Buccaneers Enter Must-Win Territory
December 21st, 2025
“That’s the math, Mr. Glazer.”
Playoffs? Playoffs! Playoffs??
Yes, the Bucs (7-8) can still win their fifth consecutive NFC South title after losing today to the Panthers in Charlotte. What a country!
If the NFC South-leading Panthers (8-7) lose to the soaring Seahawks (12-3) next week, the Bucs will lock down the division crown with a win against the Panthers in Week 18, the season finale at The Licht House. It won’t matter what Tampa Bay does next week against tanking Miami (6-9).
If the Bucs somehow beat Miami next Sunday and Carolina beats Seattle, then the Bucs can still win the NFC South by beating the Panthers in Week 18 at The Licht House. That’s because Bucs, in that scenario, would own the applicable tiebreaker, “record against common opponents.”
Joe cannot call the Bucs a good team, but they may become a playoff team.
No matter how gruesome and shameful things are right now, there’s still time to get the offense dangerous like it was against the Falcons, and to get hot and healthy.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:19 pm
Just here to say look at Liam Coen RIGHT NOW looks like an AMAZING HEAD COACH!!!
December 21st, 2025 at 6:19 pm
Stop talking about the Bucs in the playoffs…..cause we all know they’ll be “one and done”…….. they’ll be embarrassed again…..
Bucs don’t deserve to be in the playoffs
December 21st, 2025 at 6:19 pm
It’s comical how fast the humiliation steps aside for Faint Unrealistic Hope.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:20 pm
Look at the Jags beating the Broncos. The greatest failure of this organization will be letting Liam Cohen go and keeping toilet Bowles.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:20 pm
Suddenly Cohen is a good guy. I don’t wanna see that piece of s…. in TB.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:20 pm
Go 5 wide ,, run and shoot ,,, what do you have to lose
December 21st, 2025 at 6:20 pm
WE need to use our weapons…..early and often…..win or lose.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:20 pm
Yep Coen clobnbering Denver. Bowzo dumping to the shrimps, stainks an chicks. Fire him tonight.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:21 pm
Bucs fans…….stop talking about how well Liam Coen and the Jags are doing…..that ship has sailed—move on with your life
December 21st, 2025 at 6:22 pm
Zzbucs,
lol, the defense, pass rush, qb play and roster building here is the trash. Liam Coen is a great offensive mind.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:22 pm
What if panthers beat the Seahawks?
December 21st, 2025 at 6:23 pm
On the record I ALWAYS WANTED TO FIRE BOWLES AND KEEP COEN… Literally said make him Co-Head Coach in waiting until Bowles retires. Aka if his defense sucked this year he “retires” Coen takes over. Instead we have Grizzard the Wizard flushing the Toilet Bowl…
December 21st, 2025 at 6:23 pm
If the owners get their home playoff loss again Bowlzo will be baaaaack
December 21st, 2025 at 6:24 pm
Man please Joe ots over whether we win the division or not this team is trash asf!
December 21st, 2025 at 6:24 pm
I don’t have much hope for the next two games. The season is over. It was over losing three straight to lesser teams. The Bucs are a bad team playing for an inept coaching staff. I don’t believe they have the internal fortitude to right the ship with these players or this coaching staff. They look like a playoff team in Todd’s mind and nowhere else.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:24 pm
Steve K
I don’t give a rats a@$ if he is a great coach, I haven’t lost my memory…
December 21st, 2025 at 6:27 pm
Bad teams find a way to lose
December 21st, 2025 at 6:28 pm
Zzbucs,
What the heck do you mean? He was good enough to be promoted to HC and we denied him that, and then got a huge deal, picked his GM and is crushing it?
