The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were livid to the expletive degree following Thursday night's 29-28 collapse to the Atlanta Falcons that saw them drop a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and relinquish the lead in the NFC South.
A generally even-tempered coach Todd Bowles dropped several F-bombs when describing his team's play following the loss.
"It's inexcusable. You don't make excuses," he said via the team's official transcript. "You got to (expletive) care enough where the (expletive) hurts. You got to (expletive) care enough where the (expletive) hurts. It got to (expletive) mean something to you. It's more than a job, it's your (expletive) livelihood. How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job? You can't sugarcoat that (expletive)."
Bowles wasn't done ripping his team's play down the stretch, putting the onus on the players to hold themselves accountable.
"It was (expletive) inexcusable," he continued. "There's no (expletive) answer for it. No excuse for it. That's what you tell 'em in the locker room. Look in the (expletive) mirror."
Bowles' rant reads like a man who knows his job is on the line with three weeks left.
The Bucs entered Thursday night's game with the inside track on the NFC South, facing a Falcons squad that was eliminated from contention. Tampa turned a one-point halftime deficit into a 28-14 fourth-quarter lead; however, they let it slip away.
All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, like his coach, was steaming after the loss.
Wirfs called the loss "(expletive) insane" and "embarrassing," per NFL Network's . "I hope everyone sits and lets this (expletive) stew," he added.
The collapse was a total team effort.
The defense couldn't get a stop late, allowing Kirk Cousins to dice them up for 373 yards and three touchdowns. The injuries in the secondary certainly hurt, but the Bucs' inability to generate pressure without blitzing is an Achilles' heel that reared its head. Cousins ripped apart Bowles' blitzes, going 10 of 17 for 122 yards and a TD with just one sack, per Next Gen Stats.
The offense finally looked back on track with the return of Mike Evans (6/132) and Jalen McMillan (2/38) to the lineup. Baker Mayfield's 277 yards passing marked the first time he's gone over the 275-yard passing mark in a game since Week 5. However, the Mayfield's fourth-quarter interception gave a Falcons team that couldn't get out of its own way, life. The turnover led to a score that cut the Bucs' lead to two after a missed 2-point try. Then, with a chance to ice the tilt, Mayfield threw behind rookie Emeka Egbuka. The Bucs punted at the two-minute warning, setting up Atlanta's game-winning drive.
Mayfield shouldered the blame for the loss, defending the defense that allowed ATL to put up 476 yards.
"It falls on my shoulders," Mayfield said. "Can't turn the ball over, can't have that interception. And then just got to hit Mek in stride on that third down. Listen, you can say what you want about being up two scores and the defense right there, but we have to be better on offense, and it comes down to how I play. This one's going to haunt me. This falls on my shoulders."
The positive for Tampa is that they can still make Thursday's loss moot. Facing the division-leading Carolina Panthers twice in the final two weeks, including a pivotal Week 16 match, gives the Bucs a chance to overcome their errors and return to the playoffs.
"We've got to get up and go to work tomorrow, no matter how bad today looks," said Bowles. "You've got to put it behind you, and we've got to win the last three games. We know that."
The Buccaneers (7-7) have lost five of their past six games after a 6-2 start. Bowles' team is .500 or worse following Week 15 for the third time in the last four seasons. Each of the past two times, the Buccaneers went on to win the NFC South. To do so again, the Bucs need only beat the Panthers twice.
