Bucs coach Todd Bowles takes aim at players after “inexcusable” loss

After making an impressive start to the 2025 season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have hit a skid in recent weeks. Thursday’s 28-29 loss to the Atlanta Falcons was a fifth defeat in six and it brought a furious reaction from coach Todd Bowles.

The Buccaneers had a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter but managed to blow it in front of home support at Raymond James Stadium. Speaking after the game, Bowles was unambiguous about his team’s failings.

“You don’t make excuses,” Bowles said. “You got to f***ing care enough where the s*** hurts. It’s 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***.”

Bowles was particularly scathing about his team’s attitude, labeling the loss “inexcusable” in the post-game. He put the blame for this poor run of form onto the players, insisting that it is up to them to address the slide.

“At this point, you’ve seen everything in the season,” Bowles told reporters. “The coaches have done everything they can do. This is a player-driven team in the last four or five weeks. You’ve got to execute, and they’ve got to hold each other accountable.

“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 that’s not everybody, you know, we’re talking about a small, select few. But the small, select few is what’s getting us beat. And until that happens, it’s not going to get right.”

There were hopes that the return of six-time Pro Bowl selection Mike Evans and the promising Jalen McMillan might help Tampa Bay down the stretch. Thursday’s game was the first time this season that quarterback Baker Mayfield has had a full compliment of wide receivers available but the Bucs’ struggles continued.

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