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

It’s time for Scott Reynolds’ 2-Point Conversion post-game column, which features two statements, two questions and two predictions based on the latest Bucs game.

The Buccaneers fell to 7-7 on the season as they blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to fall to the Falcons, 29-28, on Thursday Night Football. It was another loss in the creamsicle uniforms at Raymond James Stadium for Tampa Bay, which is now 1-5 in its last six games since the bye week. Despite the return of wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan, Todd Bowles’ defense allowed Bucs killer QB Kirk Cousins to throw for 373 yards and three touchdowns – all to tight end Kyle Pitts. The Bucs need to right the ship quickly with a must-win game against the now-division-leading Panthers in Carolina next Sunday.

2 BIG STATEMENTS

STATEMENT 1. Todd Bowles’ Tirade Is Too Little, Too Late For The Bucs

Legendary Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans was pissed off – and rightfully so.

He had rushed back from a broken clavicle and valiantly caught six passes for 132 yards in a stunning, 29-28 loss to the Falcons on Thursday Night Football. Evans brought the fire to Tampa Bay’s offense, which had helped the team build a 28-14 lead with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Unfortunately, the Bucs defense couldn’t stop Kirk Cousins and the Falcons offense from scoring three times – two touchdowns (including a failed two-point conversion) and the game-winning field goal – to pull off a huge comeback and stun everyone at Raymond James Stadium. Perhaps no one was more stunned – or visibly shaken – by the epic collapse of Todd Bowles’ defense than Evans, who was seen yelling on the sidelines in total bewilderment in the game’s final moments as Atlanta was driving towards that final field goal.

Evans’ tirade continued as he walked toward the locker room and slammed his helmet along the wall of the underbelly of the stadium as he screamed, “Third-and-28! Third-and-28!”

The third-and-28 that Evans is talking about was the play where Cousins found tight end Kyle Pitts, who tormented the Bucs defense for a career game, catching 11 of 12 targets for 166 yards (15.1 avg.) and three touchdowns.

On his final catch of the evening, Pitts hauled in a 14-yard gain against cornerback Kindle Vildor, which set up fourth-and-14 at the Atlanta 43. On the next play, Vildor didn’t get the proper depth as Cousins hit David Sills for a gain of 21 yards down the right sideline to the Tampa Bay 36-yard line.

Four plays later and the Bucs were suddenly 7-7, having lost five of their last six games since the bye week and now trailing the 7-6 Panthers, who play the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday.

After the game, Bowles couldn’t hide his frustration as he did something that he rarely does, which is curse from the podium. His post-game tirade was directed at his players, especially the ones on defense.

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

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

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

On Friday morning, Bowles said his outburst was genuine and not rehearsed, and said that’s exactly what he told his team after the game in the locker room.

I believe him.

I also believe that Bowles’ defense is poorly coached. And if somehow, some way Bowles survives this season – which would have to be to win out and sweep Carolina to remain NFC South champions – he should be forced to make changes to his defensive coaching staff, which is too old and ineffective. And he also should be told to give up the play-calling duties.

Bowles’ F-bomb-laden tirade should’ve happened weeks ago, after surrendering six touchdowns and 44 points to Josh Allen and the Bills in Week 11, a week after giving up four touchdowns in a 28-23 loss to the Patriots.

This defense is too soft, too poorly coached and clearly lacks a killer instinct. It needs better players – and that’s on general manager Jason Licht. But this is Bowles’ defense and he’s ultimately responsible for it.

Ultimately, Bowles’ unit gave up 476 yards to the Falcons and got beat by the 37-year old Cousins, who absolutely shredded the Bucs defense for three touchdowns and 373 yards. Once again, Cousins looked like Superman against Tampa Bay while he looks like Clark Kent versus the rest of the league.

I warned Bucs fans that this type of performance might be coming in a Pewter Pulse video I did earlier in the week. And I also predicted a Falcons win over the Bucs on Thursday Night Football. Trust me, I didn’t want to be right, but I saw this coming.

I appreciate Bowles blasting his players from the podium because they deserve it. But this feels like it’s too little, too late for Bowles’ defense and the Bucs in general, as any chance at gaining some momentum evaporated against the Falcons – just like their 14-point lead in the fourth quarter.

Unless, of course, the return of Evans and Jalen McMillan can somehow spark Tampa Bay’s offense to score 30 points or more in each of the final three games of the season.

Because 28 points wasn’t enough to win on Thursday night. And yet it should’ve been.

STATEMENT 2. Bucs’ Season Is Spiraling Out Of Control

The Bucs used to be a couple of games ahead of the Panthers in the NFC South division. Now, thanks to a 29-28 loss to the previously four-win Falcons on Thursday night, Dave Canales’ 7-6 squad suddenly has a half-game lead.

Carolina, Tampa Bay’s next opponent, had the best bye week in the NFL. The Panthers had a bye last Sunday, and before they play again, the Bucs have lost twice.

As bad as Todd Bowles’ defense has played, quarterback Baker Mayfield hasn’t played exceptionally well during Tampa Bay’s 1-5 skid, either. He and the offense certainly played a part in losing a 28-14 lead with 10 minutes left in regulation. Mayfield threw a fourth quarter interception to nickelback Dee Alford at the Atlanta 33 that led to a Falcons touchdown drive to cut the Bucs’ lead to 28-26 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.