We have egg on our face TBH.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:31 pm
SteveK
I remember what he did to the bucs, and how most of the fan base reacted, suddenly everybody lost memory.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:31 pm
The Bucs should fire Bowles and Grizz and the ST coach today.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:31 pm
The Bucs are stuck in a do-loop… just good enough to limp into a division win, but not good enough to go anywhere meaningful in the playoffs and thus continue to have middling draft picks. GM has a great record of finding starters, but their draft position prevents them from getting true stars. Two totally different animals. Thank goodness I ignored the hype this year and did not renew my season tickets.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:32 pm
The Bucs Owners do not fire people during the season…… they always wait until the season is over….
December 21st, 2025 at 6:32 pm
For what it’s worth – I never had the Bucs winning this game – but did have them winning the next two.
Again, for the millionth time, if Baker catches fire, the Bucs can beat anyone. But that IF is becoming more and more unlikely by the week. Still, in 2023, Baker was his dog s— worse before suddenly getting hot at the end of the season. In theory it can still happen.
Also the Panthers are not beating the Seahawks – so it will come down to week 18. Still, go beat the Dolphins, don’t leave it up to Seattle.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:32 pm
Liam Coen was our saving grace but we let him walk and gave Bowles an extension in the offseason? What the hell is ownership thinking?!
December 21st, 2025 at 6:33 pm
Sly
Agree, and please take 80% of this roster, and the GM too…..
December 21st, 2025 at 6:33 pm
So we lost Coen,,, he’s kicking it now and we ain’t getting him back,,, time to get Kubiak,,, he will be the next big deal,,, give Todd a gold platted watch and thank him for his service
December 21st, 2025 at 6:34 pm
Fumbling a Liam Coen deal will go down as one of the biggest blunders of this franchise’s history.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:35 pm
Please…. This team has not played good football all year
The opposite is very true.
They don’t even have a puncher’s chance and it has nothing to do with talent.
Sad…. depressing… the same problems were happening last year and it trickles down from the top and that includes the GM because at the end of the day he is responsible for making everything work.
Extremely depressing!
A year ago it was frustrating but it’s depressing now because the changes were not made.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:35 pm
Joe, as I said about today’s game, I had no confidence they would win today and I have no confidence they will win any of the next 2. I say again this entire team look bad
December 21st, 2025 at 6:36 pm
Why are we even on this site? No one listening.
The Glazers would not get rid of Bowles and Licht made a terrible pick in Grizz. Are you even sure Todd will get fired? I’m not.
Signing off until the team owners are serious.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:37 pm
I don’t want to win and risk Bowles keeping his job. Having to deal with this another year ? No thanks
December 21st, 2025 at 6:37 pm
Liam Cohen wouldn’t win a playoff game as the Bucs HC
Fans need to face the facts, and get out of La La land
This team has no talent, only Bucs fans sees the IMAGINARY talent on this team
Joe Gibbs was the Bucs OC for one season
And he was a good one, but the Bucs has no talent
He went to Washington as the HC and won Super Bowls
Because Washington actually had a talented roster
December 21st, 2025 at 6:40 pm
Lakeland Says:
December 21st, 2025 at 6:37 pm
—
Stop drinking that Polk county water
December 21st, 2025 at 6:41 pm
Rod, the interior line needs a batch of concrete to slather in between them…then maybe baker won’t continue to be third most pressured qb in football…
December 21st, 2025 at 6:41 pm
I think you guys need to go review exactly wheat happened when Coen choose to take a job at the Jags.
It’s ok he took a different job. We were not going to offer him what Jacksonville did. Never
December 21st, 2025 at 6:44 pm
Don’t think coaching makes a difference?
Both the Jaguars and Bears have completely turned around their respective team’s success by the hiring Johnson and Coen.
Both teams are worst to first success stories.
Meanwhile, here in Tampa Bay and Detroit, the teams who lost these guys are shadows of their former selves, especially Detroit.
Many of us were hoping the Glazers would promote Coen and send Bowles packing. Unsure of the feeling in Detroit. Campbell is a better coach than Bowles, but his intransigent desire to throw games away by going on 4th down has cost his team mightily, including a trip to the Super Bowl.
