The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a disastrous 29-28 loss against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Their seventh loss of the season came after a fourth-quarter capitulation saw them squander a 28-14 lead.
Following a 14-point capitulation in the second half, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles went on a fiery rant in the post-game interview. Bowles called out his players, saying they need to care about their livelihoods.
“It’s inexcusable, you don’t make excuses,” Bowles said on his message to the team “You gotta fuckin* care enough, where this shi* hurts. You gotta fuckin* care enough where this shi* hurts.
“It’s gotta fuckin* mean something. It’s more than a job, it’s your fuckin* livelihood. How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job? You can’t sugarcoat that shi*. It was in-fuckin*-excusable. There was no fuckin* answer for it. There’s no excuse for it. That’s what you tell them in the locker room. Look in the fuckin* mirror.”
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The loss dropped Tampa Bay to a 7-7 record this season, leaving the fate of the NFC South to the Carolina Panthers. However, the Buccaneers will play the Panthers twice over the next three weeks, making for an intriguing finish to the division race.
Buccaneers face division rivals Carolina Panthers twice with playoff spot on the line
With consecutive losses against the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons, fans are concerned about the Buccaneers’ playoffs chance even though they have their fate in their own hands.
The Buccaneers play their division rivals, the Panthers, who hold a 7-6 record, on Sunday, before squaring off against the Miami Dolphins. Tampa Bay’s final game of the season will be against the Panthers on Jan 3.
Winning their remaining three games will see them clinch a playoff spot while winning the NFC South. However, losing six of their last eight games has not filled fans with confidence about the final stretch of the regular season.