The 2024 Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the postseason tournament in January as champions of the NFC South, and they then held a fourth-quarter lead over the Washington Commanders in the wild-card round of the playoffs before Washington rallied from behind to earn a 23-20 win.
While speaking with the JoeBucsFan website on Monday, Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David made a bold claim about the Tampa Bay squad that fell to Washington as he reflected on how he dealt with that heartbreaking defeat.
"It was real hard," David admitted. "I felt like we had the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl this past season. You know, I feel like we had the guys. I feel like we were in the [right] place. I feel like we were motivated but things just didn’t go our way. A lot of things that we could have done better, and I feel like once you learn from those things you get seasoned and you feel like you can take it the next step."
The Buccaneers led the Commanders, 17-13, with roughly 12 minutes remaining in regulation of the playoff contest when a botched exchange resulted in Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield losing a fumble deep in his own territory. Washington took the lead on the subsequent possession, and Commanders rookie signal-caller Jayden Daniels later picked up a massive first down with his legs that ultimately allowed the visitors to kick a walk-off field goal.
Of course, there's no way of knowing how far the Buccaneers would've advanced had they gotten past the Commanders. Washington beat the injury-plagued Detroit Lions the following weekend but was blown out by the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Tampa Bay previously defeated Philadelphia back in late September, but the Eagles were undeniably a different and better team by the time January rolled around.
The Athletic noted how the Buccaneers have thus far acquired pass-rusher Haason Reddick and re-signed multiple key pieces, such as wide receiver Chris Godwin, this offseason. As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Tampa Bay as the betting favorite at +110 odds to claim the division title next season.
"I feel like we’re even more motivated now," David added during his comments. "...I feel like we can get over that next step."
If the Buccaneers don't "get over that next step" in January 2026, whispers about the club possibly parting ways with head coach Todd Bowles could once again hover over the organization.
