The Bucs’ defensive issues have come to a head over the past two weeks.

Allowing explosive plays first proved to be Tampa Bay’s kryptonite when playing the Patriots in a 28-23 loss, and the chunk plays again came back to bite them in a 44-32 loss to the Bills. Those 44 points are the highest a Todd Bowles-coached defense has allowed since he started calling defensive plays with the team in 2019. Not all is lost for the team, but Bowles’ approval rating is rapidly dropping among the fanbase, and there is seemingly no end in sight facing the high-scoring Rams in Week 12.

With that, Bowles is back to the drawing board in the attempt to devise a better gameplan in Los Angeles. Discussing his unit after Sunday’s latest loss, he discussed the problems and what has occurred lately.

Todd Bowles Says Bucs’ Defensive Problems Are “A Combination Of Everybody”

At 6-4, the Bucs are at a crossroads at this point of the season. A 5-1 start once breathed life into a Tampa Bay squad with Super Bowl aims, led by quarterback Baker Mayfield playing at an elite level and leading a resilient group. Since falling to the Lions on Monday Night Football though, it has been a different tale. A win the following week against the Saints provided optimism, but that faded just as quickly with back-to-back losses. While the offense has responded to the challenge, the defense has fallen apart.

This post during the team’s loss to Buffalo says it all.

That is right, through 10 games, the defense has allowed 11 touchdowns of 25 yards or greater. That is the worst mark in the NFL, and making matters worse is the frequency of them coming in recent weeks. Now should be the point in the schedule where the unit is hitting their stride, playing with cohesion after fixing early-season mistakes.

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

Bowles discussed on Monday what has went wrong in various game situations.

“On the screen play, we misfit – either two guys jump inside, or two guys jump outside and leave the crease,” Bowles said. “We’ve got to get that corrected… [Josh Allen] had time to throw, we were in zone coverage, and we drifted out of our zone. That part has got to be corrected as well. It’s almost like it’s a different guy each week. It’s Week 10 or 11 right now – we’ve got to get that corrected.”

One can approach this in a few different ways, as our staff did assessing the problems on Tuesday. Simply put, this goes beyond just the pass rush not getting home or the pass coverage struggling. There are moments when one of the two goes right, but the other goes awry.

Bucs DT Vita Vea and Bills QB Josh Allen – Photo by: USA Today

“The concerning part is when we’re covering, we’re not rushing, and when we’re rushing, we’re not covering,” Bowles added. “It’s a combination of everybody on defense – it’s not the back end, not the front end. It’s everybody combined, together. We did better stopping the run because [James] Cook is a dangerous back, but those small details on the two plays we gave up in the first half – that’s critical.

“Regardless of where they started field-position-wise, you can’t just give them plays. They’re already a good football team, to aid them even more is not what we’re trying to do.”

Through it all, Bowles has been humbled. Despite being a football lifer after playing and coaching in the league close to four decades, there will always be learning lessons. This has to be one, as a similar defensive outcome would be disastrous.

“I’m embarrassed every time we lose,” Bowles said during Wednesday’s press conference. “From a defensive standpoint, we didn’t play well. We had a stinker. It happens; this league humbles you. Every now and then, you’re going to have something that messes up. As coaches, we definitely can do a better. As players, we can do a better job. We didn’t play well; we didn’t coach well. That’s really all it sums up to.”

Will Todd Bowles Find Some Answers In Week 12?

To have any chance of beating the Rams in primetime, the focus is on whether the Bucs’ defense can put the pieces back together. At a surface level, the talent is there at each level of the defense. Compared to the offense, the unit is not as battered injury-wise and has some of the most promising young players on the team.

Bucs OLBs coach Larry Foote, ILB Lavonte David, S Tykee Smith and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Tampa Bay’s secondary is littered with playmakers and has already surpassed last season’s interception total by three interceptions. Los Angeles, for having the second-best scoring defense, has 27 sacks compared to 26 sacks for Todd Bowles’ unit. Hearing all of this, one would think you would have a defense at least in the top half of the league but yet, they have allowed 25 points a game. The same song and dance of lapses in communication and busts in coverage understandably make for a frustrating watch.

Recent losses have turned up the pressure for Bowles and Co., as time is running out for the Bucs to solidify themselves against top teams. A win over one of them would be the biggest statement this season, providing cushion in the NFC South and confidence for a playoff run. Suffering another defeat would be unwanted déjà vu for a midseason slide that no one within the building wants to continue.

Ending that is largely on the defense, and everybody who has a hand at coming up with answers.

Tasked with leading the charge?

The man leading the troops, Todd Bowles.