The NFC South Division has officially run the table on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the month of the December, with 3 consecutive losses to the New Orleans Saints (Week 14), Atlanta Falcons (Week 15) and Carolina Panthers (Week 16).
The 3 losses came by a combined 8 points and all came down to the final drive of the game for the Buccaneers. The losses to the Saints and Falcons both came at home and the loss to the Falcons came after the Buccaneers led by 14 points with less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
After the loss to the Falcons, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles tried to put the blame on the players with an expletive-laden rant for the ages.
After the 23-20 loss to the Panthers, there’s nowhere left to the deflect the blame as Carolina took over first place in the NFC South Division with 2 games remaining in the regular season. Now, It’s all on Bowles, and the lack of coaching acumen for the Buccaneers has ended up being the defining story for the team down the stretch.
“I think the Buccaneers are one of the 5 worst coached teams in the NFL I see, week to week,” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said on his podcast following the loss to the Panthers. “It’s hard to watch … and it was 50/50 if Bowles was going to come back last year, right? And they had (former offensive coordinator) Liam Coen, but he went to the Jaguars.”
Bucs Could Be Eliminated in Week 17
The Buccaneers can still make the playoffs but it’s not a clear path.
“The Panthers can clinch a playoff spot if they beat SEA next week and the Bucs lose to MIA,” Panthers reporter Edgar Salmingo Jr. wrote on X on December 21. “Any other outcome sets up a ‘winner makes the playoffs game’ in Week 18 between CAR and TB.”
Tampa Bay is trying to make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season and win their fifth consecutive NFC South Division title.
Carolina hasn’t made the playoffs since 2017 — also the last season they had a winning record — and are coached by another former Buccaneers offensive coordinator in second year head coach Dave Canales.
Growing Calls to Fire Bowles After Season
If Bowles can’t find a way to get the Buccaneers in the playoffs it’s hard to see him coming back in 2026. With Tampa Bay losing 6 of its last 7 games to drop to 7-8 overall, it’s hard to have much confidence in them turning things around at the last second.
“Rarely do you see an NFL team come together to commit to a singular goal like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers players getting Todd Bowles fired, but hats off to everybody involved for working together as a unit to achieve such an achievement,” Roto Underworld’s Chuck Bass wrote on X.
“Even if the Bucs somehow make the playoffs they are going to get crushed in the first round,” Flo Sports Content Director Lucas Wiseman wrote on X. “Rip off the Band-Aid and fire Todd Bowles now.”
“Good morning, the Bucs and Todd Bowles were pathetic on Sunday,” Bay News Ty wrote on their official X account on December 22. “How would your job handle it if you showed up for work for the last 7 weeks and failed to do your job? You’d be FIRED.”
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