TAMPA, Fla. — Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans spent the first six seasons of his career watching the playoffs on TV. He could've demanded a trade or left in free agency several times, but Evans stuck with the organization that drafted him.
During his time in a Bucs uniform, Mike's become the first player in NFL history to start a career with 11 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Jerry Rice is the only other player to have 11 consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards.
Most importantly, Tampa Bay is in the postseason for the fifth season in a row. They'll host the Washington Commanders Sunday night as part of Wild Card Weekend.
"Early on in my career, it was hard to be in playoff contention, and to be there for the fifth straight season, it’s pretty cool," Evans said after Thursday's practice. "A lot of the core guys who were on that Super Bowl team, some of us are still here. And we try to hold that standard, that championship-caliber standard."
Left tackle Tristan Wirfs knows part of that standard is realizing that there is no tomorrow if you lose in the playoffs.
"You don’t really think about it, but like damn, we could be done next week," Wirfs said. "We know what we gotta do. [Washington], Dallas, San Francisco, they all kinda play the same. They want to get upfield. If we can establish the line of scrimmage and chew up grass on their side, then I think we’ll be okay."
The man responsible for drawing up Tampa Bay's plan of attack is offensive coordinator Liam Coen. His revamping of the Bucs offense led the Jacksonville Jaguars to request permission to interview Coen for their vacant head coaching position. But Coen admits he's only thinking about his current job this week.
"It’s an honor to be even in that category," Coen said when asked about if the Jaguars situation is top-of-mind. "But that hasn’t been something I’ve worked on much over the last few days... not something worth thinking about at the moment."
It came down to the final game of the regular season, but the Bucs won their way into the playoffs, and they know they deserve to be in this position. They also know what they have to do to earn the right to play another game.
"We've got to be disciplined," Evans added. "They’re a better team than when we played them week one. We’re having a really good week so far. We’ve gotta continue to work on the little things and not beat ourselves."
"Preparation-wise, you don’t want to psych everybody out," quarterback Baker Mayfield explained. "You want to handle it the best way you can but just a little bit more attention to detail and ensuring the fact that everybody is on the same page and can handle things correctly."
Locker room interviews usually aren't a player's favorite thing about practice during the week, but Wirfs said he'd make an exception for the postseason.
"Hopefully, I’m talking to you guys next week."
The Buccaneers and Commanders kick off at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday at 8 p.m.
