Todd Bowles Reveals What’s Really Holding the Buccaneers Back After Loss to Panthers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ late-season slide continued on Sunday with a gut-wrenching 23-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers. 

Head coach Todd Bowles didn’t sugarcoat where things stand.

As Greg Auman noted on X, after another close loss, Bowles acknowledged that the team’s biggest obstacle isn’t the opponent, it’s themselves. 

“We understand we control our own destiny,” Bowles said following the loss.  

“Our biggest enemy right now is us. We understand that as well. Going into the week, that’s all we’ll focus on. We’ll focus on the things that we can do better, as coaches and players.” 

The quote landed heavily given where the Bucs sit entering the final stretch of the season. 

What once looked like a promising playoff run has now turned into a December collapse that has reshaped the NFC South race. 

The late-season collapse has put the coaching staff under a microscope, and Bowles is beginning to feel the pressure. 

Buccaneers’ Collapse Derails Early-Season Success

Just weeks ago, Tampa Bay appeared firmly in control of its season. 

The Bucs opened the year 5-1, improved to 6-2, and were positioned as clear favorites in the NFC South.

Since then, everything has unraveled. 

Tampa Bay has now dropped three straight games in December with losses to the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers.

All three losses came by a combined eight points, with each game coming down to the Bucs’ final possession.

Two of those losses came at home, including the collapse against Atlanta in which Tampa Bay surrendered a 14-point lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. 

That painful loss sparked a fiery, expletive postgame rant from Bowles, who placed responsibility squarely on player execution.

Now sitting at 7-8 overall, the Buccaneers have lost six of their last seven games. 

Carolina’s win Sunday pushed the Panthers into first place in the division with two games remaining. 

Todd Bowles Facing Pressure From Fans/Media

As the losses continue to mount, so have calls for organizational change.

The frustration has spilled well beyond social media, with national voices questioning Bowles’ future. 

“I think the Buccaneers are one of the five worst coached teams in the NFL I see, week to week,” The Ringer’s Bill Simmons said on his podcast. 

“It’s hard to watch… and it was 50/50 if Bowles was going to come back last year, right?”

On X, criticism was even more direct. 

Roto Underworld’s Chuck Bass wrote that Buccaneers players appeared “committed to a singular goal” of getting Bowles fired. 

FloSports Content Director Lucas Wiseman added, “Even if the Bucs somehow make the playoffs they are going to get crushed in the first round.” 

“Rip off the Band-Aid and fire Todd Bowles now,” he added. 

Local reaction mirrored the sentiment. 

Bay News Ty called Sunday’s performance “pathetic,” questioning how long similar results would be tolerated in any other profession.

If the Buccaneers were to miss the playoffs after starting 6-2, there is a legitimate chance the team parts wise with Todd Bowles. 

Many think he is coaching for his job in these last two weeks of the season.

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