It won’t be a happy week in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ facility over the next several days.
With an opportunity to move to .500 with a win over the Houston Texans, the Buccaneers allowed C.J. Stroud to throw for a rookie record 470 passing yards to go along with five touchdowns in a 39-37 loss to the Texans. Houston ruined Tampa Bay’s own comeback bid after Baker Mayfield threw a touchdown pass to Cade Otton with 46 seconds remaining to give the Buccaneers a 37-33 lead.
However, Stroud drove Houston down the field 75 yards in six plays and threw the game-winning touchdown pass with just six seconds remaining.
Head coach Todd Bowles — who is known for his defensive background — had a strong message for his team following the loss, saying the team “should be p***** off all week.”
Via Pewter Report:
“After the game, Bucs HC Todd Bowles says that it was a devastating loss and as long as he has been coaching, he has not been involved in too many of these kinds of games. The team ‘should be p***** off all week.’ It was unacceptable.”
Todd Bowles Calls out Defense, Says It Was ‘Bad All The Way Around’
The second-year head coach didn’t hold back in his assessment of his defensive unit’s performance. After allowing a season-high 39 points — their previous season-high was 25 points — Bowles blamed the defensive unit for their lack of execution.
Via Pewter Report:
“Bucs HC Todd Bowles says that defensively it was bad all the way around. If the team had done what they were supposed to do late, they would have been fine sitting back and playing zone.”
The loss to the Texans marked the fourth straight defeat after Tampa Bay had started out the season 3-1. The Buccaneers are now a game-and-a-half back of the New Orleans Saints for the lead in the NFC South and a game behind the Atlanta Falcons — they also lost to Atlanta in Week 6 — for second place in the division.
Todd Bowles’ Firing is ‘Inevitable,’ Says Analyst
One well-known beat reporter for the Buccaneers feels like Bowles is firmly on the hot seat following his latest loss.
As Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report predicts, Bowles’ firing is “inevitable.”
“After the game, Bowles, the head coach, said he is not going to fire Bowles, the defensive play-caller,” wrote Reynolds. “But it sure seems like Bowles’ firing will become inevitable as Tampa Bay’s losses continue to mount.”
Despite Bowles’ background as a defensive coach — he previously served as defensive coordinator for both the Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals — Tampa Bay ranks among the worst teams in defense this season.
The Buccaneers rank 29th in yardage per game allowed and yards per play and second-to-last in opposing third down conversion percentage. From an overall standpoint, the defensive unit is average, ranking 16th in points allowed per game.
Reynolds not only calls Bowles’ firing “inevitable,” he argues that the Glazers — the team owners — could fire the second-year head coach before the season ends.
“The Glazers didn’t fire (Lovie) Smith or Greg Schiano midseason, even after Schiano started the 2013 season 0-8,” writes Reynolds. “They also didn’t fire Raheem Morris during the 2011 season while Tampa Bay was in the midst of losing 10 straight games to finish out the year. The Glazers reserve the right to change their mind, but I would be surprised if Bowles doesn’t get the chance to finish the season out, especially with the NFC South still up for grabs. New Orleans is 5-4 and is currently atop the division.”
The Buccaneers are still obviously in the playoff hunt midway through the season. But things could change very quickly in the upcoming weeks with games against the Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers.
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Todd Bowles Sends 6-Word Message to Buccaneers After Texans Loss