At some point the losing has to stop, right?
That’s unfortunately the mentality Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans have been forced into as the team continues a downward spiral. The Bucs have not won a game since before the team’s bye week, and face the very real possibility that another game won’t be won until after November.
After this week the Bucs face the Titans, 49ers, and Colts, which means a loss on Sunday against the Texans puts the team in absolute dire straights. This is the bitter chaser after watching the team start the season 3-1 and snatch sole possession of the NFC South away from everyone else.
Since then, it’s been all downhill.
If all of this sounds overly negative it’s because the Bucs have shown nothing to suggest they’ll be able to pull themselves out of this funk. Last Thursday’s loss to Buffalo ended up coming down to a Hail Mary that Chris Godwin nearly caught, but for most of the game — and the past three weeks — the Bucs were outmatched.
A lot of this feels like the way things did last year, where the team should be playing better than it is but can’t seem to find the right gear. The upside is that Tampa Bay hasn’t been blown out, as even the 20-6 loss to Detroit was close until things got away at the end.
Houston isn’t going to be an easy out, as the Texans have a rising defense and perhaps the hottest rookie quarterback in the league. It’s the type of game that the Bucs should win, and a bounce back can’t happen soon enough.
What channel is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on today? (November 5th)
Houston is coming off its bye week, but the Bucs are off a mini-bye after not having played since last Thursday. The 10 days of rest has given the team time to think through some of the things that are going wrong and how to move to the right side of the slim margin for error they’re on.
Right now the Bucs aren’t a good team, but they’re not a truly bad one either. Some mental mistakes have come at the wrong time which has magnified them, and the offense has been all out of sorts and slow to get momentum going.
That being said, two of their last three losses came down to the final play of the game and the Bucs had a chance to win in the closing minutes. Atlanta walked off on a field goal and the Bills got bailed out by a no-call on pass interference in the endzone, but the Bucs have been right in it.
Perhaps that’s the confidence builder the team needs to remember it’s capable of doing things like marching into New Orleans and dominating the Saints, and not what has happened over the last few weeks.
Here’s everything you need to know to catch today’s game:
- Date: Sunday, November 5th
- Start Time: 1:00 pm ET
- Location: NRG Stadium | Houston, TX
- TV Channel: CBS
- Announcers: Ian Eagle, Charles Davis
- Radio: WXTB 97.9 FM | More Affiliates
- Live Stream: NFL Sunday Ticket | Fubo
At the very least the Bucs will get a great announcing pairing this week. Ian Eagle and Charles Davis will be on the call with the game airing on CBS.