Todd Bowles: Buccaneers ‘Are Beating Ourselves’

The Buccaneers still lead the NFC South, but coach Todd Bowles knows that won’t last if they don’t improve. 

Sunday’s 35-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers wasn’t the kind of defeat which can happen in professional football. It was the type of defeat which belies the fact something is not working in Tampa Bay.

Tampa gave up five touchdowns to the 49ers, who were led by QB Brock Purdy in his first career start. Having previously beaten all seven debutante quarterbacks who played against him, Purdy handed Tom Brady the third-largest defeat of his career.

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“We’ve got to decide what team we want to be,” Todd Bowles said. 

“We can’t be one set of Bucs and another set of Bucs. It’s got to mean something. … Either we want it or we don’t. We can’t care more than everybody else. As a coach, you don’t go out on the field, but we got outcoached, so we’re not excused from this at all. We got outplayed as well. As a team, as a group, we’ve got to buckle down and decide what our fate is in the next few weeks.”

Tampa Bay’s 29th-ranked offense was again an issue against the 49ers. The Buccaneers have only averaged 16.69 points per game this season. Additionally, their habit of giving away penalties disrupted their rhythm. 

“They’re devastating because we’re playing the Niners and we’re playing the Bucs,” Todd Bowles said of the penalties. “We can’t beat two teams. We’re beating ourselves. Credit them. They beat us as well. They have a good scheme, but we’re beating ourselves, too. We’re making it even harder.”

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“It’s been hard this year,” tight end Cam Brate said.

“Execution on game day has not been where it needs to be. Obviously we’re a different team than we were the past couple of years — different strengths and weaknesses — we’ve just got to figure out a way to move the ball consistently on offense. It’s been a struggle for us. We’ve just got to figure out how to do it.”