Let’s react to another tough loss
The Bucs suffered yet another gut wrenching loss, this time to the San Francisco 49ers. Tampa Bay had another close defeat in a game where they had many opportunities to upset the defending NFC champions.
They have now lost four straight games and find themselves 4-6 at the bye week.
Mayfield Magic
Late in the game, the Bucs were in a must have situation on fourth down and things were looking bleak. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was pressured Niners defensive end Nick Bosa when he somehow was able to hold him off and fire the ball for a first down. To keep the game alive for Tampa Bay.
BAKER & RACHAAD KEEP IT ALIVE
: #SFvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/9tQ4uwNm6s
— Tampa Bay Bucs (@Bucs) November 10, 2024
What an incredible play by Mayfield. He didn’t have his best stuff on Sunday, but he certainly battled his way through and gave it everything he had.
Bucky continues to shine
Rookie running back Bucky Irving has been a spark plug for Tampa Bay all year long and that didn’t change on Sunday. The rookie continues to be productive in this offense and will likely see a bigger role each week.
Bucky Irving has been so good for the Bucs this year, really hope they up his workload after the Bye Week because he has earned it. pic.twitter.com/BvLxRNEcS7
— Andrew Harbaugh (@AndrewHarbaugh_) November 11, 2024
This touchdown run gave them the lead and it has been those impact plays that Irving has been making all year.
Tampa Bay’s defense is… something
The Bucs defense has been on the downward slide for quite some time and this loss didn’t do much to change people’s minds of that. Yes, the 49ers scored just 23 points, but that was with Jake Moody missing three field goals for San Francisco before nailing the game winner. The defense in Tampa Bay is a major problem.
Bucs defense over last six weeks (1-5 record):
32nd in scoring defense (31.3 points/game)
32nd in total defense (425.3 yards/game)
31st in pass defense (304.3 ppg, only Ravens worse)
31st in opp. passer rating (118.6, only Cowboys worse)— Greg Auman (@gregauman) November 11, 2024
There have been injuries and bad luck, but all teams deal with that throughout a football season. This Bucs team is just completely lost when it comes to attacking opposing offenses and it’s costing them games.
Is Bowles on the hot seat?
Not sure if I’d say the seat is hot even though some fans may not want to hear it. However I will say it’s getting pretty warm and rightfully so. This team fights hard, but eventually they have to find a way to close out games and Bowles even said that himself.
Many on social media believe he deserves some serious blame and it’s hard to disagree.
Maybe the Bucs go on an insane 2nd half of the season run. But it’s hard to imagine Bowles surviving this season right now. Defense is totally gutless, and overall team execution isn’t good enough. It’s not all him, but he’s a huge part of it
— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) November 10, 2024
For those hoping the Bucs fire Bowles mid-season, I wouldn’t hold your breath. The Glazers have never fired a head coach during the season and it won’t start now.
The bye week gives Tampa Bay an opportunity to get healthy and get back on track. With a schedule that features just one team with a record above .500, Tampa Bay has a chance to go on a run and try and make the postseason, but there are things that need to be cleaned up in order for that to happen.