Starting in Week 10, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense began collapsing in ways we hadn't seen before, and so did their record.
Injuries and Baker Mayfield's struggles this season have contributed to losses in five of six games, but not more than the defense. Over the last five games, the Bucs are 31st in scoring defense, with 29 points per game allowed, and 30th in total defense with 384 yards per game allowed.
The onslaught of high-powered offensive opponents is partially to blame, but don't stop there. The Falcons and Saints have below-average offenses with injuries galore, and the Bucs couldn't beat either of them.
The real problem? Todd Bowles. Bowles acts as the defensive coordinator and calls all the shots on that side of the ball.
Unless his mindset changes, he won't be making mid-season switches.
Through five of six games since Week 10, the Bucs have allowed 270+ passing yards, and have fallen to 29th in the league in passing YPG allowed this season.
The Bucs are 9th in passing yards allowed to tight ends and receivers, and first against running backs, by a long shot. This means every position group is a problem.
Cornerback Jamel Dean has played the best by far and allowed just a 43.6 quarterback rating this season. Unfortunately, he's the only above-average pass defender on the team. Cornerback Zyon McCollum has allowed a 100.9 quarterback rating and six touchdowns this season, his worst year since 2022.
The third rotating cornerback, rookie Jacob Parrish, hasn't fared much better, but has allowed just two touchdowns this year. The linebacker core has been awful at defending the pass, specifically Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis.
Eventually, it all works back to Bowles. The head coach has led the Bucs into the bottom five in passing yards allowed the previous two seasons, and they are dead last in 2025.
An effort was made for change in the 2025 NFL draft when the Bucs used rounds 2-3 to select two rookie cornerbacks. Neither has panned out so far, but they have been thrust into starting roles.
Will there be a change in Tampa? Who knows at this point? Moving forward, the final two teams that will face the Buccaneers have bottom-tier passing offenses. There's hope it will improve enough to make the playoffs, but only time will tell.
All Buccaneers fans know is, it's Bowles' fault, even if Baker Mayfield disagrees.