The Tampa Bay Buccaneers gave up the NFC South lead on Thursday night with a surprising loss to the Atlanta Falcons. This defeat and how it unfolded sparked a expletive-filled rant from head coach Todd Bowles.
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"It's inexcusable. You don't make excuses," Bowles said after a fourth-quarter collapse. "You got to f—-ing care enough where the s—- hurts. You got to f—-ing care enough where the s—- hurts. It got to f—-ing mean something to you.
"It's more than a job, it's your f—-ing livelihood. How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job? You can't sugarcoat that s—-. It was in-f—-ing-excusable, and there's no f—-ing answer for it. No excuse for it. That's what you tell 'em in the locker room. Look in the f—-ing mirror."
A pissed off #Bucs HC Todd Bowles dropped 7 F-bombs in his postgame presser when asked what he’ll tell his locker room after the 4th-quarter collapse. pic.twitter.com/1RjCz455Nw https://t.co/EB4BpMEOVc
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 12, 2025
The Buccaneers, now 7-7, entered the locker room at halftime only trailing the Falcons 14-13. They had a 28-14 lead in the fourth quarter, but they gave up 15 unanswered points to Kirk Cousins and the Falcons. This included the game-winning field goal from Zane Gonzales with four seconds remaining in the game.
Cousins ended the night with 373 yards and three touchdowns. Pitts delivered a career-high 166 yards and his first 100-yard game since 2021.
The defense struggled to contain Cousins, while the Buccaneers' offense failed to deliver a consistent performance despite getting some key players back on the field. Mike Evans made his first start since Oct. 20, and he put up 132 receiving yards. However, the offense could not put the game away nursing a two-point lead late.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw an interception in the fourth quarter that set up Kyle Pitts' third touchdown reception. This cut the score to 28-26. Mayfield then missed rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka on a throw that would have sealed the win for Tampa Bay. This gave the ball back to Cousins, who led a game-winning drive.
"It falls on my shoulders," Mayfield told reporters. "Can't turn the ball over, can't have that interception. And 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, but we have to be better on offense, and it comes down to how I play. This one's going to haunt me. This falls on my shoulders."
The Buccaneers have now lost five of their last six games, but they are not out of playoff contention. They have two more games against the division-leading Panthers. They also play the Dolphins, who are currently 6-7. If Bowles can get his team back on track, they can still contend for the NFC South crown.
