The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were devastated after a 29-28 collapse by the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night that saw them blow a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and relinquish the lead in the NFC South.
Generally even-keeled coach Todd Bowles dropped a few F-bombs when describing his team’s play after the loss.
“It’s inexcusable. You don’t make excuses,” he said via the team’s official transcript. “You have to care enough where (expletive) hurts. You have to think hard enough where (expletive) hurts. It had to (expletive) mean something to you. It’s more than a job, it’s your livelihood (forgiving). How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job?”
Bowles was not done demolishing his team’s game and put the onus on the players to take responsibility.
“It was inexcusable (excusable,” he continued. “There’s no (expletive) answer to that. No excuse for that. That’s what you tell them in the locker room. Look in the mirror.”
Bowles’ rant looks like a man who knows his job is on the line with three weeks to go.
The Bucs entered Thursday night’s game with the inside track in the NFC South, facing an eliminated Falcons team. Tampa turned a one-point halftime deficit into a 28-14 lead in the fourth quarter; however, they let it go.
All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, like his coach, was fuming after the loss.
Wirfs called the loss “(expletive) insane” and “embarrassing,” NFL Network’s Sara Walsh reported. “I hope everyone will sit and let this (extract) stew,” he added.
The crash was a real team effort.
The defense couldn’t get a stop late, allowing Kirk Cousins to rack them up for 373 yards and three touchdowns. The injuries in the secondary certainly hurt, but the Bucs’ inability to generate pressure without blowing it is an Achilles heel that reared its head. Cousins tore Bowles apart, going 10 of 17 for 122 yards and a TD with just one sack, according to Next Gen Stats.
The offense finally looked back on track with the return of Mike Evans (6/132) and Jalen McMillan (2/38) to the fold. Baker Mayfield’s 277 yards passing marked the first time he has surpassed the 275-yard mark in a game since Week 5. However, Mayfield’s fourth-quarter interception gave life to a struggling Falcons team. The turnover led to a field goal that cut the Bucs’ lead to two after a failed 2-point attempt. Then, with a chance to ice the deficit, Mayfield threw behind rookie Emeka Egbuka. The Bucs punted at the two-minute warning, setting up Atlanta’s game-winning drive.
Mayfield shouldered the blame for the loss and led a defense that allowed ATL to put up 476 yards.
“It falls on my shoulders,” Mayfield said. “Can’t turn the ball over, can’t have a stop like that. And then it was just hitting Mek calmly on that third period. Look, you can say what you want about having two points and the defense there, but we’ve got to be better offensively, and it comes down to how I play. This one is going to haunt me. It’s on my shoulders.”
The positive for Tampa is that they can still make Thursday’s loss come true. Facing the division-leading Carolina Panthers twice in the last two weeks, including a crucial game in Week 16, gives the Bucs a chance to overcome their mistakes and return to the playoffs.
“We have to get up and go to work tomorrow, no matter how bad today looks,” Bowles said. “You have to put this behind you and we have to win the last three games. We know that.”
The Buccaneers (7-7) have lost five of their last six games after a 6-2 start. Bowles’ team is .500 or worse after Week 15 for the third time in the last four seasons. In each of the last two times, the Buccaneers went on to win the NFC South. To do it again, the Bucs only need to beat the Panthers twice.