TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — It's a big night for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They're taking on the Washington Commanders in the playoffs.
Hours before kick-off, eager fans on both sides packed the area, preparing for the big game.
Many of those tailgates featured divided fans.
Malik Perez, a Commanders fan, Chase Bowden, a Bucs fan, and a couple more of their friends made the trip from Orlando to Raymond James Stadium.
"It was a long ride over here, but, you know, we made it. It's gonna be a great game. I mean, Raymond James is definitely a beautiful stadium. Can't wait to hear the cannons fire off. Hopefully we get 150 yards and two touchdowns from Mike Evans playing against Lattimore. So there, they're the arch nemesis. So we got this. We got this for sure," said Bowden.
For these fans, the match-up is all about having a good time.
"I am in Bucs Nation, but I can say that I have never been to a playoff game. My team hasn't been good for a long time, so for me to be here right now is a win," Perez said.
That's not the only divided group we came across. Rebecca Slough traveled from Virginia to see her Commanders take on Ethan Fisher's local team, the Bucs.
"The Bucs might have had us in the first round, but they're not going to take it tonight. Washington is taking this thing home, back to DC, and Florida is going to be sobbing here tomorrow morning, trust me, baby," she said.
"I've been watching Baker Mayfield since he was in college. And the numbers he put up there when they planted the flag, you know, when he was still in college, it's great. And I've always had Mike Evans on a fantasy football team, so seeing them shake and bake down the field putting up the numbers," Fisher said.
No matter the outcome, both sides are calling this playoff appearance a win.
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