If you want to understand what it’s been like to have Todd Bowles as head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, you can almost sum it up in one play from the first half of Thursday night’s Week 5 road game against the Dallas Cowboys.
Tied 7-7 with 3:47 left in the second quarter and 3 timeouts remaining, the Buccaneers were flagged for a delay-of-game penalty on a successful 61-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin.
The winless Bucs were forced to punt, and the points disappeared.
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Brutal Reactions to Buccaneers’ Miscue
The Buccaneers were lit up almost instantly over their
“To have a delay-of-game penalty on a FG attempt is unforgivable,” Tampa Bay Times NFL reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account. “Call one of your 3 timeouts.”
“Wow,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on his official X account. “Chase McLaughlin was good from 61 yards, but there’s a delay penalty before the kick. Bucs will punt — bad miss from an execution standpoint on special teams.”
“Cowboys bailed out by Tampa on that drive,” ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote on his official X account. “A false start turns third and 1 to third and 6. And a delay of game negates a 61-yard FG on fourth down. Clock was at zero but a lot of times that play still goes through. Game still tied.”
“Delay of game???” The Read Optional’s Jon Ledyard wrote on his official X account. “How! You have 3 timeouts!!! Absolutely unbelievable levels of incompetence lol. A high school coach would be embarrassed to mess that up.”
Dallas kicked its own field goal to go into halftime with a 10-7 lead.
Buccaneers’ 0-4 Start Leaves Franchise Reeling
After starting the season 0-4, the Buccaneers now face a historic task: salvage their season. Only one team in NFL history has started 0-4 and made the playoffs—the 1992 San Diego Chargers. No team has started 0-5 and made the playoffs.
To make matters worse, they’ll have to start that task without their starting quarterback.
Undrafted rookie free agent Jalon Daniels made his second consecutive start against the Cowboys after starter Baker Mayfield injured his thumb in Week 3.
Bucs Called Out for ‘Unforgivable’ Mistake Against Cowboys