Last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squandered a hot start by falling into a 1-6 hole and nearly derailing their season. Not to alarm anyone, but the Bucs dropped their sixth loss in seven games on Sunday after the San Francisco 49ers mounted a comeback win in Week 10.
History is repeating itself in more than one way for the Bucs. Part of the reason the team has hit the skids has been how sloppy things have looked on the field. Todd Bowles' defense has been putrid this year, and the mistakes that players are making all over the field hasn't helped at all.
Josh Hayes was called for an illegal formation on a kickoff late in the loss, a penalty that helped the 49ers get five very valuable yards toward a game-winning field goal. Even Antoine Winfield Jr., the best player on the defense, was whiffing on plays, which is not exactly a great sign.
A fourth straight loss has fans demanding accountability more than ever, and Bowles trotting out old talking points is both on-brand bland, and something that will surely rile folks up.
Todd Bowles sent a stern message to Buccaneers after loss to 49ers
Among the first things Bowles addressed after the loss was his message to the team. It's more of the same from what we've heard in the past, but the refrain is starting to sound like nails on the chalkboard to a fanbase that is already at wit's end with their head coach.
"We've got to play smarter football. There’s nothing wrong with how hard we’re playing and how tough we’re playing, but we got to finish games," Bowles said. "We're making way too many mistakes at the end."
Bowles sounded exasperated when making the comments in a way that will surely rile up fans already looking for a reason to throw more fuel on the fire under his seat. While it's still way too early to start making sweeping claims about his job security, it's reaching the point where he's starting to run out road.
#Bucs HC Todd Bowles on his message to the team after the loss to the #49ers and on if it is the little things holding them back.
— PewterReport 🏴☠️ (@PewterReport) November 10, 2024
“We got to play smarter football. There’s nothing wrong with how hard we’re playing and how tough we’re playing, but we got to finish games…” pic.twitter.com/QE55JuML6x
It's one thing to call the team out, but it's another thing to have the refrain be so common that it feels like we're listening to it on a loop. Bowles hasn't done such a bad job that he needs to be fired during the bye week, but he's burning through the credit he stored up from how well things went last season.
Tampa Bay's defense is among one of the worst in the league, but it's terribly reductive to say that alone is proof he needs to be fired. Instead, it's the death by a million cuts that we see each week that are far more damning than how poorly Bowles' defense has played.
When you get down to it, if a team isn't playing smart football -- and is consistently falling short in that department -- there's really only one place where the buck stops. Bowles pulled the team out of a 1-6 losing streak last season to lead them to the NFC Divisional Round, but the team continues to slip in the wrong direction.
The Glazer's don't like regression, and while Bowles still has time to figure things out he's quickly running out of time to land things with the sort of grace we saw in years past.
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