Buccaneers Make Final Decision on Resting Tom Brady & Starters

Buccaneers Starters

Getty Tom Brady will play against the Falcons in Week 17.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may already be in the playoffs but the team has no plans to take Week 17 off as Bruce Arians indicated the starters will play against the Atlanta Falcons. Heading into Week 17, the Bucs are the No. 5 seed in the NFC, and Arians noted the team is trying to win their 11th game.

“We’re going to play to win,” Arians said, per Buccaneers.com. “Eleven and five, that’s very rare. To have a chance to get to 11-5, keep that seeding – we want that seeding just for pride. We don’t care who we play, it’s more for pride. I’d probably have to beat some guys in the head with a stick to try and get them not to play anyway. I talked to them about it before and [they said], ‘I’m playing.’ We’re going to practice and play like everything depends on it. It’s not going to be an easy game, either.”


Arians on Playing the Bucs Starters: ‘I’d Probably Have to Beat Some Guys in the Head With a Stick to Try to Get Them Not to Play’

Arians implied that Brady and the other key Buccaneers players have no desire to sit out Week 17. The Buccaneers have already clinched a playoff spot but could drop in the NFC seeding with a loss.

We did see Arians opt to pull Brady and other starters at halftime against the Lions with the game out of reach. The Bucs could do something similar in Week 17, but the Falcons have tended to play their opponents close as the Chiefs experienced in Week 16. When asked about the postseason, Brady noted he was focused on playing his best football against the Falcons not who the Buccaneers would face in the playoffs.

“You know, we got a home game next week against Atlanta, so that’s what I’m thinking about,” Brady noted in his press conference after the Bucs’ win over the Lions. “I’m going to try to go out and play great football next week. Didn’t play very good in the first half in Atlanta, and I only played one half today [vs. Lions]. So, I got to go out there and play well next week.”


The Bucs Would Face the NFC East Champions if the Playoffs Started Today

With one regular-season game remaining, the No. 5 seeded Bucs would go on the road to face No. 4 Washington. A victory against the Falcons would allow the Buccaneers to hang on to the No. 5 seed and face either Washington or Dallas depending on who wins the NFC East. A loss opens up the possibility of playing the Packers, Saints or Seahawks on Wild Card Weekend.

Arians wants the Bucs to win not because of the seeding but the opportunity to head into the postseason on a high note. The Buccaneers coach has consistently emphasized making the playoffs gives the team a chance to make a run in a postseason with limited home-field advantage.

“I think our guys made a commitment in August to each other, that if we beat the virus, we’d have a chance,” Arians noted, via Buccaneers.com. “If we stayed healthy, we’d have a chance to beat some teams that didn’t. Last week was an example. The season is not over. This is a big game coming up – a chance to keep that five seed and go 11-5. I think we’ll think about all that when we can look in the rear-view mirror. Right now, we’re still looking ahead. It’s not really a time to reflect yet.”

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