Crazy we beat the 49ers 12 wins, Seahawks 13wins, Texans 12 wins, panthers 8 wins.
That is the NFL, in a nutshell, where games often turn on the immediate circumstances or even a single play in the game.
There were maybe 2 losses that were the surprising loss counterpart, the late Saints loss and the Dolphins loss. Other than that, many of the Bucs losses were against playoff teams, Eagles, Patriots, Bills and Rams.
So the Bucs split with their division rivals, pretty much the norm, lost a number of games against playoff teams that were always going to be tough (including the Lions away), leaving the season a complete bust because of the Dolphins and Saints.
That description almost belies the fact that the team was bad and in free fall at the end, but again that is more about the NFL than the Bucs. In alternate universe they sneak out a win against the Bills and even split the 2 losses into 1 and there you go . . playoffs.
This is where coaching matters because a lot of NFL teams hover around .500 talent but coaching can help with an extra 1-2 wins which is often the difference.
Crazy we beat the 49ers 12 wins, Seahawks 13wins, Texans 12 wins, panthers 8 wins.
That is the NFL, in a nutshell, where games often turn on the immediate circumstances or even a single play in the game.
There were maybe 2 losses that were the surprising loss counterpart, the late Saints loss and the Dolphins loss. Other than that, many of the Bucs losses were against playoff teams, Eagles, Patriots, Bills and Rams.
So the Bucs split with their division rivals, pretty much the norm, lost a number of games against playoff teams that were always going to be tough (including the Lions away), leaving the season a complete bust because of the Dolphins and Saints.
That description almost belies the fact that the team was bad and in free fall at the end, but again that is more about the NFL than the Bucs. In alternate universe they sneak out a win against the Bills and even split the 2 losses into 1 and there you go . . playoffs.
what?!?!? You are off on the 2 "bad losses". Should be 3.
dude yes at 6-5, you are correct, we beat who we were suppose to beat and lost who we were suppose to lose too; with 49ers and Seahawks being nice wins. Those wins making up for losses to New England and say Detroit or Philly and you shouldn't be okay with losing ALL games to formidable opponents.
what happened with us was much worse
We beat the Saints on the road but then lost to them at home. They had a mini week streak to end the year but none were great teams. This team stunk and we lost because we stink. This was a bad loss
We beat the Falcons on the road but then lost to them at home with a 14 point lead in the 4th quarter. This was a bad loss
We lost to Carolina on the road and we are a much better team but okay, we weren't going 6-0 in division, but 5-1 was realistic given our talent level and with 2 road wins already 5-1 should have been the expectation. Will give you this one
Miami benched their QB and basically quit on their coach. he got fired, yet...they were able to beat us somehow
So change your 2 losses to 3 losses and thats where the Bucs should have been 11-6 and progress over prior year. Now grant it, they would have lost to Rams anyway but there was 3 really bad losses for the Bucs with the 2 home division games and the Miami game and it looks like the Bucs blamed the coaching staff sans Bowles....they must like his "YEEEEAAAAH" cheer in the locker room after a win!
and to be clear, the eyeball test is what failed Bowles, the coaching staff and the Bucs
Our last 3 wins were pathetic at best barely beating the Panthers and Cardinals at home; and offense looking putrid against the Saints on the road. Defense played good in all those efforts but none of those wins instilled confidence
We havent looked good since Oct 12 49ers win. That's a locker room issue
Crazy we beat the 49ers 12 wins, Seahawks 13wins, Texans 12 wins, panthers 8 wins.
That is the NFL, in a nutshell, where games often turn on the immediate circumstances or even a single play in the game.
There were maybe 2 losses that were the surprising loss counterpart, the late Saints loss and the Dolphins loss. Other than that, many of the Bucs losses were against playoff teams, Eagles, Patriots, Bills and Rams.
So the Bucs split with their division rivals, pretty much the norm, lost a number of games against playoff teams that were always going to be tough (including the Lions away), leaving the season a complete bust because of the Dolphins and Saints.
That description almost belies the fact that the team was bad and in free fall at the end, but again that is more about the NFL than the Bucs. In alternate universe they sneak out a win against the Bills and even split the 2 losses into 1 and there you go . . playoffs.
what?!?!? You are off on the 2 "bad losses". Should be 3.
dude yes at 6-5, you are correct, we beat who we were suppose to beat and lost who we were suppose to lose too; with 49ers and Seahawks being nice wins. Those wins making up for losses to New England and say Detroit or Philly and you shouldn't be okay with losing ALL games to formidable opponents.
what happened with us was much worse
We beat the Saints on the road but then lost to them at home. They had a mini week streak to end the year but none were great teams. This team stunk and we lost because we stink. This was a bad loss
We beat the Falcons on the road but then lost to them at home with a 14 point lead in the 4th quarter. This was a bad loss
We lost to Carolina on the road and we are a much better team but okay, we weren't going 6-0 in division, but 5-1 was realistic given our talent level and with 2 road wins already 5-1 should have been the expectation. Will give you this one
Miami benched their QB and basically quit on their coach. he got fired, yet...they were able to beat us somehow
So change your 2 losses to 3 losses and thats where the Bucs should have been 11-6 and progress over prior year. Now grant it, they would have lost to Rams anyway but there was 3 really bad losses for the Bucs with the 2 home division games and the Miami game and it looks like the Bucs blamed the coaching staff sans Bowles....they must like his "YEEEEAAAAH" cheer in the locker room after a win!
I think you mis-read my post because you said this: "you shouldn't be okay with losing ALL games to formidable opponents." I wasn't saying anything was ok and my post is about the NFL lunacy more than the Bucs.
I was saying that every season NFL teams win games against superior teams (the OP) and lose games against inferior teams (my comparison). Its that description (win against better teams, lose against inferior teams) that "almost belies the fact that the [Bucs] team was bad and in free fall at the end."
If the 2025 Bucs make the playoffs again and get beat by the Rams just as many people here are saying that the 49ers, Seahawks and Texans wins were "flukes." My point is not really because . . "every season NFL teams win games against superior teams and lose games against inferior teams." That's because the typical NFL schedule is filled with close games and uneven motivation. The Rams lost to the inferior Panthers and Falcons, etc etc.
Anyway, I picked the late Saints game and Dolphin game because everything is KNOWN to be on the line at that time and the games are against objectively inferior teams. Thats different from, for example, the Patriots loss so they stood out as crystal clear examples that the Bucs were "bad and in free fall at the end." I think you're saying add the Saints loss? Fair enough. Division splits are not uncommon, but I get your point.
