Night Talk From Todd Bowles
November 26th, 2025
The Bucs are on a 2-8 run when playing at night under Todd Bowles.
That includes last season’s home playoff loss.
Is that a coincidence?
Joe’s written many times about being a non-believer in football coincidences, especially trends that involve the same coach or player.
For example, Joe believes there’s no coincidence in Todd Bowles teams starting four seasons in a row with a 2-0 record. Bowles knows how to get a team ready for opening day.
Joe also believes there’s no coincidence in all four of those Bowles teams taking a major midseason nosedive. In addition, those teams righted the ship late in the season.
Something is real when it comes to these Bowles patterns.
Another Bowles thing is losing in night games. Bowles has been asked about it many times and says he thinks it’s just poor and not the way the team prepares itself.
The head coach put his foot down on that topic again yesterday on the Bucccaneers Radio Network.
“I don’t think it’s prime time. I just think it’s mistakes,” Bowles said. “I really do think it’s mistakes because we’ve played — the first two weeks of the season we were in prime time. We won both of those games. So, it’s just the mistakes that we gotta clean up. Everybody else has to do their job better — coaches, players, everyone around and then we gotta detail our work.”
For the record, Bowles was mistaken. The Bucs did not play their first two games of the season at night. They opened the 2025 campaign at Atlanta in 1 o’clock game.
Joe thinks as long as the Bucs don’t realize they have some sort of systemic problem with night games, then their record when the sun sets is unlikely to improve.
November 26th, 2025 at 7:10 am
the mistake that needs to be cleaned up is the one sitting in the head coach’s office…
November 26th, 2025 at 7:16 am
Usually better teams, better coaches on primetime. Something that Bowles will always struggle with for the most part, IMHO.
November 26th, 2025 at 7:27 am
Sunday night games just need to go away. MNF only
November 26th, 2025 at 7:33 am
So sick of this guy and his excuses.
If over four years, your players consistently make “mistakes” and have “communication” issues then the problem isnt them its the scheme/coaching.
Please let the Bowles era end and lets move on!
November 26th, 2025 at 7:36 am
Joe in Michigan Says:
November 26th, 2025 at 7:16 am
Usually better teams, better coaches on primetime. Something that Bowles will always struggle with for the most part, IMHO.
______________________
EXACTLY!
Bowles cannot beat good teams
November 26th, 2025 at 7:42 am
We are 2-0 in prime time games that kickoff at 6:30pm in February.
Of course that only happens every 20 years or so…….
November 26th, 2025 at 7:43 am
The negativity and ugliness of the posters here is why I want to kill myself
November 26th, 2025 at 7:44 am
Waiting to see if we win the division or are one and done in the playoffs. I like Todd but it may be time.
November 26th, 2025 at 7:46 am
selection bias here… night games are usually matchups against good teams, so of course you’d expect a worse record in those.
And when everyone looked at the schedule at the beginning of the year, these 4 most recent losses looked to be very tough games to win.
Now if they lose to the Cardinals, THAT would be proof of something.
November 26th, 2025 at 7:55 am
Looking ahead at the remaining schedule…of course there’s one last night game…a Thursday nighter vs the Falcons. I’m pretty sure it’s a creamsicle uniform game also ( which I like but don’t fully “trust” ). The Kirk Cousins Rehab Tour will be in full effect. He’ll likely torch the Bucs and either earn one last payday elsewhere or the Falcons could actually keep him another season or so as Penix and his wobbly knees look shot. The NFC South ShatShow starts now…1/2 dozen games left in the race to the bottom. Oh…and the list of teams the Bucs could play if they back into another title? Seattle, San Francisco, Green Bay or Detroit. Yelp.
November 26th, 2025 at 7:57 am
I don’t even listen to him (Bowels) anymore
It appears he is trying to eat his way out of his HC job or filling up on the way out.
November 26th, 2025 at 7:58 am
Coach Bowles — a legend in his own mind…
November 26th, 2025 at 8:10 am
nawl thats BS….
the teams sleep walks in primetime games…
no sense of urgency…no fire
GO BUCS!!!!
November 26th, 2025 at 8:10 am
the teams sleep walks in primetime games…
no sense of urgency…no fire
GO BUCS!!!!
November 26th, 2025 at 8:18 am
Bowles is a loser in any division but the NFC South. His excuses must flow down to his players. Time to dump him and possibly Jason for never getting an edge rusher. This off season needs to be a true rebuild. Too many starters that are not getting it done.
November 26th, 2025 at 8:19 am
Bucs are (15-16) on Monday night games, (9-17) on Sunday night games and
(5-11) on Thursday night games. I didn’t look up playoffs games. (29-44) overall.
