The Bucs defense has been glaringly bad coming out the bye week. Three straight losses, 1,182 yards give up and 99 out of 106 points allowed. That’s subpar for any team, but it looks even worse when head coach Todd Bowles is also the defensive play-caller.

It feels as if the Buccaneers have no answers. They allowed huge plays to the Patriots and could not figure out how to stop Josh Allen and the Bills and Matthew Stafford and the Rams. Sunday night was most egregious, as Stafford played pitch and catch with Davante Adams and Puka Nacua. A third-and-18 converted on the opening drive that eventually led to the first touchdown of the game looked as simple as could be.

Todd Bowles Discusses Bucs’ Defensive Problems 

Is it coaching? Is it players not getting the job done? Todd Bowles spoke more about what needs to happen for it all to get fixed before their next game on Sunday at home versus 3-8 Arizona.

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

“Just for them to continually hold each other accountable on the field,” Bowles said. “The coaches can say it, and our leaders can say it, but you’ve got to do it consistently – play in and play out. It’s getting done for the most part, but we talk about it all the time – we’ve got to coach it better, and they’ve got to play it better. At the same time, the accountability on the field and the trust.

“You can just talk. You don’t know who you’re trying to help out there – that has to be better. It’s gotten a lot better over the past few weeks. It’s been a guy here or there, but if one guy is out of whack, the other ten don’t matter.”

Bucs Are In Familiar Territory 

There didn’t appear to be any panic or sense of urgency from Todd Bowles after losing three in a row. It certainly wasn’t the case in the locker room during the week leading up to the Sunday night game. And why should the Buccaneers worry? Yes, the concern over Baker Mayfield and his injured non-throwing shoulder is important, but the truth of the matter is that this is the exact situation that Tampa Bay has been in every year.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

When Bowles became the head coach in 2022, the Buccaneers suffered a three-game losing streak. During the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Tampa Bay has had a four-game losing streak. Each time they’ve been able to crawl out of the mud, get on a winning streak, win their division and reach the postseason. They’re on a three-game losing streak and counting in 2025. The team knows how to handle it, but they’re not happy about it, either.

“It’s always bleak on the Monday after a loss – whether you were undefeated or whether you hadn’t won a game,” Bowles said. “Comfort may not be the word, but we understand that most of us have been here the last two years and understand where we are and understand what we’ve got to do going forward. Everything is right in front of us, but we definitely have to correct a lot of things. It’s definitely in the locker room with us – coaches and players. We’re our problem, but we’re also our solution.”

Bucs Captain Speaks Up

Every year teams come to a cross roads in the season where someone besides the coach needs to deliver a message. The Bucs have several leaders on this team so there’s no shortage of players to choose from to speak up. Todd Bowles mentioned a handful of players that were speaking during and after the game to try rally the group and reroute the ship.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David and HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Yeah, Lavonte [David] speaks up all the time,” Bowles said. “He spoke up at halftime and he spoke up after the game. [Antoine] Winfield Jr. speaks up. Vita [Vea] speaks up. Baker [Mayfield] speaks up. Tristan [Wirfs] speaks up. They all speak up, they all talk. We understand we’re in this together – no finger-pointing. We’ve got work to do, we know we’ve got work to do, but we know what’s in front of us.”