Todd Bowles didn’t let the Buccaneers get carried away after their biggest win of the season.
Tampa Bay rolled past Carolina 43-13 on Sunday, turning in its best performance of the year. But with the Buccaneers still sitting at 2-5 and a divisional game against the Atlanta Falcons coming next weekend, Bowles made sure the mood stayed locked in rather than celebratory.
His locker room message made that crystal clear.
“Now that’s what team football is all about right there. Run the ball down their throat, turnovers on defense, doing a hell of a job of coverage on special teams.
That’s what it’s supposed to look like. Now come tomorrow, you can’t lose this attitude… We talked about this, we got another one next week.
Enjoy the plane ride, watch the film, make the corrections, we gotta go back to attitude on f***ing Wednesday. Hell of a job, let’s go home.”
Bowles later corrected himself when he mentioned Wednesday.
“[If] you win three in a row you’ll get a Wednesday.”
That kind of edge is exactly what the Bucs need right now. They earned a good night after handling the Panthers, but this can’t become a one-game burst. With another divisional matchup on deck, Tampa Bay has a real shot to climb back into the NFC South picture.
If the Buccaneers beat Atlanta and Carolina falls to the Packers on Thursday Night Football, Tampa Bay would be just a half-game out of first place.
Bowles has taken plenty of heat from the fan base, but he’s kept this group together through a rough start and has them still in position to make a run. The defense is playing at a high level, and the locker room appears fully invested in the message he’s pushing: enjoy the win, then get right back to work.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Finally Delivered The Kind Of Win Fans Needed
The Buccaneers had been waiting for a clean, stress-free afternoon, and they finally got one in Charlotte. Tampa Bay rolled past Carolina 43-13 at Bank of America Stadium, with Baker Mayfield back in the mix after missing time and Bucky Irving setting the tone on the ground with 106 yards and two touchdowns. The offense did its part, but the larger story was the way the game never felt in doubt once the Bucs settled in.
Tampa Bays defense helped make sure of that, forcing multiple turnovers and keeping Carolina from ever finding a rhythm. It was the kind of complete performance the Buccaneers needed after a rough stretch, the sort that can calm things down around a team and restore some confidence heading into the next week. For a group that has been searching for traction, this was the rare game that offered it in every phase. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Suddenly Have Two Reasons To Believe In This Division Race
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Zyon McCollum helped set the defensive tone with an interception and a blocked field goal that turned into points, while Bucky Irving gave the offense a steady boost with a heavy workload and a pair of touchdowns. For a team at 2-5, those are the kinds of complementary performances that matter most, because Tampa Bay does not need perfection so much as it needs to keep finding reasons to believe the division is still within reach. [Read more 🡒]
Under The Radar Bucs Could Decide More Than Fans Expect Against Carolina
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Those matchups matter because this is the kind of game where one or two under-the-radar performances can tilt the rhythm for Tampa Bay. Walkers pressure, Irvings chances to keep the offense on schedule, and McCollums ability to handle a top receiver give the Buccaneers multiple ways to shape the outcome, even if the spotlight is elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]