MAKE THE CHANGE!
And while you’re at it, think hard about the good vs bad story on Jason Licht.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:44 pm
Arian, Licht and the Glazer’s nepotism is to blame for this. Let’s just grandfather in a lame duck coach and his old lame ass staff to take over the personnel. This is what you get!!!!!!!!!!!
December 21st, 2025 at 6:46 pm
TheBucsAnthem Says:
December 21st, 2025 at 6:21 pm
Bucs fans…….stop talking about how well Liam Coen and the Jags are doing…..that ship has sailed—move on with your
I AM A JAGS FAN I JUST COME ON HERE TO TROLL LOSERS LIKE YOU WITH NO LIFE
December 21st, 2025 at 6:46 pm
Are the bucs worst team in the division now kinda looks like it they lost to all of them playoffs this team ain’t making the playoffs lmao you are hilarious joe
December 21st, 2025 at 6:46 pm
Chicago and Jacksonville has talented young players
The missing link was coaching
The Bucs need better players and better coaching
December 21st, 2025 at 6:48 pm
As vomit inducing as this statement may be, the Bucs won’t fire toilet Bowles if they win the division and have a home playoff game unless we get absolutely boat raced. It just really feels like everybody over there is so comfortable with their division titles.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:48 pm
G
A
Y
December 21st, 2025 at 6:48 pm
The Buccaneers fumbled by not retaining Coen this season. The only way this becomes a long-term issue is if the team fails to stop the bleeding. They need fresh coaches and an infusion of new talent. Ultimately, the only way the Bucs can truly claim they were right is if they win a Super Bowl before the Jaguars—or if the Jaguars never win one with Coen.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:50 pm
Get over Coen. It was all over GMF and the closet Bucs fan what the deal was. It was the GM that was in Jacksonville. Once the GM was fired things changed. If you were an NFL Coach and HC was your ambition and it came along you would have taken it.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:52 pm
Hot and healthy? Good one. Is that some new clean diet?
December 21st, 2025 at 6:52 pm
I like that Joe sees the glass half full but today was a “must win” game. Last week vs Falcons was a “must win” and the week before vs Sainst was a “must win”. If you can’t match up and out score Taylor Slough, Kirk Cousins and Bryce Young you don’t belong in the playoffs. Let’s face it, the Glazers look now like they pooped in their pants by getting outflanked by the Jags. Today they must feel like they peed in their pants by getting beat by Canales. Other than the Culvehouse-Parcells “wedding” fiasco, this is the most embarrassing low point they’ve had as owners. They have completely miffed on 2 Sean McVay well trained coaches/leaders and stuck with a over-the-hill old school defensive coach that couldn’t lead a talented offense to score more than 25 points vs a Carolina team with a pip squeak offense. This is Raheem II and Baker Mayfield has been the biggest dissapointment besides Todd Bowles’ defense and the OC who is Byron Leftwich II. Complete collapse or choke job. Just ridiculously bad. Anyone that thinks this is a good team is nuts!
December 21st, 2025 at 6:53 pm
Really?, so who’s running the team?? Just remove him from
making the calls. We all see it so change the game.plan. Dont let him call plays. Simple.
Fire his Arse. He is pathetic. Why did we ,promote him if he had
no experience?? Now he may have cost us the season and no one makes a move??
Shameful that the suppposed team leaders do nothing about it.
.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:53 pm
Why people are even discussing Jacksonville
They never won nothing, and never will win anything
December 21st, 2025 at 6:53 pm
Dude the offense was bad against the Falcons too. Baker looked like a man seeing ghosts. He took five sacks. They did not look dangerous against the Falcons. I don’t care how stats get spun to favor that narrative. They looked bad. Did not pass the eyeball test (other than Mike evans)
December 21st, 2025 at 6:54 pm
Coen makes 1 Buc look like fools.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:54 pm
Having the right coach makes all the difference. Look at Chicago and Jacksonville, Denver and New England. Their teams and QB are flourishing. Not here. Hopefully Bowles, Grizzard, and Licht be gone soon. But on the bright side, we have ALL our draft picks for next April!!
