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Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds answers your questions from the @PewterReport Twitter account this week in the Bucs Mailbag. Submit your question to the Bucs Mailbag each week via Twitter using the hashtag #PRMailbag.  Here are the Bucs questions we chose to answer for this week’s edition.

QUESTION: Our playoff chances are still possible, especially with our end-of-season schedule. My question is, can Todd Bowles turn it around enough to stay on as head coach? He’s clearly the weak link. His decision-making at the end of the game is horrible.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: The Bucs defense has been the unit on the field that has surrendered the opposition’s final points in three of the last four losses. That’s been the case in the team’s two overtime losses at Atlanta and at Kansas City, and it was the case in Sunday’s 23-20 loss to San Francisco. That’s Todd Bowles’ side of the ball, and the fact that his unit has been the primary culprit in the team’s four-game losing streak and the fact that the Bucs have lost five of their last six speaks volumes.

My answer to your question about whether Todd Bowles can turn the team around and make a playoff run is I doubt it. The Bucs did win five of their last six games last year to make up ground and finish 9-8. But what most people forget is that the team went 5-3 over its last eight games. Including the loss to the 49ers among the last eight games of the 2024 season, Tampa Bay would have to go 5-2 down the stretch post a winning record and match last year’s 5-3 run over the final eight games.

But will nine wins get Tampa Bay into the postseason as a Wild Card? The Bucs blew a golden opportunity to make up ground on the division-leading Falcons, who lost in an upset to the Saints on Sunday. Atlanta is still two games ahead of Tampa Bay, and actually has a three-game lead when factoring in the head-to-head tiebreaker. At this stage last season, the Saints only had a one-game lead on the Bucs in the NFC South. That was an easier hill to climb during the 2023 season.

While there is only one team left on the schedule that has a winning record – the 6-3 Chargers – I’m not confident that the Bucs can beat every team left that has a losing record. Tampa Bay lacks the necessary star power on offense to consistently score more than 24 points per game, and Bowles’ defense simply can’t stop teams from scoring 30 points or more. Remember, San Francisco’s kicker Jake Moody missed three fields on Sunday, which made the game seem closer than it was. Add nine more points to the 49ers score and San Francisco really had a chance to put up 32 points.

QUESTION: It seems this team/staff has repeated midseason prolonged losing streaks. Once or twice maybe but I think this is three in a row? Is it a depth issue? Is it a camp/practice issue or just bad situational football?

49ers WR Ricky Pearsall and Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: I’ve gone on record saying that the Bucs defensive coaching staff is part of the problem in a recent SR’s Fab 5 column. I think that’s part of the reason why the depth on this team has not really developed on the defensive side of the ball. Looking at the roster, this should not be a team that is two games below .500. One could argue that the Bucs are not the most talented team in the league, certainly from a lack of depth perspective.

But remember that almost all of the free agent money available this offseason was used to re-sign the likes of Pro Bowl quarterback Baker Mayfield, Pro Bowl wide receiver Mike Evans, Pro Bowl left tackle Tristan Wirfs, All-Pro free safety Antoine Winfield Jr., inside linebacker Lavonte David and kicker Chase McLaughlin, while also adding free agent strong safety Jordan Whitehead. Keep in mind that Tampa Bay was still dealing with a good chunk of dead cap space to the tune of $58.7 million.

The Bucs have been bad at situational football this year, especially at the end of games where they need a defensive stop – whether it be a takeaway, a turnover on downs or forcing a punt. I think this defense lacks a killer instinct to finish off opponents and that has been in proven in three of the team’s last four losses.

To your point about the midseason losing streaks, you are certainly on to something. Under Todd Bowles, the Bucs have an 8-4 record through the first four games in each of the last three seasons, including 3-1 starts in each of the last two years. But over the next six games it’s been a dramatically different record. While Tampa Bay went 3-3 over the next six games in 2022, which was Tom Brady’s final year in red and pewter, the team has gone 1-5 in each of the last two seasons.

The fact that this season is playing out identically to last year record-wise is not ideal given the fact that the Bucs could only muster nine wins in 2023. This year it feels like NFC Wild Card teams need to get to 10 wins to make the playoffs.

QUESTION: Now that the difficult part of the season is over, do you realistically see this team finishing with a winning record, and would that be enough to keep Todd Bowles as the head coach? And why do we keep shelling out time and money to a coach/team that can barely stay at .500?

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

ANSWER: With the Bucs at 4-6 with seven games left, it would take the team finishing 5-2 to get to a winning record, which would be 9-8. Given the strength of the NFC this year, it feels like the three Wild Card teams will probably need to have 10 wins or more to qualify for the postseason. So if that plays out, Tampa Bay would need to go 6-1 down the stretch to arrive at 10-7.