November 26th, 2025 at 8:37 am
Bowles is in denial about his D, he is in denial about how poor his team’s play under the lights and he is in denial about how every season under his watch, the team goes in the crapper for 5 or 6 weeks. The only coach I remember who was in so much denial as Bowles was Lovie Smith and we saw how that turned out.
November 26th, 2025 at 8:38 am
I would imagine it is easier to be an arm chair coach as opposed to the real thing. At least we don’t have to think up new excuses every week. Maybe that’s why he says the same thing every week. After 4 years, he must have run out of new ones.
November 26th, 2025 at 8:39 am
I have yet to see the team play mistake free football this season
November 26th, 2025 at 8:39 am
Remember reading here awhile back that Baker doesn’t like night games. With the data, there must be others feeling the same way and maybe some adjustments can be made the week going into a night game. Last Sunday, the time difference was 3 hours. Which made it really a 5:30 pm start time. Not really evening. But by that time, it was jet lag and a mindset of being night I guess.
Rusty – We may win this Sunday and need every one of us to cheer them on all the way to the playoffs. Good vibes. Go Bucs!
November 26th, 2025 at 8:41 am
2-6 after bye weeks as well. This guy is like an anchor wrapped around the neck of this franchise. I want him gone yesterday! We lose games against well coached teams before we even take the field. I’m done with him. Next Is Jason Licht.
He’s sat on his hands for too long with his coveted draft picks. The guy gets entirely too much credit despite draft picks that are rubbish all over this roster.
The end result is a team with the killer instinct of a butterfly. I’m sick of the annual freefall that we get every damn year. First thing to do is FIRE Todd Bowles
and his entire staff and we’ll go from there. Disgusted with this fraud of a coach.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:27 am
No excuse. Is it past their bedtime. Fire Todd
November 26th, 2025 at 9:29 am
It’s past Bowles bed time, and the team feeds off that lack of energy.
November 26th, 2025 at 9:42 am
Can’t remember last time i listened to any of his pressers. I used to listen to Coen. He was the last smart coach we had. No other coaches in this team are even worth listening to talk. It looks like the players feel the same way. Not listening to their say nothing coaches. Fire over confident mistake prone clueless Bowles!
November 26th, 2025 at 10:10 am
If I was in charge, there would be one consistent message: Championships are won TODAY! I would make sure everyone forgot what seems to be the Bucs’ current mindset (real football starts in December).
Also, any week there’s a night game, every practice will be held EVERY night leading up to it. Get the players used to starting late in the day and get them in the “night time is fight time” mindset.
November 26th, 2025 at 10:38 am
Bowles is dead weight on this team.
It’ll only get better with him gone
November 26th, 2025 at 11:13 am
We were lousy in night games when Arians was the coach, too. Don’t forget that.
November 26th, 2025 at 11:56 am
How many teams have we played early in the season the last couple years that
A) had new coaching staffs or
B) had rookie or new to the team QBs / major roster overhauls?
Bowles teams peak in week 2. Everyone is excited about back to real football, usually healthy and the Bucs play the same scheme year in and year out. So Bowles wins early while other teams are getting their feet under them.
Then Bucs get stagnant, bored, same ole same ole under Todd day in day out, nothing fresh happening and a slide starts.
Then everyone says damn well guess it’s another year we can’t just go through the motions and get Ws. Other teams have caught up, Bucs aren’t as good as they thought and they get back to work to beat lowly teams, mainly in the division to claw their record back.
It’s a pattern alright Joe. And if the Bucs wanna keep Bowles, maybe they get away with it while not being a playoff threat until the division gets better and Bowles can’t win the last 4 games to save his job.
Been this way for 4 years. Wake up people.
November 26th, 2025 at 12:29 pm
No great discovery here. We play better teams in prime time and we are not on their level.
Case closed. Out coached, out manned.
November 26th, 2025 at 1:11 pm
Explanations wanted. Let the Bowleszone keep on keepin on but explain it.
November 26th, 2025 at 1:14 pm
Explanations wanted. Let the Bowleszone keep on keepin on but explain it. Good Grief it is so simple…..Bowles is heading for .500. Nobody seems to understand this simple fact.
November 26th, 2025 at 1:32 pm
Crickett Baker – Exactly right, same thing with night games. I think BA even had night practices beforehand too.
November 26th, 2025 at 1:49 pm
Agree with G-Buc. Prime time games are about anticipated TV ratings, so the top teams, especially those with big national followings, get scheduled. Those teams get really psyched to show off their stuff. The opposition is usually another good team, but with so many non-Sunday afternoon games, they sometimes have to schedule other opposition. That means recognizable individuals. In recent years, that includes Baker Mayfield, with his lovers and haters. Also, Mayfield has had two unforgettable Thursday night performances, his first with the Browns and his first with the Rams, both come-from-behind relief appearances. I agree with Joe that there are no coincidences, but untangling causalities isn’t always easy, perhaps even impossible.