December 21st, 2025 at 6:55 pm
Finishing with same record as the Saints is not off the table!
December 21st, 2025 at 6:58 pm
Jacksonville looking pretty darn good going up against the number one defense. Trevor Lawrence even looks like a real quarterback.
December 21st, 2025 at 6:58 pm
POOPY PANTS
AND YOUR LAST SUPER BOWL WAS…..WHEN????
HAHAHAHAHAH
December 21st, 2025 at 6:59 pm
HOW ABOUT NEVER?
December 21st, 2025 at 6:59 pm
Quinn Ewers had 260 yards passing yards today, just wait until next week when he gets him some of that pillow soft Todd Bowles defense!! The Dolphins will think Dan Marino is back!!
December 21st, 2025 at 6:59 pm
The team is fighting to save Bowlzo job!!! ROFL
December 21st, 2025 at 7:06 pm
Bucs will win the South, somehow. Bowles will come out saying how the team worked hard to do what was needed. We then lose the NFC game, but will blame it on a difficult season, injuries, etc. Glazers are happy, everyone keeps their job and we will start talking about being SB favorites for next season, as everyone is healthy again by then.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:06 pm
To everyone who thinks Cohen betrayed the Bucs. He made a 60 million dollar decision to take a promotion that was not being offered here in Tampa. Licht is 100% at fault for not recognizing what he had and even had the audacity to pout about Cohen not keeping the inferior position. This will be Licht’s largest blunder and will haunt this franchise for at least a decade.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:06 pm
Yeah,
It just seems like on almost every single new post on this website that someone always brings up how well Liam Coen or the Jags are doing………I’M SICK OF HEARING ABOUT IT……just move on with your damn lives because that ship 🚢 has sailed
INSTEAD……..Bucs fans should be talking about how we’re going to improve the team
I think the Bucs will improve immediately by firing the Coaching Staff and the GM
…..and, they gotta find players that “fit”…..sorry, but the Bucs do not even have quality starters on both offense and defense……ESPECIALLY the defense
December 21st, 2025 at 7:11 pm
8 teams in the NFL with 11 wins or more, 6 of 8 have offensive coaches.
3 teams in the NFL with 10 wins or more, all have offensive coaches.
Enough said.
Bucs have won 2 SuperBowls. Both with offensive coaches.
Enough said!
December 21st, 2025 at 7:11 pm
Somehow we are 5.5 point favorites next week, if you like to bet, sounds like easy money to take the Dolphins 🐬 to cover.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:13 pm
Canales figured out the run game… He was not very good with it here but has since improved.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:14 pm
PoopyPants Says:
December 21st, 2025 at 6:46
I AM A JAGS FAN I JUST COME ON HERE TO TROLL LOSERS LIKE YOU WITH NO LIFE
—-
Hahahahahaha this guy is typing from his parents house wearing snoopy PJs.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:15 pm
Yes, the Cohen ship has sailed. It must be brought up though as it is the reason why Jason Licht needs to get the boot along with Bowles. It was his job to evaluate talent in the locker room and the coaching offices. He failed us.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:18 pm
Just think if any of us were as bad at our job as Bowles & the funky bunch staff he assembled..Christmas would be cancelled
December 21st, 2025 at 7:19 pm
Yes but if Carolina wins next week and we lose, Carolina wins the division and the last game means nothing. Carolina would be 9-7 and we’d be 7-9 going into the last game. This team has no heart and plays down to other teams level instead of going out and putting their foot on teams throats. Miami ain’t a push over and if Ewers completed 66% of his passes today, he will look like Tom Brady against us.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:20 pm
YOU are part of the problem JOE BUCS FAN! You have the platform to make change happen! But, you delete my posts……..Just another SHILL! WHATEVER!!!!
