Will The Bucs Rest Their Starters In Week 18?

The Bucs locked up the NFC South on Sunday afternoon, beating the Panthers 30-24 in a dramatic New Year’s Day contest at Raymond James Stadium. And because Tampa Bay is a division winner at 8-8, it sits as the NFC’s No. 4 seed and can’t move up or down in the playoff picture. That means, win or lose next week in Atlanta, the Bucs will host the No. 5 seed in two weeks on Wild Card Weekend.

With that in mind, might the Bucs decide to rest any of their starters next weekend when they face the Falcons?

“We’ll see how the injury situation looks and we’ll get together as a staff and talk this week,” head coach Todd Bowles said after Sunday’s win. “We’ve talked about a few things, but we’ll talk about it more and see where we are as far as people per position.”

Tampa Bay has had its share of injury issues this season, mostly in the secondary but also in the trenches. Jamel Dean and Antoine Winfield Jr. played through injuries on Sunday, while Donovan Smith returned from a foot injury and Tristan Wirfs continued to battle his ankle issue. The Bucs have a chance to finish the season on a high note with three straight wins, but making sure their stars are ready to go for the playoffs is of greater importance.