The Buccaneers are 0-4 after Sunday’s 17-14 loss to the Packers, and this one had the same ugly ending Tampa Bay has been living with all season: chances on the table, no finish at the end.
That’s the story of the year for this team, and it’s hard to escape the math. Only one team in NFL history has made the playoffs after starting 0-4, so unless something dramatic changes, this defeat feels like the point where the season slipped away for good.
Still, there was plenty to sort through from another frustrating afternoon in Green Bay.
Jalon Daniels made his first start and gave Tampa Bay some real hope, even if the rookie moments came with it. He went 19-of-27 for 148 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, and added 55 rushing yards, which set a franchise record for a quarterback. The loss stings, but Daniels showed enough to leave the door open for real development if he can clean up the mistakes.
The offensive line situation around him did not help, and Graham Barton’s rough stretch keeps getting harder to ignore. He had a bad snap that nearly turned into a safety, then later let a blitzer come free on what could have been a game-winning drive. Tampa Bay needs a lot more from its 2024 first-round pick.
There were brighter spots in the backfield. Kenny Gainwell and Sean Tucker both got more involved and both reached the end zone, with Tucker scoring on the ground and Gainwell catching his.
Add in Bucky Irving’s 61 rushing yards, and the Buccaneers have one of the deeper running back groups in the league. That trio should keep getting work.
A’Shawn Robinson also made his presence felt beyond the box score. After picking off a pass last week, he fired up the team at midfield before the game and then backed it up with a clutch forced fumble inside the 5-yard line to keep Tampa Bay alive. He looked like a real leader and played like one, too.
The pass rush, though, was a letdown. With a banged-up Packers offensive line in front of them, this had the look of a chance for the Bucs to finally get after Jordan Love.
Instead, they never got to him for a sack. That’s been one of the biggest disappointments of the early season after an offseason aimed at improving that unit.
Josiah Trotter continued to stand out defensively. He finished with a team-high nine tackles and has led Tampa Bay in tackles in all three games he’s played.
It wasn’t perfect - there were missed tackles - but the 21-year-old rookie has already earned some patience. He’s been the team’s best defender early on.
Jacob Parrish had one of the cleanest performances of the day. He logged five total tackles, two passes defended and an interception, and keeps looking more and more like a quality starter. Right now, he’s the Buccaneers’ best cover corner.
Not everything in the passing game went smoothly, either. Cade Otton has to secure the ball, especially after fans wanted him wearing gloves and he still dropped a perfect throw from Jalon Daniels that should have turned into a big gain.
To be fair, he led the team with 37 receiving yards, but the drop mattered more. Tampa Bay is paying him $10 million annually, and they need more dependable production.
The coaching decision late was hard to understand. The Buccaneers chose to go for it on 4th-and-11 with a rookie quarterback instead of letting Chase McLaughlin try a 65-yard field goal.
McLaughlin is the NFL’s most accurate kicker from 50-plus yards, and he drilled a 65-yarder last season. He should have been given the chance to tie it.
And then there was the punting. Riley Dixon punted four times and averaged 40 yards, which isn’t good enough for a team leaning on field position this much.
With Bradley Pinion currently holding the NFL’s worst punting average at 42.6 yards, Dixon’s day still lands him near the bottom of the league. The Buccaneers need better there, and likely a new answer in the offseason.
In Other News...
Bucs Fans Wont Like What This Todd Bowles Reality Means
The Buccaneers 0-4 start has put Todd Bowles squarely in the crosshairs of a frustrated fan base, and the noise around his job is only getting louder as the losses pile up. But inside the organization, the stance appears unchanged: the Glazer family has long preferred to avoid midseason coaching moves, even when the season is slipping away.
That leaves Tampa Bay in a familiar kind of limbo, with a new coaching staff that does not have an obvious interim replacement waiting in the wings. For now, Bowles is expected to keep steering the team through the rest of the season, which means the bigger question for the Buccaneers may not be whether a change is coming now, but how much patience remains once the year finally runs its course. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Suddenly Have A Quarterback Question They Didn't Expect
Through Week 4 of the 2026 season, the quarterback picture around the league has already taken a few unexpected turns, and Tampa Bay has been part of that churn. Rookie Jalon Daniels got his first NFL start for the Buccaneers because of an injury situation, and while the outing was a rough one, he showed enough resilience to keep himself in the conversation as the team sorts through its depth behind center.
Washington found itself in a similar spot when Athan Kaliakmanis was thrust into action for Marcus Mariota and handled the moment well before the Commanders ended up on the wrong side of the result. Mariota is expected to miss time with a knee injury, while Jayden Daniels is set to return despite his elbow issue, leaving Washington with an immediate question at quarterback and a decision that could shape the next stretch of its season. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Fans Have Every Right To Question This Late-Game Decision
Late in the game against the Green Bay Packers, Todd Bowles faced one of those calls that can hang around long after the final whistle. With 1:34 remaining, the Buccaneers coach chose to keep the offense on the field rather than send Chase McLaughlin out for a 65-yard field-goal try, even though the kicker has built a strong reputation for accuracy and had already connected from that same distance earlier in the 2025 season.
Bowles pointed to the length of the kick and the wind conditions as the reasons for passing on the attempt, but it is the kind of decision that naturally invites a second look. When a kicker has already shown he can hit from that range, leaving points on the table in a tight late-game spot is the sort of move fans will remember, especially if the drive does not end with the kind of payoff the choice requires. [Read more 🡒]