The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have broken a 13-year postseason drought on Saturday afternoon, securing a Wild Card berth with their victory over the Detroit Lions.
Paced by an incredible first-half performance by quarterback Tom Brady, the Buccaneers jumped out to a 34-0 lead at halftime, all but ensuring that they would be returning to the postseason for the first time since 2007, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Buccaneers clinch first playoff berth since 2007.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 26, 2020
Under the leadership of then–head coach Jon Gruden, the Buccaneers were successful in winning the NFC South in 2007, though they were unable to advance past the opening weekend of the playoffs, as they fell to the New York Giants 24-14. While the Giants would go on to win the Super Bowl—beating current Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots—the Bucs would shortly thereafter begin a rebuild, firing Gruden and severing the final link to their own championship squad of 2000.
Though they were unable to win the division, the Buccaneers will enter the postseason with high hopes that they could earn the franchise's second championship banner. Having compiled a veteran-heavy roster filled with playoff experience, Tampa Bay currently holds the third-best odds of any NFC Club of winning Super Bowl LV according to FiveThirtyEight's ELO Ratings.
Behind only the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, the Buccaneers have a chance to be heavily favored in their opening playoff matchup if they can retain the fifth seed and face the winner of NFC East—currently slated to be the 6-8 Washington Football Team.
Despite having endured an inconsistent season, Tampa Bay and their fans still ended up where they always hoped they would be.
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