Buccaneers

Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles said that the team needs to improve at the quarterback position, and it starts with QB Baker Mayfield.

“[They are] mistakes,” Bowles said, via NFL.com. “We’ve got to be better at the quarterback position and we’ve got to be better at the signal-calling position and we’ve got to be better blocking it. Winning in this league is hard. There’s no negativity inside the locker room, inside the building, as far as we’re concerned. There’s mistakes and things we’ve got to clean up…There’s trust, there’s belief. We’ve got to play harder, we’ve got to play a lot better, we’ve got to coach a lot better.”

• Mayfield said that following the team’s loss to the Dolphins, veteran LB Lavonte David addressed the locker room about urgency: “We still have a chance next week. We’ve been blessed with a chance next week, and guys need to handle it the right way.” (Auman)
• Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan: “There’s no finger-pointing in this locker room. There’s no ‘he said, she said.’ Nothing about that. We all know what’s at stake next week, and we all need to stay focused.” (Greg Auman)

Falcons

Falcons RB Bijan Robinson had a big game in a win over the Rams, including a 93-yard touchdown that HC Raheem Morris wasn’t surprised by, given that he has referred to Robinson as the best player in the league.

“That was just one of those plays where I had to make a guy miss in the hole,” Robinson said of his touchdown, via NFL.com. “I was trying to find another crease and the crease came about, and I was like, man, I’ve got to take off. We don’t got a jumbotron here, so I was like, alright, either I don’t get caught or just run as fast as you can. I kept kind of looking back to see if I was free and we got the touchdown, so that was a really big momentum shift for our team.”

“It’s whatever I can do to help this team win,” Robinson said when asked about his workload. “I feel great right now. All I’ve got to do is get my maintenance treatment. It’s fun, man. Breaking tackles and doing stuff like that, that’s a part of the game. Obviously, the coaches have a plan for me and I always let them know if I need a break or something like that. They always give me a couple plays to catch my breath. We’re always on the same page in that aspect, so it really helps me out a lot. I know when there’s 20, 20-plus carries and then you’re catching the football, too, I know it can definitely get a lot, but I’m only doing it to help this team win.”

“I said this 18 weeks ago, he’s the best player in football,” Morris reiterated. “It’s just as simple as that. He’s unbelievable. Everything he does for our football team. From running the football to catching the football to protecting to being a leader. He’s also our chaplain. He does it all. He’s unbelievable.”

Saints

The Saints won their fourth game in a row in Week 17 behind a 300-yard game from rookie QB Tyler Shough. New Orleans QB Kellen Moore gave his credit to Titans QB Cam Ward while expressing his confidence in his young signal caller. 

“What everyone just watched is two quarterbacks that are probably going to be big-time quarterbacks in our league for a really long time,” Moore said, via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. “And so we’re fortunate to have Tyler. I think Cam’s going to do a great job here in Tennessee as they build this thing. And so I thought it was a fun game.”

Saints WR Chris Olave has seen enough from Shough to be bought in for the long haul and expressed his excitement for the team’s future. 

“When the moment comes, you’ve got to make a play,” Olave said. “And he’s done that every single time. He delivered every single time this year. And it’s not really much to say. I feel like when the opportunity presents itself, he’s making the play every time. So you can’t really teach that. He’s a winner, what I’ve seen. So I can’t wait to build around this. … I’m looking forward to the future.”

• Saints LB Nephi Sewell was fined $12,172 for roughing the kicker, LB Kelvin Banks was fined $11,593 for taunting, LB Devin Neal was fined $5,015 for a violent gesture, and LB Danny Stutsman was fined $6,095 for use of the helmet.

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