Up 28-14 with 13:34 left in the fourth quarter, all seemed well and fine about the Bucs’ chances to beat the Falcons on Thursday night. That was until the defense had a say in the matter. Tampa Bay’s defense had an epic collapse that not only led to the team falling to Atlanta, but it sent head coach Todd Bowles into a profanity-laden tirade.

It is extremely rare, maybe once a year, that Bowles uses a PG-13 word to describe a situation. Reporters and those watching his post-game press conference got to hear some of what was said in the locker room as he ripped into the team and the players after a performance that put a deafening end to a night filled with promise.

Todd Bowles: “You Got To F—–g Care Enough Where This S–t Hurts”

Todd Bowles showed a different side of himself following the 29-28 loss to the Falcons. With Tampa Bay now sitting 7-7, the chances of a late-season turnaround are getting slimmer by the day. Once standing at 6-2, this year is in serious trouble. Heck, a team that once had Super Bowl chances could very well bottom out and miss the playoffs.

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

There is absolutely no reason for this to be the result. The offense came through and put up 28 points, Atlanta had a franchise-record 19 penalties for 125 yards, and still, none of that was enough.

After the game, Bowles went into his first public tirade while gratuitously dropping F-bombs.

“It’s inexcusable,” Bowles said. “You don’t make excuses. You got to f—–g care enough where the s–t hurts. You got to f—–g care enough where the s–t hurts. It’s got to f—–g mean something to you. It’s more than a job, it’s your f—–g livelihood. How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job? You can’t sugarcoat that s–t.

It was f—–g inexcusable. There’s no f—–g answer for it. No excuse for it. That’s what you tell ’em in the locker room. Look in the f—–g mirror.”

Wow, quite the change of wording from the usual for a head coach known for not showing much emotion.

Someone who never gets too high or too low.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

Losing has created the need for him to show more urgency, as what worked in the past is not working now. Far from it. This is a team rapidly spiraling, and take Bowles’ words for it about a resolution.

“There’s no f—–g answer for it.”

That is worrying.

Not just for this Bucs team, but for Bowles’ job. It is now fair to say he is on the hot seat, with this collapse being worse than in previous years. Losing to the 4-9 Falcons, who left tackle Tristan Wirfs did not even know the record of, speaks to the extent of just how bad the current state of affairs is in Tampa Bay. For all of the star players, they failed to beat the two worst NFC South rivals on the schedule.

Does that give anyone confidence they can beat the Panthers twice, or at this point, even once? What about the 6-7 Dolphins, a team playing more inspired football after firing their general manager?

Things are bad right now, but by the sounds of it, they are only getting worse. Players are starting to increasingly grow frustrated. Just look at wide receiver Mike Evans walking off the field before the game was over — with some teammates following him.

As the players walked to the tunnel after losing, fans were booing and shouting unkind words at Bowles and the players. None of that is on-brand for a team that prides itself in having a good culture within the building. Many are frustrated, but all of this seems to be a little too late.

The frustration has boiled over to anger, but this should have been the response after losing a couple of weeks ago. The message should have been beyond embedded after falling to the Saints, but here the Bucs stand like a deer caught in the headlights.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield pieced together what Todd Bowles said in the locker room, but from here on out, actions must speak louder than words. It is one thing to be “pissed off,” but another to play like it.

“He just hit the nail on the head, questioning does it mean anything to the guys,” Mayfield said. “Does this hurt enough for you to actually make changes, to come in, do the work that you need to do, to do the things that we need to do as a team to get better, fix these things, and win ball games. He repeated it.

“It really is as simple as that. We have talent. Talent doesn’t get you s–t, though. Doing the work and executing on game days does. We didn’t do that today.”