The Buccaneers worked hard to prepare for the Eagles last week, and it paid off as they faced a squad that had defeated them during the regular season.
They advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs on Monday night with a 32-9 victory, and they now face a different squad in a rematch from months prior. Jared Goff’s 353 yards and two touchdowns helped the Lions defeat the Bucs 20–6, but Bowles’ message on Tuesday was the same as it was before the Eagles game.
After experiencing that setback and other unexpected events during a long season, Bowles stated that the game has changed and that the Bucs are now a stronger team.
According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, Bowles stated, “We were where we were at that time of the year.” “I don’t think we would have learnt from it or done anything differently. They make an excellent team. They receive excellent coaching. incredibly quick and physically demanding. There will be an electrifying audience up there. Though we should have learned from our mistakes, we can’t go back and change anything. Or any of our losses, really. We’ve changed as a team. Mentally, we’re stronger.
I believe it has strengthened us and taught us some valuable lessons. Though we’re still putting the pieces together, we’re content with where we are.
The Bucs wouldn’t believe that the past is indicative of the future because their rematch with the Eagles didn’t resemble Philly’s 25-11 regular-season victory. But this week’s situation is very different because the Lions are playing well at home after winning their first playoff game, while the Eagles visited Tampa after a complete collapse.
