The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face only the third team in NFL history to reach the playoff with a winning percentage below 0.500 when they face the Washington Football Team 7-9 on Saturday night.
Bucs coach Bruce Arians does not see Washington as a team with a losing history.
“We don’t see them as a 7-9 team, we see them as a 4-1 team because every time Alex Smith played, they went 4-1 and had a three more turning margin,” said Arians, via the team’s official website. “It’s a different team when Alex is playing and we know that. We are playing against that 4-1 team, not that 7-9 team.”
Washington officially made it 5-1 in the games Smith started in 2020, including a Week 14 victory over San Francisco when he left the game at halftime. The team has won the last five games started by Smith.
With Dwayne Haskins as a starter, Washington made it 1-5. It was also 1-3 in Kyle Allen’s matches.
“We will not play Dwayne Haskins. We will play Alex Smith,” joked Arians during an interview with ESPN.
Washington is a more stable attack when Smith is in the center, but his injuries have undermined his game in recent games. Ron Rivera’s club is led by a stifling defense that has wreaked havoc and twists in his race towards the top of the East NFC. Veteran Smith is the best complement to this defensive unit.
Rivera said this week he could consider switching Smith and Taylor Heinicke during Saturday’s game if the veteran’s calf injury bothers him.
As coach of a team with 11 wins that he expects overwhelmingly over his opponent, Arians knows he needs to keep his club focused. Setting Washington’s record with Smith in charge is a clear plea to his players not to take their opponents lightly on Saturday night.