The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on a dismal slide, and after losing to the worst team in the NFC South on Sunday, the New Orleans Saints, Todd Bowles can ill afford a similar result with the whole world watching on Thursday Night Football against another struggling division rival in the Atlanta Falcons.
Bucs star quarterback Baker Mayfield has been slowed by a shoulder injury, but even before that, he was not looking like his MVP self earlier this season. Injuries around him to star wide receivers, running back Bucky Irving, and multiple offensive linemen have obviously hampered him, but with Irving, Chris Godwin, and more reinforcements coming for Mayfield, all the noise around him sounds like a whole bunch of excuses.
And against the Falcons with the division and, thus, a playoff spot on the line with the Carolina Panthers breathing down their necks, there can be no excuses. The Bucs have to win, point blank, and if they embarrass themselves like the last time they were in prime time against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, then heads are going to roll.
Bowles is on the hottest seat in the NFL at this point after losses to the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and New Orleans Saints. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now much closer to mediocrity than Super Bowl status, and for a career coach in the mediocre range, Bowles has a lot of work to do - and a lot of explaining to do if Thursday night's battle against Atlanta does not go the right way for Tampa Bay.
Facing them will be a familiar face in Raheem Morris, whose seat with the Falcons is also plenty hot. Both Bowles and Morris are more out than in at this point, and if Bowles were to lose to Morris, that would be a further blight on his record. As any Buccaneers fan can attest, Morris is not exactly one of the most formidable or credible coaches in the NFL. And while the Bucs are big favorites on paper, as Thursday Night Football has had a penchant for teaching us this year, you cannot write off any division rivalry matchup in the NFL.
What channel is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on today? (December 11th)
Here's everything you need to know to catch today's game:
- Date: Thursday, December 11th
- Start Time: 8:15 pm ET
- Location: Raymond James Stadium | Tampa Bay, FL
- TV Channel: Prime Video
- Announcers: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit
- Radio: WXTB 97.9 FM
- Live Stream: NFL+ | Prime Video