The Bucs came into Week 4 already short on confidence, and Sunday did nothing to change the mood. Tampa Bay stayed in the fight again, but Green Bay still walked away with a 17-14 win, sending the Bucs to 0-4 and extending a start that feels heavier by the week.
What stood out most wasn’t one bad sequence. It was the full stack of them - the flat sideline, the stalled offense, the quiet defense, and the sense that Tampa Bay never really grabbed hold of the game.
Todd Bowles sits at the center of that frustration. The Bucs have been described as lifeless four weeks into the season, and that’s hard to argue with after another uneven showing.
Bowles wants calm on the sideline, but the play on the field has matched that same mood. There’s been little energy beyond A’Shawn Robinson in the pre-game huddle, and the team has looked out of sync from the start.
With Tampa Bay now 2-11 in its last 13 games, the case against Bowles only gets louder.
The offense has its own set of problems, and Zac Robinson’s unit keeps making everything look harder than it should. The screen game remains the safest thing they have, but once they step outside that lane, the operation gets messy in a hurry. Sean Tucker finally got a couple carries, but the overall approach looked familiar: uncertain, predictable, and short on creativity.
The opening drive told the story. Bucky Irving picked up 5 yards, then 3, and yet the Bucs didn’t stay with the run on third-and-2.
Instead, they called a play that was dead on arrival with Jalon Daniels. That’s been the issue all season - the game plan doesn’t look thought out, and the wide zone run scheme doesn’t seem to fit the offensive line’s strengths.
The passing game isn’t helping either. Chris Godwin Jr. isn’t getting the ball enough, Emeka Egbuka is barely involved, Ted Hurst III is good for one big play a game, and Kenny Gainwell has added nothing.
Daniels was supposed to bring a spark, and for a few moments he did as a runner. He carried it eight times for 55 yards.
But as a first NFL start from an undrafted free agent, the rough edges showed. He finished 19-of-27 for 148 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, and both picks came on bad decisions.
The accuracy was only middling, and the overall performance never gave the Bucs enough stability.
The offensive line didn’t help. It looked defeated walking into halftime, and the body language said plenty.
Pass protection and run blocking both remained issues, and the interior line still looks as shaky as it has all season. Green Bay didn’t pile up sacks, but Daniels’ ability to escape kept some pressure from turning into more damage.
Defensively, the pass rush was a letdown again. Yaya Diaby has fallen off to the point that he’s not even a reliable rotational rusher.
Al Quadin-Muhammad hasn’t offered much in red and pewter. Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey were supposed to give the Bucs a strong one-two punch, but they couldn’t make much of a dent against a Packers offensive line that had been mocked for signing veteran guards off the street this week.
If Tampa Bay can’t get pressure against that group, the question becomes obvious: when will it?
The run defense didn’t hold up either. It was supposed to be one of the safer parts of this defense, but backup Packers backs Kaleb Johnson and Chris Brooks found room to work.
Johnson broke free for a 31-yard run, and Brooks added a 27-yarder. That’s not the kind of response you want against an underwhelming Green Bay ground game.
There were also a few individual plays that swung the feel of the game. Keionte Scott had the tough assignment on Matthew Golden on fourth-and-goal and didn’t stay with the route well enough to force a stop, turning it into a 7-0 Green Bay lead. And yes, Vita Vea dropping into coverage drew the obvious reaction.
Then there’s Cade Otton, whose three-year, $30 million contract is looking rougher by the week. He had a chance for a chunk gain up the seam in the second quarter but dropped a catchable ball from Daniels. Even with gloves on, the hands remain inconsistent, and the rest of his game hasn’t been enough to make up for it.
Alex Anzalone also had a quiet afternoon, and not in a good way. He finished with just two tackles and was flagged for defensive holding on third-and-4, giving the Packers a fresh set of downs.
For a team trying to find any traction at all, Week 4 only deepened the disappointment.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Suddenly Face A Bigger Baker Mayfield Problem Than Expected
Baker Mayfields thumb injury has turned into a much bigger issue for the Buccaneers than a short-term scare. The veteran quarterback suffered a dislocated thumb and is expected to miss multiple games, with his return hinging on how quickly he regains grip strength. For Tampa Bay, the timing is especially tricky because Mayfield had been in the middle of another season as the teams starter after appearing in three games so far.
The immediate answer is rookie Jalon Daniels, who has been named the backup and will start while Mayfield is out. It puts an abrupt spotlight on Tampa Bays quarterback depth and raises the stakes around how the offense functions without the player the Buccaneers signed to a multi-year deal. The bigger question now is not just who starts next, but how long the team has to live without Mayfield and what kind of shape he is in when he finally returns. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fan Goes Viral For A Gameday Moment Bucs Fans Pounced On
A gameday photo from the Packers-Buccaneers matchup quickly took on a life of its own, with a Green Bay fan in a cheese-themed outfit drawing plenty of attention on social media. Buccaneers fans, already tuned into a rough start for their own team, jumped on the image and helped turn a random moment from the stands into one of the evenings louder online talking points.
It fit the mood around Tampa Bay, where the Bucs came in at 0-3 and were turning to undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels at quarterback because of Baker Mayfields injury. Green Bay arrived at 1-2, but the game was about more than the records for Tampa Bay supporters, who had little patience to spare and plenty of time to notice, and react to, anything that stood out. [Read more 🡒]
Todd Bowles Just Became The Center Of Tampa Bay's Biggest Debate
The Buccaneers slow start has pushed Todd Bowles into the middle of a conversation nobody in Tampa Bay wanted to have this early. At 0-4, with a 3-12 record stretching back to last season, the losses are piling up fast enough to turn every miscue into a referendum on direction, execution and leadership. Bowles stepped to the podium after the latest setback and owned the mess, taking responsibility while insisting he still believes he can guide the team out of it.
Bowles has handled the public side of the slump the way a veteran coach usually does, but the frustration around the team is only growing because so many of the defeats have stayed within reach. Close games tend to sharpen the focus on the head coach, and if the Buccaneers keep coming up short in those spots, the accountability debate will only get louder. For now, Bowles is asking for patience, even as the results make that a harder sell by the week. [Read more 🡒]