How to Watch Buccaneers' Playoff Game With Washington; Gametime, TV, Point Spread

It's Super Bowl or bust for Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their playoff journey starts on Saturday night against the Washington Football Team and their young quarterback, Taylor Heinicke.

WASHINGTON -- The most lopsided quarterback matchup in NFL history will be the main storyline on Saturday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers take on Washington.

It will be six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady against Taylor Heinicke, who has started only one NFL game in his career and is being pressed into duty when Alex Smith was made inactive late Saturday afternoon because of a calf injury.

Washington won the NFC East this year with a losing record (7-9), and hosts the Bucs, who won their last four games to finish with the best record among the NFC's wild-card teams. The Bucs finished behind the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South.

Here's how to watch the Tampa Bay-Washington game on Saturday:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Washington Football Team

• WHAT: NFL wild-card playoff game between the No. 5-seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the No. 4-seed Washington Football Team in the NFC playoffs. 
• WHEN: Saturday, 8:15 p.m. ET
• WHERE: FedEx Field, Landover, Md.
• POINT SPREAD: Tampa Bay is favored by 10 points as of 5 p.m. ET Saturday, according to the DraftKings.com gambling website. The over/under is at 45. The line has gone up several points on Saturday after the Washington QB announcement.
• TV: NBC
• Stream: NBCSports.com
• TV Announcers:  Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Tony Dungy (color commentary), Kathryn Tappen (sideline)
• RECORDS: Tampa Bay (11-5, 6-2 on the road this season); Washington (7-9, 3-5 at home this season)
• LAST GAME: Tampa Bay beat Atlanta 44-27 in Week 17 to end the regular season on a four-game winning streak. Washington beat Philadelphia 20-14 on Sunday night in the 256th and final game of the regular season, and won under a cloud when Philadelphia benched starting quarterback Jalen Hurts in the fourth quarter. 
• ALL-TIME SERIES: Washington leads the series 12-11.
• LAST MEETING: Washington beat the Bucs 16-3 on Nov. 11, 2018. 
• COACHES: Tampa Bay is coached by Bruce Arians, who is in his eighth season as a head coach in the NFL and his second year in Tampa. He has a 76-47-1 overall record and is 1-2 in the playoffs. This is his first playoff game with Tampa Bay. Ron Rivera is in his first year with Washington,  but coached nine seasons in Carolina, where he had an 83-72-1 overall record and was 3-4 in the playoffs, and reached Super Bowl 50, only to lose to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos

Here are three things to look for in the Tampa Bay-Washington game:

1. Another playoff run for Tom Brady

Tom Brady has been very good for the Buccaneers in his first year with the team after winning six Super Bowls in New England. He threw for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns in Tampa Bay's explosive offense.

The Bucs have won four games in a row and averaged 37 points a game during the winning streak. Anything less than a Super Bowl run would be a disappointment for Brady, so it's important to get this first one out of the way. It helps a lot that he's going against Heinicke, who has two career touchdown passes and played his college ball at Old Dominion. Brady has 73 PLAYOFF touchdown passes.

Washington Football Team quarterback Taylor Heinicke (4) prepares to pass the ball as Carolina Panthers strong safety Juston Burris (31) defends in the fourth quarter at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

2. Mike Evans good to go for Bucs?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans will try to play against the Washington Football Team in the Wild Card matchup Saturday night, according to multiple reports.

Evans suffered a left knee injury in the first quarter of the regular-season finale vs. the Atlanta Falcons. Evans was listed as questionable on the team's final injury report this week after being limited in Thursday's practice. Bucs' head coach Bruce Arians said Evans would be a game-time decision.

“If he goes out there, he’s healthy," Arians said Thursday. "We’re not putting him out there to limp on one leg, so if he’s playing, he’s good to go.”

3. Gronkowski goes start to finish

After a year off, tight end Rob Gronkowski made the decision to join his former teammate and close friend quarterback Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, and he's made it through all 16 games and staying healthy. 

“I feel really good," Gronkowski said Wednesday. "Just been taking care of my body week in and week out. I’m definitely proud to play all 16 games – that was my goal, just to go out there and be reliable week in and week out and be consistent week in and week out."