HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On the status of players returning from injury)

"[Antoine] Winfield Jr. would have been full, [Jamel] Dean would have been limited. We'll see a little more tomorrow."

(On the status of TE Cade Otton)

"Otton would have been limited but he's trending the right way."

(On signing DL Adam Gotsis to the practice squad)

"We needed one just losing Earnest [Brown IV] right now."

(On hopefully getting players back from injury as the playoffs approach)

"Hopefully, it'll be great if we get all of them back at the right time. We've been dealing with it so much it's like normal for us. A lot of guys got a lot of experience, and we hope the guys that got healthy come back healthy and can help us moving forward."

(On OLB Yaya Diaby being named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 18)

"He's played hard all year. He's just coming back into his own. In the last couple of weeks coming down the stretch, he's really been playing fast for us and playing physical for us – playing on the other side of the football. With him, [Calijah] Kancey, and Vita [Vea] up front – and there's a few other guys – they've been turning a corner."

(On Diaby's ability in the running game)

"He's strong, it helps. He played three-technique in college, so it's pretty easy for him. It's like a vacation for him, being out on the edge. He's a very physical football player, he loves the game and plays it with a smile on his face."

(On the biggest change in the Commanders since Week 1)

"Obviously, experiencing a new offense. When you get a new coaching staff, you have to get better on both sides of the ball and get used to the system. They've gotten really used to the system on both sides of the ball. They're playing confident. They were already talented. They've got experience and they've got young guys. The quarterback has gotten a lot of games under his belt and they're playing very good football."

(On the challenge of rushing a mobile quarterback)

"It's huge. You try to tell them to be disciplined without trying to hold them back. There's a point where you're so disciplined that you're not really rushing the passer – that's not good either. It's got to be a good mix. Everybody has got to be on the same page and cover for each other. Again, a lot of people have tried and never done it. When you reach quarterbacks of that caliber that can move like that, you've got to pick and choose your spots to try and get it and hopefully get a lead and try to keep them off balance."

(On what the strategy is for rushing a mobile quarterback)

"You want to flush him at times and have somebody out there if you can. These guys are so talented right now, even when you flush him, you've got to catch him, then even when you catch him, you've got to tackle him. So, whether he goes up the middle, whether he's in the pocket or out of the pocket, he's dangerous."

(On the team's fourth-quarter performances lately)

"It's just the urgency to finish. Learning from what we did in the first half of the season and carrying it over to the second half and understanding what we have to do in situational football."

(On what enables teams do close out games in the fourth quarter)

"I don't know about a lot of teams, but the coaches do a hell of a job coaching and the players do a hell of a job adjusting and carrying it out. They trust each other."

(On the Commanders also being a strong fourth quarter team)

"It's huge. They win games. That's the bottom line – they know how to win games. Two-minute [drill] and situational football, they do very well in the fourth quarter."

(On the biggest difference in QB Jayden Daniels from Week 1)

"Just understanding the offense – he's seen all the pressures and all the zones and all the man schemes right now. He knows how to take advantage of a lot of things and that says a lot about him."

(On the biggest difference in the Buccaneers from Week 1)

"I think we're more of a complete team, as are they. We're more of a complete team. The young guys have gotten some experience, obviously. We've gotten a few guys back and we're playing in a good rhythm right now."

(On the team's recent struggles in prime-time games)

"It's just an odd stat for me. We've lost some one o'clock games, we've lost some four o'clocks, we've lost some eight o'clocks."

(On DL Calijah Kancey not playing against the Commanders in Week 1 but being available for this game)

"He's huge – any time you get a starter back…Obviously he's leading us in sacks, too, so any time you get a guy back that hadn't played the first time – I'm sure they have a few guys as well – it helps when he's a starter. It helps you get better."

(On RB Bucky Irving leading the NFL in yards after contact and his toughness as a rusher)

"It says a lot about him. He's a complete football player. He's one of the toughest smaller guys I've seen since I've been in the league. [Whether] making guys miss or shoving guys off or spinning out of things or doing whatever he does to make extra yards has been great for us, and he takes care of the football while he's at it. That's special."

(On the team having the largest year-over-year yards per rush improvement in the Super Bowl era)

"It keeps the defense off the field, No. 1. It eats clock up, it keeps their offense off the field, and it helps us in the passing game. If you have to double guys on the outside, we'll just try to keep running it on the inside; if you loosen it up on the outside, we'll throw it there. It really helps us in a lot of areas."

