Buccaneers HC makes very alarming statement that will worry fans
Divisional games are typically unpredictable, which is why no one should've felt safe when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) went up, 21-0, on the Atlanta Falcons (2-3) midway through the second half of the game. And sure enough, the Falcons nearly mounted a comeback. If it weren't for a bogus roughing the passer call on […]
Divisional games are typically unpredictable, which is why no one should've felt safe when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2) went up, 21-0, on the Atlanta Falcons (2-3) midway through the second half of the game.
And sure enough, the Falcons nearly mounted a comeback. If it weren't for a bogus roughing the passer call on a Grady Jarrett sack, there's a very good chance the Falcons pull off the upset.
It was a concerning final quarter-and-a-half for the Buccaneers. After they scored the second touchdown of the game to go up three scores, the Buccaneers offense had three-straight three-and-outs and mustered just 15 total net yards on nine plays.
And it wasn't like the Falcons were absolutely dominating the Buccaneers offense: Sure, the defense was playing well, but the Buccaneers offense looked disheveled and discombobulated, at best, over the final 20ish minutes of the game.
This allowed the Falcons to get back in the game with 15 unanswered points. They did so by scoring two touchdowns in three drives, while gaining 116 total net yards over 20 plays.
When coupling the offensive struggles with struggles in general over the course of the season, it's hard to feel good about this win. The Buccaneers are clearly relying way too much on their defense and for whatever reason, they have zero offensive identity.
Objectively speaking, it's a worrisome formula. But head coach Todd Bowles doesn't see it that way.
"It's not concerning," Bowles said when asked if he had concerns with how things played out. "I don't think we executed in the third quarter. In the first half, we kept their defense on the field. The second half, our offense [kept] going three-and-out and they kept our defense on the field. Fatigue set in for both sides, I think.
"It's a tough ballgame. Wins are hard to come by in this league and we were playing for first place. We're happy we got it."
Bowles isn't like Bruce Arians, where he puts players on blast during pressers. Bowles is going to be calm and collected during his pressers. And who knows? Maybe he gave the team a butt-chewing in the locker room
But at the same time, you can't blame anyone -especially Buccaneers fans- for being concerned with Bowles' lack of concern. Or public lack of concern, to an extent.
Perhaps Bowles took the question as whether or not he's worried about the defense, which would make sense since he mentioned the three-and-outs and kept referring to defense. However, that's unclear.
And the concern is obviously with the offense and not the defense. The offense did in fact let the defense down and the inefficiency/lack of production is exactly what allowed the Falcons to get back in the game.
Credit Bowles for keeping a stoic image, but sometimes, you gotta call things as they are.
And the Buccaneers' performance is certainly concerning.
One thing is clear moving forward, however: The Buccaneers still have a lot of work to do if they want to take the trip over to Glendale in a few months.
You can check out Bowles' full presser, below:
Featured image via Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
