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Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles tore into his team in his postgame press conference with an explosive charge Thursday after the Bucs suffered a 29-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium.
Bowles’ crew was up 28-14 in the fourth quarter, but squandered the lead and the loss dropped the team to 7-7 on the season. The 62-year-old head coach repeatedly called the loss “inexcusable” and ripped into his players for not caring enough.
“You don’t make excuses,” Bowles said. “You have to care where it hurts. You have to care enough where it hurts. It has to mean something to you. It’s more than a job. It’s your livelihood. How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job? How well can you do your job–. inex-f—king-cusable and there’s no f—ing answer to that.”
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles looks on before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Dec. 11, 2025. (Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images)
Bowles said the coaches have done everything they can do and the players have to hold each other accountable.
“At this point, you’ve seen everything in the season,” Bowles said. “The coaches have done everything they can do. This is a player-driven team for the last four or five weeks. You’ve got to execute and they’ve got to hold each other accountable.”
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles speaks after an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons in Tampa, Florida on Dec. 11, 2025. (Chris O’Meara/AP Photo)
“As a coach, you can sit there until you’re blue in the face. Until they start holding each other accountable and doing the little things right — and it’s not everybody, you know, we’re talking about a small, select few. But the small, select few is what makes us hit. And until that happens, it’s not going to be right.”
The loss was devastating as it dropped the Buccaneers from first place in the NFC South as the Carolina Panthers currently hold sole possession of first place at 7-6. Bowles said the team knows they have to win their next three games.
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Fortunately for the Buccaneers, two of their next three games are against the Panthers, so they can still control their own destiny. The Buccaneers have won the NFC South for four straight seasons, but if they don’t turn things around, that streak will end.
They will look to bounce back when they play the Panthers next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