December 21st, 2025 at 7:29 pm
The Jaguars just beat the Broncos. Liam Cohen has it going on in Jacksonville. What a shame we let him get away.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Coen chose to not be the lap dog of a simpleton and go make a poop load of money leading his own team. Anybody faulting him for that can leave the team with Bowles at the end of the season.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:33 pm
There shouldn’t be any question.
Just stop. Final.
We should be on to debating who the HC is.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:35 pm
JIM NANCE is bought and paid for, just like the CLOWN Mike Piero the IDIOT former Referee! I hope all these CLOWNS burn in HELL! Money doesn’t buy anything in HELL! YOU sold your SOUL, game OVER!!!
December 21st, 2025 at 7:36 pm
If the Bucs are not a good team what’s the point of winning the next two games. Time to bring in a quality seasoned coach and offensive coordinator. With another good draft and a few new decent veterans the Bucs would be a much improved team. Fix the issues and get a good coach who would love to take over a team that’s ready to win.
Brady did it in Tampa. Why not do it again.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:41 pm
I can’t decide who is more delusional…this Joe or Rod Munch. This team sucks !!!!
December 21st, 2025 at 7:43 pm
@ Allen
Exactly….
…….it doesn’t matter if this team wins or not now…..
– They’re a bad team if they make the playoffs
and
– If they make the playoffs, they won’t win because they’re a bad team
It’s one thing if the Bucs over the last few weeks showed like they were actually playing good football…..but they haven’t…..they’ve been a bad football team and have nothing but regression.
December 21st, 2025 at 7:55 pm
A big reason teams go from worst to first is that they are scheduled to play the weakest opponents. Another is that opponents vastly underrate them based on past performance. A third is that they get the top draft choices, sometimes for several years. The NFL likes this. When the Eagles won their division last night for the second consecutive year, it was the first repeater in the NFC East in about two decades. The present Bucs streak is remarkable, and, I suspect, irritating to many. If they do not win the division, many will be happy to see them go back into the churn. I’m not pointing fingers because I’m too lazy to do the research. A second point regarding the Jags, not a few thoughtful people consider the AFC South to be inferior to the NFC South.
December 21st, 2025 at 8:08 pm
Yea, YEA! I’m soooo excited to hopefully win our division. That way we all can watch us get our sphincters stretched in the playoffs. Sounds like fun!
December 21st, 2025 at 8:08 pm
Baker is a choke artist the bucs must draft a quarterback
December 21st, 2025 at 8:10 pm
Wouldn’t that be funny if the Jags won the Super Bowl. Just shows what a great head coach can do for a team. Bowles is showing what a bad coach can do for a team. The stench of Bowles and his coaching staff needs to be removed asap.
December 21st, 2025 at 8:10 pm
Plus your name is POOPY PANTS!!! Enough said.
Agree. The only thing we can change is ourselves. Forget Coen
December 21st, 2025 at 8:15 pm
It doesn’t matter how this season ends. Bowles is toast.
The writing is all over the wall in front of you. 3 straight losses to inferior division foes!? With most of our guys healthy!
Sure I agree they aren’t inferior anymore but that’s cause we have some of the worst coaching in the league. The Glazers and Licht don’t think this roster is inferior. If they do then Jason oughta resign. I doubt he’s throwing himself under the bus to save Todd.
December 21st, 2025 at 8:16 pm
Blah, blah, blah…the entire coaching staff needs to be fired!
December 21st, 2025 at 8:28 pm
Why would you want to see this team in the playoffs? We are a disappointment to everyone. The teams parents wouldn’t claim them. Get off this drivel Joe. We ain’t winning spit. And if we do get in the playoffs then what? We get murdered all next year with Fatboy Bowles. Dumbest S&!t ever.
December 21st, 2025 at 8:44 pm
This team has been in “must win” territory for the past 4 weeks, and all they have to show for it is an ugly win against a pitiful Arizona team. This team will next week to the fins, and that should be it for Bowels.