Buccaneers Collapse Late Against Falcons, Raising Big Questions for Todd Bowles and Tampa Bay’s Future
If you’re looking for a loss that defines a season spiraling out of control, look no further than what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put on the field Thursday night. Four days removed from a tough loss to the Saints, Tampa had a real shot at getting back on track against a struggling Falcons team. Instead, they let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers - and not quietly, either.
Atlanta came into the game having lost seven of their last eight. They looked every bit the part of a team trying to give it away, racking up a staggering 19 penalties for 125 yards.
That kind of undisciplined play usually spells doom. But Tampa couldn’t capitalize - not when it mattered most.
Despite all the flags, Kirk Cousins had little trouble carving up a Buccaneers defense that looked out of sync from the jump. Cousins led back-to-back touchdown drives late in the fourth quarter, slicing through a secondary that’s been a liability all season. With just over three minutes remaining, the Falcons had pulled within two.
The Bucs had a chance to close it out. Instead, they punted - and what happened next might end up being the defining moment of Tampa’s 2025 season.
The Falcons were buried in a 3rd-and-28 hole. Game on the line.
But Cousins, calm and composed, delivered a 14-yard strike, then followed it up with a 21-yarder to move the chains. Just like that, Atlanta was in position to kick the game-winner - and they did.
With the loss, the Buccaneers not only dropped to second place in the NFC South, but they also dropped the ball on a game they had every reason - and every chance - to win. Head coach Todd Bowles didn’t sugarcoat anything in his postgame comments, and frankly, there wasn’t much to sugarcoat.
Yes, Tampa still has two games left against the division-leading Panthers in the next three weeks. So technically, the NFC South crown is still within reach. But this loss felt like more than just a missed opportunity - it felt like a warning flare for a team teetering on the edge.
A Crumbling Foundation: Aging Core, Defensive Decline, and Offensive Inconsistency
Since Tom Brady arrived in 2020, the Bucs have been the standard in a perennially weak NFC South. Four division titles in five years - and the one year they didn’t win it, they won the Super Bowl. But that sustained success has masked some serious cracks in the foundation.
The defense, once a dominant, top-five unit, has slid all the way to 23rd in scoring defense this season. The core - Vita Vea, Lavonte David, and Jamel Dean - still brings leadership and flashes of high-level play, but they’re all on the wrong side of their primes.
And the young reinforcements that were supposed to take over? They haven’t materialized.
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is now in Chicago, and Logan Hall hasn’t developed into the disruptive presence the team hoped for.
Despite the personnel drop-off, Bowles hasn’t adjusted his approach. Tampa still blitzes at one of the highest rates in the league - seventh overall - but the payoff just isn’t there.
The Bucs rank 14th in sacks per game, and the aggressive pressure has left a battered secondary exposed. The result?
Tampa sits 28th in passing yards allowed.
Offensively, the talent is there - at least on paper. But injuries and inconsistency have kept the group from finding a rhythm.
Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and rookie running back Bucky Irving have all missed time. Emeka Egbuka, the rookie wideout who showed promise early, has struggled with drops and hasn’t been the same in the second half of the season.
And then there’s Baker Mayfield. After a strong 2024 campaign that saw the Bucs finish fourth in scoring, Mayfield has regressed.
Over the last eight games, he’s posted a passer rating of just 77. That’s not going to cut it - not when the defense is giving up yards and points at this rate.
Tampa’s offensive output has slipped to 17th in the league, and they simply don’t have the firepower to compensate for a defense that can’t get stops.
What Comes Next?
Unless something dramatic happens down the stretch - and that includes those two critical games against Carolina - it’s hard to see this season ending in anything but a major shakeup. Even if the Bucs manage to sneak into the playoffs, the writing’s on the wall.
Todd Bowles is likely to be at the center of that conversation. The defense is his domain, and it’s fallen off a cliff.
Meanwhile, the offense has cycled through three different coordinators in three years. A pivot to an offensive-minded head coach could bring some much-needed stability and help maximize the talent that remains on that side of the ball.
As for the defense, it may be time for a new voice and a fresh scheme - one that better fits the personnel Tampa actually has, not the one they used to.
The Buccaneers aren’t out of it yet. But if Thursday night was any indication, they’re running out of time - and answers.