The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, by way of a division title, are in the playoffs and set to host a playoff game during Wild Card Weekend. Heading into the postseason, the Buccaneers get to take on the Washington Commanders in a rematch from Week 1 of the regular season.
For the Buccaneers, they look to emulate the Wild Card Weekend success that they had in the 2023 season as they took down the Philadelphia Eagles to kick off the playoffs. This year, they are a 10-7 team and are taking on a Commanders team they've beaten once this season.
With Baker Mayfield leading the offense, the Buccaneers should certainly get enough from that side of the football to win the game, though there is a question as to whether the defense can do enough to secure a victory.
The Commanders have a high-level offense with a rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels who can impact the game with his arm or with his legs. However, Washington offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury was sure to mention one key Tampa Bay defender that can impact the game in a big way.
Ahead of the playoff matchup between the two clubs, Kingsbury was asked about Calijah Kancey.
“Yeah, incredibly disruptive. You mentioned, we didn't face him last time, but you watched him the previous year, really came on and has done the same throughout this season," Kingsbury said. "Continues to get better, impacts the game in a bunch of ways. Run game, pass game and high motor, one of the more disruptive interior players we’ve played against.”
Kancey has been superb this season, logging 28 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. He's certainly a disruptor, as Kingsbury mentioned, and him getting to Jayden Daniels in the backfield could make a huge impact on the result of the game.