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Despite a tough regular season, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the playoffs and will play at home in the first round. They will host the Dallas Cowboys at Raymond James Stadium on Monday night, hoping to make it to the divisional round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season. The Buccaneers' offense has had a subpar season but has done enough to ensure the team wins the NFC South division title.
Ahead of the playoffs, Buccaneers insider TJ Rives joined host Reggie Roberts on Sportskeeda's BallFather Podcast to discuss Tampa's upcoming tussle against the Cowboys. The duo discussed how running back Leonard Fournette could prove to be the difference between the two sides on Monday night. Rives said:
"Tom Brady loves to throw [Leonard Fournette] the ball. And in the postseason wins, Fournette has been tremendous. In 2020, in the four postseason wins, including the Super Bowl win over the Chiefs and even in the two postseason games last year with the Eagles and and then even in the loss to the Rams, he was a big time target out of the backfield for Tom Brady. So, you're on to something with playoff Lenny, Lombardi Lenny."
He spoke highly of Fournette's performance in Tampa Bay's crucial comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals, where he rushed for 72 yards on 20 carries and caught 10 passes for 90 yards. Rives said:
"I was in Arizona for Christmas night. He became Santa Claus Lenny or Christmas night Lenny because he had a couple of big catches in that comeback in overtime on Christmas night in Arizona. So we'll see if Leonard Fournette is big."
Can Leonard Fournette repeat playoff heroics he managed during Buccaneers' Super Bowl win?
During the Buccaneers' playoff run in the 2020-21 NFL season, Leonard Fournette racked up 300 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 148 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in four games. The running back also had an exceptional game against the Rams in the playoffs last year. He rushed for 51 yards and two touchdowns, and caught nine passes for 56 yards in the Buccaneers' narrow 30-27 loss.
The playoffs are where Fournette comes alive. He has already fired a warning to the Cowboys and the rest of the league on Twitter that he'll be on top of his game during the playoffs, writing:
"Regular season over it was full of lessons and I loved every bit of it, also finished with 72 receptions this year I’m off for a while #PlayoffLenny"
If Fournette hits top gear on Monday night, he could be the difference maker for his team against the Cowboys.
The latest episode of the BallFather Podcast will be out soon on YouTube. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Sportskeeda.
