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Lavonte David Reflects On Lost Super Bowl Chance

March 17th, 2025

Lots of Bucs players and officials agonized for a long time over the January playoff loss to Washington.

A missed sack by Calijah Kancey, other lost opportunities and a doink Commanders field goal to win by three points made for rough postgame times.

Earlier this year, Todd Bowles told Joe it would take a long time to get over the loss. No 24-hour rule on that game.

Joe asked Lavonte David today at One Buc Palace how he handled the defeat and David didn’t hesitate to respond. He saw it as a lost shot at a ring, which is extra painful for a guy like David who has seen many tough Bucs seasons.

“It was real hard,” David began.

“I felt like we had the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl this past season. You know, I feel like we had the guys. I feel like we were in the [right] place. I feel like we were motivated but things just didn’t go our way. A lot of things that we could have done better and I feel like once you learn from those things you get seasoned and you feel like you can take it the next step.”

David added that the experience will benefit so many young returning Bucs and leave the whole roster more hungry.

“I feel like we’re even more motivated now … I feel like we can get over that next step,” David said.

Joe likes David’s mentality on this and Joe assumes it’s matched by the other veterans across the team.

Hopefully, that helps prevent what’s become an annual midseason dip in the Bucs’ play.