(On the team's identity)

"We're tough, we're resilient. We play hard and we're confident."

(On why WR Mike Evans' 1,000-yard season streak means so much to everyone in the organization)

"The work Mike has put in here and the work he's done here – not just here on the field, in the community, the way he's helped guys in the locker room…To get a record like that for 11 years to tie Jerry Rice, who I believe is the greatest of all time, is something you can't try and pass up. I think everybody was so excited to see it happen. It's probably more emotion I've seen out of Mike [since] I've been here – that was great to see. It was great to see the guys erupt on the sideline, playing for each other. It was a cool moment."

(On if giving WR Mike Evans the game ball after last week was one of the better ones of his career)

"It probably was the best game ball."

(On QB Baker Mayfield's touchdown throw to WR Jalen McMillan)

"The throw was unbelievable and he was on the run when he did it. To make that throw, on a line drive, in the air, that far down the field, and for Jalen to make that catch…The throw was everything. Half a yard wider and he would have been out of bounds, half a yard shorter and he would have come back and he wouldn't have gotten it in bounds. It was a perfect throw. The year [Baker Mayfield] has had has been unbelievable."

(On the connection between Washington QB Jayden Daniels and WR Terry McLaurin)

"It's a huge concern. They were just learning the offense in Week 1. They've got it down now. They've got a good feel for each other. [McLaurin] has been an elite receiver – he's got an elite quarterback. They have a great connection. They find each other – he knows how to get open when he scrambles, he throws a heck of a fade ball when he needs that. They're moving him around now, so they've become very dangerous."

(On potentially preparing for a shootout between two top-five offenses)

"Being a defensive coach, I hope not, not on our side."

(On the Buccaneers and WR Mike Evans potentially facing CB Marshon Lattimore)

"Mike is a pro and he understands what's at stake. He understands the game. Nothing really needs to be said about that. They're both great players and they both like to compete."

(On the cold weather)

"Yeah, it's a little chilly."

QUARTERBACK BAKER MAYFIELD

(On the impact Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen has had on him and the offense)

"First and foremost, obviously it's public knowledge he's getting an interview [request] for the Jacksonville job. It's going to come down to a one-on-one at [TPC] Sawgrass for him to decide whether he actually takes the interview [laughs]. Liam has done an incredible job. The influence he's had throughout all the guys, teaching the game of football – I know I've mentioned to you guys all year that [he's] teaching the details of why we're doing certain things, why we have certain plays alerted or canned, whatever you want to call it. He does a great job of that and then calling the plays to his players strengths, that's what good [offensive coordinators] do and he's done an unbelievable job of that."

(On if he expected the team to get to where they are following the Baltimore Ravens loss and WR Chris Godwin and WR Mike Evans' injuries)

"In the midst of that moment, obviously losing those two guys sucks, losing the game [was] not great but you take some time after that, realize that you have to instill confidence in the other guys, get them ready to roll and go from there. I keep saying this team is mentally tough and that's the truth and so [we have a] next-guy-up mentality and plug in play and try and find a way to win."

(On having personal success this season despite the injuries around him)

"To me, it still goes back to the guys up front. Relying on those guys, leaning on them, and trusting everybody else and just doing our job trying to find ways to win. It's never statistically about your individual stuff, just trying to find ways to win and getting to the playoffs and seeing what you do from there."

(On both the Buccaneers and Commanders having top-five offenses and if he would like the game to come down to a shootout)

"Obviously, if you come out on the right side of it, yeah. It's [about] mentality for us, find any way to win, whether the game is a shootout, whether it's low scoring. Make the plays that matter when it counts. It's going to be a full game, [we] have to be locked in. That's just playoff mode, all the little things really matter. The margin for error is just so much smaller at this point in the season and everything counts."

(On where he thinks they've improved the most since Week 1)

"Schematically, I think – talking about Liam [Coen] teaching the guys football and why we're doing certain things. I think guys have seen the way he's packaged some plays together formationally, had the different alerts on it and just execution overall in the run game and the pass game. It's come a long way."

(On what stands out to him from the Commanders defense now compared to Week 1)

"It's a group that plays extremely hard, I'll say that. That's just the way they're coached. Personnel wise, they've had some guys move around. Mikey [Sainristil] is playing outside a lot more now and obviously, you have Bobby Wagner in the middle and Frankie Luvu is a game changer – they want to blitz him – and Jeremy Chinn is a really versatile player that I obviously know personally from being teammates. They're playing really hard and really well together and they're making plays on the ball."

