Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles blasted his gamers and challenged them to “look within the mirror” after his workforce blew a two-touchdown lead within the fourth quarter and misplaced 29-28 to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday evening at Raymond James Stadium.
The Buccaneers (7-7) misplaced for the fifth time in six video games to fall a half-game behind the Carolina Panthers (7-6) within the NFC South.
“You do not make excuses,” Bowles stated in an expletive-laden response. “You bought to f—ing care sufficient the place the s— hurts. It is received to f—ing imply one thing to you. It is greater than a job. It is your f—ing livelihood. How properly have you learnt your job? How properly are you able to do your job? You’ll be able to’t sugarcoat that s—.”
After the Falcons lower a 14-point deficit to 28-20 on Bijan Robinson’s 6-yard landing run with underneath 10 minutes left, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was picked off by Dee Alford on the following drive. Atlanta then drove 67 yards for a landing, lacking the 2-point conversion to make it 28-26.
The Falcons compelled the Buccaneers to punt and received the ball at their 30 with no timeouts and 1:49 to go. Going through a third-and-28 on their last drive, quarterback Kirk Cousins accomplished passes of 14 yards to Kyle Pitts Sr. and 20 yards on fourth-and-14 to David Sills V to arrange Zane Gonzalez’s 43-yard discipline aim as time expired.
Bowles known as the loss “inexcusable” and put the onus on the Buccaneers gamers to execute.
“At this level, you’ve got seen all the pieces within the season,” Bowles stated. “The coaches have completed all the pieces they will do. This can be a player-driven workforce within the final 4 or 5 weeks. You have to execute, they usually’ve received to carry one another accountable. As a coach, you may sit there till you are blue within the face. Till they begin holding one another accountable and doing the little issues proper — and that is not all people, , we’re speaking a few small, choose few. However the small, choose few is what’s getting us beat. And till that occurs, it isn’t going to get proper.”
Based on ESPN Analytics, the Buccaneers’ possibilities of successful the NFC South fall to 35% if the Panthers win in opposition to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday; they rise to 76% if the Panthers lose. Tampa Bay and Carolina play one another in Weeks 16 and 18.
Mayfield had all of his broad receivers obtainable for the primary time this season after six-time Professional Bowler Mike Evans and second-year professional Jalen McMillan had been activated from injured reserve.
He shouldered the blame for Thursday evening’s loss.
“This one goes to hang-out me. It falls on my shoulders,” Mayfield stated. “It is not the protection’s fault. It is my fault.”
Info from The Related Press was used on this report.
