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Bucs sense déjà vu as the 2024 season mimics team's 2023 campaign

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Published  December 9, 2024 6:37pm EST
Sports
FOX 13 News

TAMPA, Fla. - The days and months of an NFL season have a funny way of blending as they reach the latter portion.

"You forget how long the season is," said Buccaneers Offensive Tackle Tristan Wirfs. "We've played, what, 13 games now? That's insane. I don't even remember 13 games."

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While the lines between games and weeks can become blurred, each season has a storyline.

At least, they're supposed to.

Some players and fans can't help but feel a sense of déjà vu while watching the Bucs 2024-25 season unfold, considering how similar the Bucs current season is going compared to their last. 

"A little bit," admits Tight End Cade Otton. "There are definitely some similarities."

In both the 2023-24 and 2024–25 seasons, the Bucs started relatively hot out of the gate, suffered a four-game losing streak, and rallied to retake the NFC South lead late in the season. 

The eerily similar seasons are more than mere coincidences. 

"I'm not thinking about it much. For me, I'm just thinking about playing football," said Linebacker Lavonte David. 

Linebacker Lavonte David speaking to reporters on the 2024-2025 season.

Linebacker Lavonte David speaking to reporters on the 2024-2025 season.

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For others, meanwhile, the lessons learned from last season's trials are now paying off as the Bucs find themselves in a similar situation. 

"Never count yourself out," said Wirfs. "We kind of felt the same last year in a big lull, and the same thing happened this year. We were in a big lull, but now we're in first place."

While we in Tampa Bay may feel like we have seen this story play out before, with four weeks left in the season, it is impossible to know just how the final chapters of the regular season will be written. 

"We can't write the end of the story yet," Otton said. "We have to focus on winning each game, and we'll see where that gets us."

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With the story for the Bucs season still yet to be written, only time will tell if this season is a sequel or a story all its own. 

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