With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers once again engulfed in a midseason slump, questions might be arising about the safety of head coach Todd Bowles' job.
Tampa Bay is 1-3 in its last four games after starting 5-1. This is not the first time this has occurred for Tampa Bay under Bowles' tenure.
In 2022, Tampa Bay started 2-0, then went 1-5 in their next six games. That year, the team had Tom Brady under center. In 2023, the Bucs started 3-1, then went 1-6 in their next seven games. Last season, they started 4-2 before losing four games in a row, all against Super Bowl-caliber teams.
It's a trend, and it's deeply concerning -- as we all unbelievably frustrating for fans.
The caveat to this conversation is that in all three previous years, Tampa Bay recovered and won the division. In 2022, they recovered from their 3-5 record and finished 5-4 down the stretch, winning the division at 8-9. In 2023, they recovered from a 4-7 record by going 5-1 down the stretch and winning the division and 9-8. In 2024, they recovered from a 4-6 record, winning six of their last seven games and finishing 10-7.
The same could happen this year, as Tampa Bay has a remarkably easy final six games.
However, this trend can't continue, especially with the rest of the NFC South beginning to rebuild and improve. The division won't always be winnable at 9 or 10 wins. Soon, Tampa Bay is going to have to complete a full season of good football, without a six-game slump in the middle of the season that slows down all of their progress.
Todd Bowles has yet to put together a full season of great football, and it's worthwhile to wonder if his seat should be warming. Tampa Bay clearly has a talented roster, but its consistent underperforming, both in the regular season and the playoffs, is troubling. The team might need to evaluate its roster and coaching staff to determine if they have all the right pieces in place.
Is Bowles the right coach to lead Tampa Bay back to the Super Bowl? So far, it looks like Bowles is a coach who does just enough to win, and nothing more or less. That's enough for now, but his seat could begin to warm if losses keep piling up.