The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to be playing in their first Super Bowl since 2002 despite having a slow start to the season. While many things played a part in the Bucs making the Super Bowl, their Week 13 bye seemed to be a crucial moment in their journey.

Due to the implications of COVID-19, Tom Brady didn't have much time to get acclimated to his new weapons on the Buccaneers during the offseason. Following a 7-5 start to the campaign, Tampa Bay has been able to string together seven consecutive wins coming out of their bye week.

Prior to Tampa Bay's bye week, Tony Romo actually predicted that the Buccaneers would face the Chiefs, against whom they lost to in Week 12. When asked about what the team did during the bye week, Bruce Arians said everyone looked at themselves in the mirror before finishing the season strong.

“Just a little bit of looking inside and knowing this is a really good football team,” Arians told Buccaneers reporters on Monday. “We lost some close games to some really good teams. And we have to find a way to win. And it’s gonna take everybody. There’s things that are gonna happen, but if everybody digs a little bit deeper, we’ll figure out ways to win games. And once we get it going, we’re gonna be hard to stop.”

Sometimes having an early bye week can be beneficial for certain teams, depending on injuries and other occurrences. However, having a late-season bye week definitely benefited a Buccaneers squad that needed a nudge in the right direction.

Even though things once looked bleak for Tampa Bay, the Week 13 break can partly be credited in their unlikely run to the Super Bowl.