Buccaneers won't sit starters, will 'play to win' vs. Falcons

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched a wild card berth via Saturday's dominant 47-7 victory over the Detroit Lions, but cannot leapfrog the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South standings. 

That reality isn't impacting how Bucs head coach Bruce Arians is approaching the Week 17 clash versus the Atlanta Falcons. 

“We’re going to play to win,” Arians told reporters on Monday when speaking about whether he would rest quarterback Tom Brady and other starters to keep his first-choice players healthy for meaningful January games, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. 

Brady tossed four touchdown passes in the first half of Saturday's affair, but sat in favor of Blaine Gabbert through the final two quarters. A win over Atlanta would cement Tampa Bay as the No. 5 seed and produce a favorable matchup against the uncrowned NFC East champion. 

Either the Washington Football Team, Dallas Cowboys, or New York Giants will win that division while possessing a losing record and will likely be underdogs heading into a must-win contest against the Bucs. 

Brady and company have notched three straight victories coming off the bye week, including a 31-27 win over Atlanta on Dec. 20. The Falcons, meanwhile, are 4-11 and counting down the days until they can put a woeful campaign behind them.