The problem is that would require the Bucs to do something they haven’t been able to do all year, which is win at least three games in a row – twice. To finish 6-1, the team would have to win three games, lose one, and then be victorious in the final three. Or Tampa Bay would have to go on a roll and win at least four games once.

With the way the defense can’t seem to stop opponents with any regularity, combined with the offense missing some key pieces and the injury bug that bites the Bucs on a weekly basis, getting 10 wins seems far-fetched based on the evidence we’ve seen through 10 games.

The Glazers made it clear that they wanted to see progress this season from Todd Bowles. But their definition of progress wasn’t verbalized or identified this past offseason. My definition of progress would be one more win in the regular season – getting to 10 wins – and at least winning once in the postseason, especially if Tampa Bay didn’t win the division and delivered a playoff game at home.

Having an identical 4-6 record through the first 10 games as the team did a year ago is not showing progress. Winning just nine games this season is not showing progress. Losing the division crown to the Falcons is not showing progress, and neither is missing the playoffs. So if Tampa Bay doesn’t get in as a Wild Card and at least win in the first round, I can’t see how Bowles is retained by the Glazers moving forward.

QUESTION: Why Bucky Irving was not in the game that final Bucs drive? Why does the defense constantly allow teams to go down the field and score on final drives every game?

Bucs RB Bucky Irving – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: Let’s talk about Bucky Irving’s absence on Tampa Bay’s final offensive possession. Irving was on the field at the start of the drive, but from the two-minute warning until the end of regulation offensive coordinator Liam Coen opted for Rachaad White instead. White is the team’s best pass protecting running back and he’s a reliable pass-catcher out of the backfield. Look no further than his daring eight-yard catch on fourth-and-7 with just under two minutes remaining.

The problem I had, and I think Bucs fans in general had, was why Irving wasn’t on the field once the team got inside the 49ers’ red zone, especially when White received three carries. His first carry came with 59 seconds left and White was stuffed for a four-yard loss on first down. Thankfully, the 49ers were flagged for illegal hands to the face. That set up Tampa Bay with a first-and-goal from the 8-yard line White ran for three yards to the San Francisco 5-yard line. But another rushing attempt was stuffed in the backfield for a 3-yard loss, which set up third-and-goal from the 8-yard line.

Irving is a better runner in short-yardage situations because he is faster, has a better burst, and is also small enough to hide behind his offensive linemen and elusive enough to slip tackles and pick up yards after contact. With Coen trying to bleed some clock and force the 49ers to burn a few timeouts, running the ball is fine. He just should have used his best running back in that instance. The real objective should have been to score a touchdown, go up by four points and force the 49ers to have to score a TD to win the game.

As for the reason why Todd Bowles’ defense is soft and allows teams to go down the field for winning points, the coverage is too soft and the pass rush doesn’t get home. It’s really that simple. It’s bad coaching and bad execution. And I also think this team lacks a killer instinct and doesn’t operate with a kill-or-be-killed mentality. This defense has the will to play hard for Bowles, but not enough will to win. And ultimately, that’s on Bowles.

QUESTION: What happened to Sean Tucker’s carries? Since being the NFC Offensive Player of the Week he has been missing in action, I know he isn’t as good in pass protection, but come on. He seems to not even be able to get on the field now.

Bucs RB Sean Tucker – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

ANSWER: Sean Tucker did not see the field on offense for a single play against the 49ers on Sunday. Part of that had to do with Tampa Bay only having 58 snaps on offense due to a 35.7% conversion rate (5-of-14) on third downs. But I would’ve liked to have seen Tucker at least get a series like he has in each of the last two games versus the Ravens and Chiefs.

Yet the problem in the 23-20 loss to San Francisco wasn’t the play of the running backs. Bucky Irving led the way with 73 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries (5.6 avg.) along with three catches for 14 yards, while Rachaad White had 10 carries for 31 yards (3.1 avg.) and a team-high six receptions for 39 yards and a touchdown.

I don’t think Liam Coen called a particularly good game on Sunday, evidenced by the fact that the team had just 215 yards of total offense, including a season-low 105 yards passing. You can add running back usage on to the list of questionable things Coen did versus San Francisco.

I think ideally giving at least three of White’s carries to Tucker would have been justified on Sunday – just to see what he could’ve done with the ball in his hands. While he’s the third-best pass protector among the running backs – behind both White and Irving – Tucker is the fastest and most explosive. It might take an injury to either Irving or White to give Tucker another prime opportunity to showcase his ability. But I bet he takes it and runs with it when he gets it.