bucs quarterback Tom Brady made it clear during a press conference on January 1 that it would “bother him” if the coaching staff elected not play him in Week 18 against the Falcons.
“It’s always up to coach, but, yeah, that would bother me,” Brady said. “I haven’t missed a game other than my ACL [injury], and then in 2016, I missed the first four games. Other than that, I’ve played them all.”
Brady threw for a season-high 432 yards to go with three scores, all of which were thrown to wide receiver Mike Evans, in their division-clinching win against the Carolina Panthers.
Mike Evans Records His Ninth Consecutive Season with 1,000+ Yards
Evans’ outstanding performance in Week 17, which consisted of 10 receptions for 207 yards and 3 touchdowns, extended his NFL record of seasons with more than 1,000 yards receiving to begin a career to nine.
“Every year is different,” Evans said during a press conference on January . “I just thank God that he’s blessed me to be healthy and I have great people around me to help me accomplish this feat.”
One of those people that has helped Evans get to the 1,000-yard mark over the last three seasons is his quarterback, Brady, whom he finally got back on the same page with against the Panthers. He found the end zone for the first time since Week 4 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I just always stay ready, and that’s why,” Evans added. “It doesn’t do you any good to dwell on the past and things that could have gone good or not. I just keep playing. I’m a professional — I keep playing, I work hard every week and the ball found me today.”
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