(On how C Graham Barton has grown since Week 1)

"The game has slowed down for him with the communication with everybody up front, getting guys on the same page. You can tell the game has slowed down for him. His head is not spinning and so he's able to get really detailed in, fundamentally sound, whether it's pass sets or run blocking – the footwork on that. You can tell he's come a long way."

(On if he's surprised himself with his success on scrambles and what causes that success)

"Most of the time when I'm scrambling, it's looking to extend the play, to throw it downfield. Obviously, last week was a different scenario where [we were] needing a first down in a must-win situation so [I'm] doing whatever it takes to win."

(On where this team has grown compared to where they were after losing to Detroit in the playoffs last season)

"I'll speak offensively – the biggest difference is the run game. When we've needed to run the ball to win games, we've been able to do that. That's a physical mentality and everybody being on the same page with that and understanding that when you get to a certain mode late in the game when you're having to run the clock out, we're able to do that. To me, that's the biggest difference. Skill player wise in the pass game, yeah, we're connecting quite a bit but the biggest difference is the run game."

(On if he approaches the postseason any different as a quarterback)

"Especially when you're playing a team that you've already played, for me it's looking back at the tenancies, the certain things we did, the looks. You know they're going to have a different wrinkle in there for you so really paying attention to the details of it. To me, it comes down to knowing your game plan like the back of your hand, understanding where my answers are, the checks I can get to, the things I can do and communicating that throughout the week so it doesn't catch guys off guard."

(On his touchdown pass to WR Jalen McMillan in Sunday's game)

"It comes from playing a lot of backyard football [laughs], different things like that. Just being able to change your arm angle and, fundamentally, when you're on the move, still getting your hips the right way and finishing with your arm going in the right direction. A lot of times when you're going right, your momentum can take the ball outside right and if you leave it too far inside like you mentioned, it could be a pick or a pass breakup. [I was] just trying to put it in only a place where Jalen could get it and he did an unbelievable job getting his toes down."

(On what goes into having success closing games in the fourth quarter)

"Learning and growing together. You learn from your mistakes and obviously, you'd like to learn from winning games but there's a lot of valuable lessons that we learn throughout those losses, too, of the little details and just doing your job and trusting everybody else to do theirs, good things are going to happen."

(On if he has always been the type of person to ignore stats or social media)

"That's been a growing process. To say that I've always been like that would be a lie. I used to keep a lot of notes and try to prove people wrong but that's not the way to go about life. You have to believe in yourself, you have to move on and play for each other. I keep talking to you guy guys about – this is the greatest team sport, I love this group so how can I do my job the best? To perform for them, to be prepared and that's blocking out the outside noise and the easiest way to do that is to just not have it."

(On what's led to the offensive line establishing themselves as one of the games' best this season)

"There's a lot of factors that play into that. I think, year two with having Tristan [Wirfs] being more comfortable at left tackle is a huge thing. Having Ben Bredeson next to him -a guy that's really, really good at communicating what we're trying to get done and he's been able to help Graham [Barton] out throughout this process of Graham growing as well. Obviously, Graham learning throughout the season and getting better and better helps. Cody [Mauch] has come a long way and Luke [Goedeke], I think is one of the most underrated lineman in the league. Then you go to the room, you talk about Kevin Carberry, Brian Picucci – two really, really good coaches, fundamentally sound. They get those guys on the same page. Justin Skule had to play a lot this year – guys stepped up. Then, Robert Hainsey being behind the scenes, helping these guys out with communication because he's had a lot of reps. It's a full group effort and it's fun to see the chemistry and how they work together."

(On if he had expected to play the Commanders in the playoffs after watching them beat the Falcons in Week 17)

"Yeah, you look at… Just wanting to get a chance in the playoffs and obviously it was going to be one of the top teams and they are. They finished out with a great record, just had to get in the Wild Card. You look at it, you're excited to play in the playoffs no matter who it is."

(On what it will be like on Sunday preparing to play at night)

"Yeah, playoff mode – you know everybody is going to be watching anyway so it is what it is. You're excited to get to the playoffs and you're excited for the next opportunity and getting to play this group guaranteed for one more time. That's the mentality going into it but other than that, preparation wise you don't want to psych everybody out. 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."

