The Bucs gave themselves a chance by grinding out a 16-14 win over the Panthers on Saturday. With the victory, Tampa Bay improved to 8-9 on the season as the entire team has turned into Saints fans for Sunday. New Orleans needs to beat the Falcons, but head coach Todd Bowles was proud of his group responding and not giving up. They have been a frustrating team to watch over the past couple of months, but enough plays were made on both sides of the ball to change the outcome this time around.

The offense controlled the time of possession by a considerable amount. At the same time, the defense played better than it had in recent weeks by forcing two turnovers and shutting down Carolina’s run game. Regardless of what happens on Sunday afternoon, Bowles was at least a little encouraged by what the Bucs accomplished, especially by inside linebacker Lavonte David in what could have been the final game of his career.

Even though fans have understandably grown tired of the lack of disappointing results and Tampa Bay’s midseason collapse, Bowles made it a point to mention how he appreciates them for coming out and sitting in the rain on a Saturday night.

Below are his full comments following the Week 18 win on Saturday night:

Todd Bowles’ Full Post-Game Transcript

Todd Bowles On Having To Wait For The Falcons vs. Saints Game To Know If They Make The Playoffs Or Not:

“It’s all we can do. [We] can’t wait until tomorrow if we didn’t win today, so it was a gutsy performance, these guys fought hard — it was a hard-fought game. [It] was tough on both sides, we came out with one, we gave ourselves a chance, that’s all we can ask for.”

Todd Bowles On The Performance Of The Defensive Front Against The Panthers Run Game:

“They did a very good job of controlling the line of scrimmage. [Antoine] Winfield [Jr.] had a lot to do with that coming off of the edge, pushing the ball one way. Those guys did a really good job of playing gap control. It was the first time in a long time that we just played the way we were supposed to up front without giving up the big play in the run game.”

Todd Bowles On TE Cade Otton’s Performance:

“He did a great job. With the conditions, it was that type of game; you really couldn’t get it outside much — in the first half especially, it rained continuously. He did a heck of a job on the boots and made some key catches for us. He did a good job.”

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Todd Bowles On Where He Will Tune Into The Falcons vs. Saints Game:

“At home.”

Todd Bowles On The Effort And Physicality Of The Defense:

“[Calijah] Kancey’s a big part of that. When he came back and practiced this week, everything picked up. [Garrett] Greene, our receiver — our practice squad receiver — did a heck of a job playing Bryce Young as quarterback and ran those guys around so we’d try to hustle to the ball and everybody to the ball — Kancey’s recommendation. [With] him coming back, from an energy standpoint, really took the practice to another level which carried over in the game.”

Todd Bowles On LB Lavonte David’s Performance, Coming Up With A Fumble Recovery, And Tying Derrick Brook’s All-Time Tackles Record As A Buccaneer

“Yeah, he tied him for the most tackles of all-time [as a Buccaneer], I mean that’s saying something. He always comes up with a big play when you need it, regardless of whether it’s a big hit [or] an interception. He, if this was it for him, went out in true Lavonte fashion, he did a heck of a job. I can’t say enough good things about him. His work speaks for himself, what he means to the team, the organization as a whole, you cannot replace.”

Todd Bowles On LB Lavonte David And WR Mike Evans’ Relationship:

“Him and Mike [Evans] have been here through the lows and the highs. They’ve been together a long time, probably the longest tenured two [players in the league] right now — I may be mistaken by one or two guys, but him and Mike have been through a lot, and they talk about it all the time, their experiences when they first got here to where they are now. I’m sure that hurt him quite a bit when Mike went down [in Week 7.]”

Todd Bowles On CB Jacob Parrish’s Performance And How His Future Looks:

“It’s extremely bright, he’s a heck of a football player. The things he learns, he doesn’t make the same mistake twice. He made the pick, but he gave up the play, but he came back and forth and played ball. He has a corner mentality, he’s on to the next play, he doesn’t let a whole bunch of things bother him. He had a heck of a season for us and his future’s very bright.

Todd Bowles On The Panthers’ 40-yard reception On Fourth-And-8 Late In The Fourth Quarter:

“It was pressure, but we’re in cover three. I think [Jacob] Parrish squatted and [Tetairoa] McMillan got by him.

Todd Bowles On “Not Shooting Themselves In The Foot”:

“That’s huge, obviously, the turnover happened and pouring down rain in [that] situation, you don’t want to make that pass when it was a torrential downpour there and we had a 10-0 lead and playing field-position ball right there. We held strong and we had to play the next play, and we got past it, and we came up with some turnovers ourselves.”

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

Todd Bowles On Playing For The Field Goal At The End Of The First Half:

“The first two downs were because it was going and it kind of lightened up a bit on third down, but we had just turned it over and it was really one of those types of games where the ball was slipping out of everybody’s hands, so we wanted points for sure.”

Todd Bowles On If It Is Disappointing To Have To Wait Until The Falcons vs. Saints Game Concludes To Know If They Win The Division:

“It’s disappointing today, it could be jubilation tomorrow. If tomorrow doesn’t happen, it’ll be disappointing. We put ourselves in this situation, we’re all grown men about it and we could have made a ton of plays, but we can’t look back and dwell on it. We just [have] to move forward and they showed fight tonight and they showed grit tonight, so we’ll just have to see what happens.”

Todd Bowles On How They Feel About The Win Regardless Of The Falcons vs Saints Game, And Coming Out On The Winning Side Of A One-Score Game:

“Well, it gives us a chance, even just for 24 hours, it gives us a chance. Obviously, all the games in the league are very close, you don’t play too many blowout games and two-score games. We were on the right side of them in the beginning of the season, we’re on the wrong side of them toward the end of the season, so to come out and win this one after losing quite a few and finally win a close game is satisfying.”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Nathan Ray Seebeck

Todd Bowles On The Fans Who Stuck It Out Through The Rain To Watch The Game:

“I appreciate them and the team appreciates them. They show a lot of grit and a lot of fight as well, and a lot of things we do is really for them. It’s entertainment for us and it’s entertainment for them as well, but we try to show pride in the city and everything we do. If we lose, we’re gonna go down kicking and screaming.”

Todd Bowles On WR Mike Evans, WR Jalen McMillan And DL Calijah Kancey Coming Back From Significant Injuries And What It Shows About Their Commitment To The Team And Their Teammates:

“Those guys are mentally tough. It shows that we’re picking the right guys from a toughness standpoint. For those guys to work and get back at it — they could [have] easily taken the season off with a couple of losses and just say, ‘Well, I’m not trying to go out there,’ but they’re not built like that, we’re not built like that as an organization. For them to come back and put their bodies on the line after coming back from injuries in such a short time as far as them having been hit on it, says a lot about all of them.”

Todd Bowles On QB Baker Mayfield Putting His Body On The Line During Some Of His Scrambles:

“Well, possibly the last game, Baker [Mayfield] initiated a lot of those hits, so he wanted the contact, and he wanted the action. It was his way of getting guys going and getting everything together. That’s how he plays and we [have] to let him play. If it was probably the
middle of the season, I don’t know if he takes those hits like that.”