The pressure is mounting in Tampa, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are risking losing the NFC South to the Carolina Panthers. The Bucs asserted themselves as the dominators of the division early in the season, but a midseason slump could see them miss out on the postseason entirely, which could turn up the heat under head coach Todd Bowles’s seat.
Bruce Arians Criticizes Buccaneers’ ‘Energy’ as the Playoffs Loom
Given how the Buccaneers started the year with a 6-2 run to get a foothold on the division, losing momentum to the point of missing the playoffs doesn’t bode well. While a lot of it can be attributed to injuries plaguing the receiving corps, there are a lot of questions surrounding how Coach Bowles has dealt with the challenges that came the Bucs’ way.
Former Super Bowl-winning head coach Bruce Arians addressed Tampa’s tough situation and its prospects for the rest of the season. The former Bucs coach warned the team against complacency.
“I think the Bucs are getting healthier but that was a bad, bad loss,” Arians said. “I did not like the energy that they showed up with, starting with the opening kickoff and [the Saints] running it back 60 yards, whatever it was.”
He mentioned how Tampa still has two more games left against the Panthers, who are tied for the division with the Bucs at 7-6. Carolina might have delivered a mixed bag of results to date, but it earned the team the chance to go after the division with only a few weeks left in the regular season.
“The Bucs were just not there,” he added. “You know, they’ve got the Panthers twice, and I think that will be the telltale sign. They’ve got Thursday Night Football with the Falcons this week. Must win.”
Pat McAfee suggested that Bowles is feeling the heat for the team’s dip in performance. After a steaming start to the season, they risk missing out on the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
“Lotta heat,” Arians warned. “And when you lose games like that, it’s going to happen.”
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Quarterback Baker Mayfield and company have to tread tricky territory as they aim for the playoffs, and it starts with taking down the dangerous defense of the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night in primetime.
Their next matchup will see them visit their biggest division rival, the Panthers, in Week 16. However, their mission doesn’t get much easier from there, as they take to the Sunshine State to face the currently 6-7 Miami Dolphins before hosting the Panthers for the regular season finale.
