Bucs' Bruce Arians: 'You'll Get Your Ass Beat' If You Look Ahead to Super Bowl

Don't try talking to Bruce Arians about the Super Bowl before his team has clinched a berth in the game. 

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach shot down any discussion of Super Bowl LV before the team has played the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game. 

"We don't play that game this week," he said. "That's the message to everybody. We play the Packers in the NFC Championship Game. You start thinking about the Super Bowl, you'll get your ass beat and you'll be packing your bags on Monday."

The Bucs are on the doorsteps of playing for the biggest prize in the NFL after back-to-back playoff wins over the Washington Football Team and New Orleans Saints. 

Even though the postseason is new to most of the Buccaneers' key players, having Arians as head coach and Tom Brady at quarterback is a good way to keep everything in perspective. Arians won two Super Bowls as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2005 and 2008. 

Arians' only other trip to the NFC Championship Game as a head coach came in 2015 with the Arizona Cardinals. His team was blown out 49-15 by the Carolina Panthers. 

Brady is playing in a conference championship game for the 14th time since 2001. He led the New England Patriots to nine wins in 13 AFC Championship Game appearances.

This season marked Tampa Bay's first playoff appearance since 2007. The franchise hadn't won a playoff game since defeating the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII on Jan. 26, 2003 until the NFC Wild Card game against Washington. 

The Bucs will play the Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. ET. These two teams met at Raymond James Stadium in Week 6, with the Buccaneers scoring 38 unanswered points in a 38-10 win.