The Commanders vs Buccaneers game was inarguably the closest wildcard game played on Saturday. The Commanders eventually came out on top as they defeated the Bucs 23-20 getting their first playoff win in 19 years. Daniels was one of the driving forces behind the victory, with 268 passing yards and 2 touchdowns. While Daniels and the Commanders team will be happy with their performance, and deservedly so, it’s a different atmosphere around the Buccaneers.

The Bucs quarterback for one was visibly distraught after the loss, as he committed a costly turnover in the fourth quarter. Following the game, Mayfield talked about being proud of how the team performed this season, while also mentioning how the blunder and the loss are “going to wear on me for a while.” An error and loss like this are never easy to digest, especially in such an important game.

Baker Mayfield though, took full responsibility for the error and stated how it ‘fell on him’. “That comes back to me, just timing it up correctly,” Mayfield said. “First one all year that it happened on. So obviously the timing of it is not great, being backed up. Defense had done a hell of a job getting us the ball, another fourth-down stop and yeah, unfortunate, but that falls on me.” While things like this are a part and parcel of the game, they are bound to affect a player who gives his all to the team.

The Buccaneers were coming into this game with a 2-game win streak and while the team performed admirably in the last few games, Mayfield had faced some issues recently. This was the QBs third lost fumble this season, all coming after Week 12. While the stats are true, they do not paint the true picture as it was Baker Mayfield and his exceptional play throughout the season that played a pivotal part in the Bucs reaching the playoffs.

HC Bowles also talked about the same and mentioned the same thing. “He’s your bell cow. Your bell cow takes a shot and if something goes wrong, you’ve got to live with that,” he said. “They’re human. We’re going to make mistakes and he got us here — we wouldn’t even be here without Baker.” And it wasn’t just Mayfield’s fumble that led to the Bucs’ defeat. The team just had a rough day on the gridiron.

The Buccaneers just didn’t have the right game

Rookie center Graham Barton also had a night to forget, as he had a miscue on a snap that ended up being a tackle for loss. The 22-year-old, though, showed great maturity when he spoke about the incident after the game.

Barton admitted, “You know, snapped on the wrong cadence. I was trying to get a callout. Got to have better discipline there. Got to be able to sit in there and get my calls out. …That one’s on me, got to be better down the stretch.” He has been good for the Bucs this whole season and while one mistake certainly doesn’t diminish what he has achieved, it is certainly going to stay with him for some time.

Whether it was Mayfield’s fumble or Bartons’ error, the game just didn’t go the Bucs way. And while it takes time to recover from such losses, HC Bowles will certainly be looking toward the next season and planning what decisions he needs to take to help his team go all the way in 2025.

There are certain positions that the Bucs will look to bolster. For one, they will look to get an edge rusher. The re-signing of Shaq Barrett did help them, but they will need to look at more options for the 2025 season. With that, the Bucs also need to look toward a linebacker, as while they have Lavonte David, he will be 35 soon and they need to look for a younger prospect.

The Bucs will not be a team looking for a major overhaul, but there are spaces where the team will need to make some changes. We for one are just excited to see what they will be and how the Bucs line up for the 2025 season.