The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a great chance to beat the Chicago Bears in Week 9. However, in three scenarios where the Bucs could have gone for it and attempted to score touchdowns, head coach Todd Bowles decided to kick field goals instead. They did not score enough to beat the Bears’ high-powered offense, 27-24.
“I just can’t get over Todd Bowles losing this game despite getting 5 turnovers on defense,” tweeted Marcus Mosher after the game.
The Bucs were trailing 14-0 in the second quarter in the first. The Bucs had 4th down with four yards to go at the four-yard line. Tampa Bay thought about going for it, but the play came in late, and they took a delay of game and then kicked a field goal.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Kick Field Goals and Lose to Chicago Bears
In the second instance, the team trailed 17-3 right before the half. The Bucs had ten seconds left in the half, and the ball was at the 13. They picked up 10 yards and got to the three-yard line. Cris Collinsworth suggested going for it. They kicked a field goal.
Bowles noted that the chance to score and get the ball at the half factored into their decision.
“Well, we get the ball a second half, so we can get points here and we can score coming out of the half,” Bowles told Melissa Stark after the game. “We’ll be right back in this ball game. I think it would have been on the other side if they were getting the ball; we probably would have went for it.”
HE ALSO GAVE REASONS ON WHY THEY TOOK THE FIELD GOAL INSTEAD OF GOING FOR IT RIGHT BEFORE THE HALF
To give Bowles credit, the Bucs scored out of the half and cut the lead to 17-13. Still, a touchdown before the half would have tied the score at 17.
Bucs Fall Short in Week 9
In the last time, the Bucs trailed 24-13. They had the ball early in the fourth quarter and faced 4th down with four yards to go at the 12-yard line. Once again, the Bucs took a delay of game and then kicked a field goal. They cut the lead to eight and eventually tied it.
However, they tied it with just enough time to give Chicago the ball back to score and end the game. The Bucs needed to be more aggressive to beat a team like Chicago.
Chicago had scored 30 in every start that Caleb Williams made prior to this game. The Bucs turned the Bears over five times and held them to 27 points. Tampa Bay needed to attempt to score 30 points to beat the Bears. Not playing to score 30 was not good enough for the Bucs.
Now, they head into the bye week. Fortunately for them the NFC South is wide open.
Bucs Coach Put on Notice For Costly Decisions in Week 9 Loss