We knew this was a step up in weight class for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, didn't we Bucs fans? The Arizona Cardinals are one of the best teams in the NFC and have been for a couple years now. They were coming off a humilating defeat at home and their coach, Bruce Arians, called out several of their players during the week.
Meanwhile, the Bucs, led by their 22 year old starting quarterback, were being told they had arrived. National media was asking the quarterback for interviews, pundits were picking the Bucs as a rising time to watch - a team that could make that "Carolina jump" from mediocre also-ran to top contender.