The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still very much in the thick of the NFC South race, but you wouldn’t have known it from Todd Bowles’ reaction after their latest loss. The Bucs head coach didn’t hold back following a gut-wrenching 29-28 defeat to the Falcons that dropped Tampa Bay to 7-7 on the season - and his message wasn’t just about that single game.
According to reporting this week, Bowles’ postgame tirade - which quickly made the rounds on social media - had been simmering for a while. This wasn’t just about a missed opportunity in Atlanta. It was about a team that, in his eyes, hasn’t fully bought in.
And Bowles isn’t pointing fingers at veterans like Baker Mayfield or Mike Evans. In fact, Evans was so emotionally wrecked by the loss that he didn’t even wait for the final kick to go through the uprights before heading toward the tunnel.
That’s the kind of competitive fire Bowles wants to see. The frustration, it seems, is more about the younger players - the ones still adjusting to the grind and expectations of pro football.
As one insider put it, some of the younger guys are still figuring out what it means to be a pro with an edge. There’s a difference between being happy to be on the roster and playing like you belong in a playoff hunt. And after dropping five of their last six games, the Bucs are teetering on the edge of another late-season slide - their third in as many years under Bowles.
But here’s the twist: despite all that, the division is still up for grabs.
Thanks to the Panthers falling to the Saints, both Carolina and Tampa Bay sit at 7-7. That sets up a massive Week 16 showdown in Charlotte, with first place in the NFC South on the line. And if that weren’t enough, these two teams will meet again in Week 18 in Tampa - a potential winner-take-all finale.
Inside the Bucs’ locker room, Bowles’ fiery message may have hit its mark. Baker Mayfield didn’t shy away from backing his coach’s frustration, and Bowles reportedly doubled down in a postgame address that was even more pointed than what the cameras caught.
The message? Wake up. There’s still everything to play for.
And while this team has looked shaky coming out of their Week 9 bye - just one win in six tries - the belief hasn’t vanished. Internally, there’s still confidence that they’re better than the Panthers. They’ll have a chance to prove it soon enough.
Oddsmakers seem to agree, at least for now. The Bucs opened as three-point favorites on the road in Carolina.
But if Bowles’ message truly landed, this next stretch isn’t just about winning the division - it’s about showing they’re a team with more than just potential. It’s about proving they’re built to finish.