Falcons CB Dee Alford – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Then, clinging to a two-point lead, Mayfield and Co. had a chance to pick up some first downs and win the game on offense, but failed to do so. After a Bucky Irving run led to a loss of four yards, Mayfield’s pass to Emeka Egbuka on second-and-14 was incomplete, which stopped the clock with 2:20 left. On third-and-14, Mayfield was sacked and that led to a punt after the two-minute warning.

With the Falcons out of timeouts, one more first down would have clinched the win for the Bucs. After the game, Mayfield who was sacked five times and completed 19-of-34 passes for 277 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, said this loss falls on him.

“Disappointing, obviously, but falls on my shoulders,” Mayfield said. “Can’t turn the ball over. Can’t have that interception. Then just got to hit Mek in stride on that third down.

“Listen, you can say what you want about being up two scores and the defense right there. We have to be better on offense. It comes down to how I play. … This one’s going to haunt me. This falls on my shoulders.”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In crunch time with the season on the line, neither the Bucs defense nor the offense could come through and win the game. This team just doesn’t seem to have what it takes to rally and win another division title – even if it sweeps Carolina, the Bucs would have to hope that the Panthers would either lose to the Saints or the Seahawks and then Tampa Bay would have to beat Miami on the road in Week 17, too.

“We have to win out to get in the playoffs,” Mayfield said. “To win the division, we have to win out. We know that. It’s as plain and simple as it is. We put ourselves in a position to have to do that. If guys don’t handle that the right way, then we have a much deeper issue.”

The Bucs started off the year as a good team, but given the 1-5 slide since the bye week, including back-to-back teams that had already been eliminated from playoff contention, Tampa Bay has become a bad team.

When bad teams beat you, you’ve become a bad team, too.

2 PROBING QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1. Did The Refs Cost The Bucs A Win On Thursday Night Football?

No. There is no doubt that there were some questionable calls in Thursday night’s collapse, including a debatable touchdown by Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts in the fourth quarter. The fact that the Bucs appeared to have recovered Kirk Cousins’ fumble after Haason Reddick’s sack on the Falcons’ final drive was a very questionable call.

But who are we kidding?

How many times did the Bucs get bailed out, pick up cheap first downs and keep scoring drives alive thanks to a litany of Falcons’ penalties?

Atlanta was flagged 19 – that’s 19! – times for 125 yards compared to the Bucs, who were only flagged four times for 25 yards on Thursday night. That is a massive discrepancy that certainly favored Tampa Bay. The fact that the Bucs lost to a team that drew 15 more penalties for 100 more yards is criminal.

QUESTION 2. Did Thursday Night’s Loss Cost Todd Bowles His Job?

No, not yet.

I’m not saying Todd Bowles shouldn’t be fired. But at 7-7, there is still a chance the Bucs can win the next three games, finish 10-7 and win the NFC South again. Mathematically, that is still a reality.

Do I think that’s going to happen? No, I don’t think Tampa Bay makes the playoffs.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

In Tuesday’s Pewter Report Roundtable, I had a hard time imagining the Bucs winning more than one game down the stretch. Now I could see a scenario where Tampa Bay bottoms out and finishes 7-10 on the season. If that happens, Bowles needs to be replaced. The 7-6 Panthers could prove to be the best that the NFC South has to offer this year, and the Dolphins, whom the Bucs play in Week 17, are hot right now, winning four in a row and five of their last six.

The Glazers aren’t going to make any decision on Bowles’ future until the season is over. Perhaps losing the division and being eliminated from the playoffs in the coming weeks will lead to a coaching change in the offseason.

Bowles just received a contract extension in the offseason. But remember that the Glazers fired Jon Gruden after a 9-3 start evaporated into a 9-7 finish with no playoffs after giving him a lucrative contract extension in the 2008 offseason, too.

We’ll see what happens, but one thing is for sure – some kind of changes must be made in the offseason because the Todd Bowles train has jumped the track this season and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get back on track this time around.

2 BOLD PREDICTIONS

PREDICTION 1. Bucs Will “Revise” Their Draft Strategy Next Year

Falcons rookie edge rusher James Pearce Jr. was not on the Bucs draft board this past year due to some character concerns. After drafting edge rusher Jalon Walker in the first round, Atlanta traded back into the first round for Pearce, which raised some eyebrows around the league. Pearce has plenty of pass rushing talent, but was viewed as a character risk.

Falcons OLB James Pearce Jr. and Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Yet he had two sacks on Thursday night along with six pressures and now has eight on the year to lead the Falcons. Pearce’s eight sacks are more than anyone in Tampa Bay this year. Bucs general manager Jason Licht puts a premium on drafting good guys for the sake of team chemistry. Yet how is Tampa Bay’s team chemistry doing right now after the team lost five of its last six games? Maybe there needs to be some finger-pointing in the locker room and some real accountability rather than everyone holding hands and singing Kumbaya.

Under the Bucs’ current “I Am That Man” draft profile, which stresses character as much as ability, this team wouldn’t draft Hall of Famer Warren Sapp if he were available in this year’s draft. Sometimes, a front office needs to take some chances on players that have an edge to them because this team has too many athletic good guys, especially on defense, that don’t get the job done – and not enough leaders that truly hold teammates and the locker room accountable for poor play.

PREDICTION 2. Bucs Lose To The Panthers In Carolina

For the first time since Dirk Koetter’s final year as head coach in 2018, the Bucs will have two three-game losing streaks in the same season. Tampa Bay will lose to Dave Canales and the Panthers in Carolina next week and will need to win the final two games of the season and hope that the Panthers lose three out of their last four games just to have any hope of winning the NFC South again.

Hope is not a very good strategy.