(On if the relationship he has with the offensive line is part of the fabric of the offense)

"I think that's a big part of it. It starts there. You don't have success unless you have an offensive line that's playing well. Football as a team sport, you play a lot harder and you want to do better for your guys if you're closer with them. That's why this has been unique since I stepped in here. It's a special group and that's what it's all about."

(On if he can take credit for making offensive coordinators look good and he can consider himself a new 'OC Whisperer' by helping them get job)

"I wouldn't call it a new 'OC Whisperer'. I've had too many to say that. Dave [Canales] was great. I mean you guys talked to him a lot – the mentality he had to turn things around and just keep the positive mentality and then Liam [Coen] coming in and changing some things scheme wise and teaching the game to some of these guys that – we have some new pieces. There's a lot of guys that have experience but continuing to teach and grow. Those guys got the best out of everybody who they had and that's what you see in those two."

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER YAYA DIABY

(On winning his first NFC Defensive Player of the Week)

"First one. I was super, super excited. I'm just happy we got the overall win, but I'm super, super happy."

(On what it will take to beat Washington this Sunday)

"They're a way better team [than they were in Week 1] but I feel like for us, we just have to focus on us. At the same time, we know who their guys are on that side and we just have to contain them."

(On where he's seen Commanders QB Jayden Daniels improve the most since Week 1)

"He can do it all, honestly. He can do it all. He's really good, he can throw the ball the right way, get active with his feet, so he does it all. For us, we just have to go in with a great game plan and I feel like I know we will."

(On what's allowed him to turn his pressures into sacks recently)

"I just stopped focusing on the sacks. For me, I was always, 'I've got to get a sack. I've got to get a sack,' and these last couple weeks, I've just been playing free. I'm really just being myself. All the negative outsiders saying what I can do and what I can't do, I honestly don't care about that [any] more. I'm just playing my game in the way I need to play to help this team win."

(On if this team is more confident now going into the playoffs then they were a year ago)

"I feel like the guys like me and Calijah [Kancey] – this being our second time being in the playoffs, now we know what we have to do. We got a win last year against the Eagles so we know what it takes to win. I feel like we're going to bring some great juice."

CENTER GRAHAM BARTON

(On what he's thought from watching his film against the Commanders in Week 1 compared to his play now)

"I watched it the other day. There's some good stuff but obviously, some sloppier stuff. It's fun to see where I'm at now versus where I was at then and just thinking back to how my mind was racing at that game verse how [I am] settled in a little bit more now. It's definitely cool to reflect and look back. Washington is a good team and we have to prepared. It's almost like playing them in a new season because it's been so long since we played them in Week 1. Obviously, a lot of their stuff has changed. They've evolved as all teams have at this time of the year. [We] have to be ready for new wrinkles and stuff like that from them."

(On how he would grade his improvement from Week 1 to now)

"I'm not very nice to myself when it comes to that stuff [laughs]. I think I've gotten more consistent as the year has gone on. I still think [I have] a couple too many – whether it be like a minimal mistake or a bad penalty or something like that. I think those are some things going into the offseason I'm definitely going to want to work on but [I've] definitely cleaned up a lot and just getting more acclimated to the position. I feel good about the growth – I feel confident in being able to grow as a center and continuing to get better here. I'd just like to overall improve the consistency of my game and obviously I've been working on that. [I] have to continue to learn lessons and continue to improve from them."

(On how exciting it is to make the playoffs in his rookie season)

"It's awesome. It's crazy that they've been here four years in a row – NFC South Champions. To be a part of that, continue that streak, it's really awesome. Very happy about it, definitely not taking it for granted because like you said, it's never guaranteed to make the playoffs. It's really hard to make the playoffs so [I'm] excited to be here. I think that's been sort of [what] the message is, I know over the past four years we've been pretty accustomed to it but not to settle in, never to take an opportunity for granted. [I'm] excited to get rolling and see what we can do Sunday."

(On if the team isn't satisfied with just winning the division and not celebrating fully after Sunday)

"Yeah, I think most of the celebration after the game was for Mike [Evans]. Obviously, [we're] happy we won the division but I think that was just a box we checked for this season. Being able to move forward and looking to the playoffs, the main goals are still in front of us. [We're] happy we won the division obviously, but that's not like, 'Okay, we won the division. Now it doesn't matter.' It's 'Now we're in the playoffs,' and so we have to win each and every week. It's win or go home so we're excited to do that and try to take advantage of the opportunity."

-BUCCANEERS-