The Todd Bowles “Wall”
November 24th, 2025
In reality, the Bucs are in a very similar cylcle to what they were in during the 2022, 2023 and 2024 seasons. So perhaps a fan freakout now is borderline ridiculous?
Joe doesn’t think it’s ridiculous, but it is reasonable to assert that a major midseason swoon in play after a very strong season start is a hallmark of a Todd Bowles coached team.
There are no coincidences in the NFL, Joe believes, and this current Bucs situation, a 6-5 record after a 5-1 start, is more more than a one-off. It’s familar territory.
With Tom Brady in 2022, the Bucs started 2-0, found their way to 3-5, and clinched the NFC South title with an 8-8 record before tanking the Week 18 game of that season.
In 2023, the Bucs were again 2-0 and fell to 4-7 before making the playoffs with a 9-8 record. Last year, the Bucs were 3-1, then 4-6 and 10-7 when the regular season ended.
The common thread is not the offensive coordinator or the quarterback, it’s the head coach.
Bowles teams hit “a wall.” That’s how Bucs backup QB Teddy Bridgewater described it after tonight’s national embarrassment against the Rams. Bridgewater only arrived in Tampa in August, but he referenced the Bucs’ past midseason slumps and believes fans will see a very different team next week.
History says Bridgewater is on the money. It also helps that the next opponent is the three-win Cardinals and their backup quarterback.
The Joe typing here picked the Bucs to win 10 games season. And while tonight’s quit-like effort against the Rams was inexcusable and disturbing, the big picture is probably exactly what every fan should have expected to this point.
November 24th, 2025 at 12:32 am
I don’t think the cardinals will come impressed with Bucs and in a hard fought game of backups Brissett is currently better than Teddy. Probably better coached too.
November 24th, 2025 at 12:35 am
Those are cheerful thoughts Joe!
Embrace the mediocrity and bask in it.
Nothing more inspiring than a string of embarrassing losses.
We need to just accept it and move on.
Todd Bowles will likely get a raise after tonight.
It really was that good of a performance! Yay!!!!
November 24th, 2025 at 12:36 am
enough time and games to fairly evaluate that Bowels is NOT a goods HC and the Bucs can do WAY better….. the pattern of the past 3 seasons is an indictment against Bowels showing lack of improvement and growth…..
Under Bowels the Bucs will NEVER get over the hump!
November 24th, 2025 at 12:37 am
Bowles has lost this team. There’s no turning back from that.
November 24th, 2025 at 12:38 am
That was a suicidal coaching performance.
November 24th, 2025 at 12:39 am
Hey this the first time in the Baker /Bowles era that they/we are over.500 after 11 games!!! 2023:4-7. Last year 5-6. This year 6-5. Because after TB12, we celebrate mediocrity around here and being the king of the worst division every year.
November 24th, 2025 at 12:40 am
Rams guys were running through walls, Bucs just chillin
November 24th, 2025 at 12:41 am
If mayfield misses the rest of the season we wont win another game with checkdown bridgewater
November 24th, 2025 at 12:42 am
Ya think?
November 24th, 2025 at 12:42 am
Outside of the respectable job that the OL coaches have done this year, I’d be hard pressed to find another area of this team that is coached well. Maybe the WR room? We’re so far from the Rams organization (top to bottom), it’s depressing. We’re so satisfied with mediocrity, winning a garbage division, that we can’t see what we really are- a middling team that can’t execute in all three phases during a game, much less take the next step.
But for last year’s offense, we would’ve been in the basement. Everyone said that you can’t fire a coach after a 10 win season and a division crown. Okay, sure. Except Todd’s D was terrible then. It’s terrible now. There’s zero accountability. And no improvement. Worse, the guy responsible for our success is now leading a woebegone Jags team that is head and shoulders above us.
November 24th, 2025 at 12:44 am
Also cut Otton, and Dennis, and whoever 22 and 58 were
November 24th, 2025 at 12:45 am
And, Jesus, McCollum, his sunburn’s gonna hurt bad tomm
November 24th, 2025 at 12:46 am
Mayfield is done for the season. That is what happens when you have a junior varsity O line and receivers who were borderline to even make the team out of camp. No QB could stand in there and take the pounding that was administered today. Mayfield will probably have surgery sometime in the next ten days. Even Tristan Wirfs allowed a crushing 3rd down sack as the pocket continually collapsed. The defense was vintage Tampa—laughable. Opposing QB’s are circling their date with Tampa with glee.
November 24th, 2025 at 12:49 am
If this turns out to be another Bowels champion of the worst devision, who on this site is satisfied with that?
The sad part is theat is best case scenario. But take a look at this team. Very poor defense with an offense that rises and falls on an injured Baker Mayfield is a formula for collapse. Best we can hope for is that this is the end for Bowels
November 24th, 2025 at 12:51 am
Who cares when they play teams that don’t suck they show there true colors Toilet Bowl has to go NOW!!
November 24th, 2025 at 12:52 am
No, It is valid. The pass rush is worse than it has been this decade. They’re on pace for their least amount of sacks since at least since 2020. All the good DBs we have can’t seem to figure out how to cover within 10 yards and if they do then they’re incapable of covering 15 to 20 yards down field.
And to cap it off, the run defense isn’t as good as it used to be
Offense is mainly a health issue, everyone talks about receivers, but the real problem is guards. The interior of the O line gets blown up every other play, at least it seems that way.
November 24th, 2025 at 12:57 am
The underhanded blooper by Bilgewater that was almost int is just a hint of what is in store for us the rest of the year.