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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers walked into Week 14 knowing a matchup with the 2-10 New Orleans Saints was still no guarantee, especially given the physicality that always shows up in NFC South battles.
But even with that awareness, Tampa Bay was stunned 24-20 at Raymond James Stadium, a result that further complicates their pursuit of an NFC South title.
Head coach Todd Bowles made it clear postgame that Tampa Bay’s inability to execute in crucial situations was the defining factor. Addressing the team’s repeated short-yardage failures, most notably two major fourth-down busts, Bowles didn’t sugarcoat anything.
“We couldn’t get a fourth down play. We couldn’t make a fourth down play. That’s disheartening,” he said in the post-game press conference, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles: “We couldn’t get a fourth-down play. We couldn’t make a fourth-down play. That’s disheartening.”
On defense, he said they “misfit quite a few things” against Tyler Shough. He added, “That can’t continue.” pic.twitter.com/PJcIhorD7h
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) December 7, 2025
The failures weren’t limited to just one moment. A disastrous option pitch on early fourth-and-1 and another stuffed attempt with a depleted offensive line highlighted a day where Tampa Bay went just 2-for-7 on fourth down, and only 3-for-13 on third down.
Bowles was also pressed about why the offense struggled so dramatically after halftime against the Saints. He pointed to alignment and assignment breakdowns that derailed the defense late.
“We misfit quite a few things. We were fine in the first half. We misfit some things in the second half and that’s kind can’t continue,” Bowles added. “It’s a division game. always play us tough… We had situations come up where we didn’t make any plays… There’s a myriad of things that could have happened that we lost this ball game.”
Now 7-6, the Bucs find themselves in a spiraling stretch at the worst possible time. With only a handful of games remaining, the Buccaneers must quickly regroup. Their path to the playoffs may still be alive, but Bowles’ honest assessment underscores the urgency that Tampa Bay’s margin for error has officially evaporated.
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