Major Screwup By Antoine Winfield, Jr.
December 12th, 2025
Safety Antoine Winfield, Jr., with no receiver behind him, is about 10 yards off the receiver as Kirk Cousins releases the football on 4th-and-14 during the Falcons’ game-winning drivfe.
So Todd Bowles would not name who made the “big blunder that was inexcusable” on 4th-stand-14 during the Falcons’ game-winning drive last night.
The Bucs’ head coach wouldn’t tell a reporter who asked and suggested he watch the film.
Well, the film is clear. Antoine Winfield, circled above, defined soft coverage as Kirk Cousins released the throw. Winfield was 9-plus yards away from the target. And some folks wonder why a segment of NFL think the league is rigged.
Joe swears Bowles has his defensive backs so terrified of giving up a big play that it leads to this kind of mistake — with no receiver behind Winfield.
No, Joe is not taking blame from Winfield. He’s not paid $20 million per year to pull a Division II college stunt with the game on the line.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:10 am
He’s been a super disappointment since he got paid with only a few good game sprinkled in
December 12th, 2025 at 8:10 am
Joe,
Thanks for the film screenshot!
May I ask if Winfield toon questions in the locker room this week, or did he bolt like last week? He’s the top paid safety in the league, needs to play like it.
Where’s Waldo Winfield? It’s embarrassing. He’s been invisible outside of the first couple games.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:12 am
Winfield got his bag, oh, so did coach Blows. Nothing to play for, just go through the motions. And yes, I too believe the NFL is dirty.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:13 am
Bench him if Tykee is back next week. Thats how you get the message across. Unbelievable!
December 12th, 2025 at 8:13 am
I mean seriously, what else is there to cover??. I truly despise this scheme and the players on defense. I guarantee they dont practice hard. This season is a wash. Its over.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:14 am
This guy AW has been Overpaid since he got paid. How do we get out of his contract?
It is obvious that he is One of the Major problems besides that Putrid Pass defense that is the reason this team Stinks. Time to Go Todd! Enough is Enough!
December 12th, 2025 at 8:15 am
Major screw up by the organization they didn’t make bowels hire a DC this defense hasn’t been good in a good long while scheme is trash that soft zone coverage is making me puke Todd doesn’t have the spine to be a head coach. Hey Joe where is the article about the genius move.to pass on second down instead of running it to get to the two minute warning with a falcons team with zero timeouts. This team is incompetent from the floor up.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:17 am
That’s what happens to some players they get paid and they start to lax out. I don’t think Winfield is that type of player I just thing he sees what we all are seeing and is just like bah whatever
December 12th, 2025 at 8:18 am
He’s a great blitzer and has forced quite a few fumbles, but he is a liability in coverage.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:19 am
“Major Screw-up ” by this ownership I would say, they never should have let Todd Bowles be the head coach
December 12th, 2025 at 8:21 am
Liam is 9-4 in Jacksonville
We made our bed and now we’re laying in 💩💩💩💩
December 12th, 2025 at 8:21 am
Trade AWJ and zyon
December 12th, 2025 at 8:21 am
With the coaching malpractice I’m supposed to believe these coaches can teach anything to these players.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:22 am
This is truly disappointing. I defended him cuz he was hurt. No more. And he’s a captain? Come on.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:22 am
i understand the todd hate, but players were in a position to execute they didn’t, i wouldn’t put this lost on him.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:23 am
Trade Winfield and Baker for Burrow! Only move from Baker if you get an upgrade.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:24 am
This is his what, 7th season as DC and an all-pro player is lost in his defense. Smh
December 12th, 2025 at 8:25 am
It’s OK maybe Winfield will make the game saving play in Carolina so all of this will get forgotten about
December 12th, 2025 at 8:26 am
Bowles deserves blame but NOONE could do better with these clowns. Name a good LB or a good CB or a good DL (besides Vea)…. heck, name an average player.. you cant.. theyre all terrible
December 12th, 2025 at 8:28 am
they didn’t fire bowles yet?
December 12th, 2025 at 8:28 am
That is our COVID defense. Stay at least 6 feet from everyone on the other team.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:29 am
if players aren’t executing the way the coach wants them to, on 4th and 14 to WIN THE GAME, CALL A FREAKING TIME OUT
December 12th, 2025 at 8:31 am
I fell asleep with the BUCS up by 2 scores. I woke up figuring the BUCS won. I’m glad I fell asleep. You don’t want to be awake during surgery. The BUCS performed a win-ectomy last night. The season did not survive
December 12th, 2025 at 8:33 am
This team needs to be dismantled. Keep only a handful of players and rebuild with a new GM. Jason Licht has become complacent.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:34 am
Hire an up and coming , young, energetic offensive minded HC who will have a fairly good OL (when all healthy) to work with and young weapons like Irving, Egbuka, and McMillan to build around and a veteran DC who won’t over complicate schemes and ask players to do things they can’t do. And his first season cut all non-hackers and take your lumps.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:34 am
SS
sheet show
December 12th, 2025 at 8:34 am
Joe, my opinion is, and opinions are like rearends, everybody has one but these are the same guys on defense who was play decent football against top teams and went 5-1 now thats reversed. Something wrong at One Buc Place. I keep hearing accountability
December 12th, 2025 at 8:34 am
What is interesting is this now being brought to attention, its been happening for years but arians , canales, and coen carried the defense
December 12th, 2025 at 8:37 am
till we get new coach is not players fault, our coash is o incompetent that Galzers hired ppl to be in his ear for everything. they should have hired another head coach i guess. but i am glad finally ppl are seeing things that were being covered but Mayfield and our former OCs. and Joe was about time you open your eyes and see Bowles for the scam
bag that he is.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:37 am
When I look at our defense, I don’t see one superstar. David is too damn old at this point, but Winfield, he is supposed to be THAT guy, and I don’t see it. He looks like the same player he was a rookie, solid and typically does his job, but he’s not making superstar plays consistently, he just has not leveled to the status of being one of the best safeties in the NFL.
Just to remind everyone on here, at the time he signed his new contract, Winfield’s deal was the richest in NFL history for a Safety. That is to imply that he IS the best safety in the NFL. Licht has the audacity to even brag about it!
Does anyone here think he’s playing like one of the best safeties in the NFL?
December 12th, 2025 at 8:38 am
I thought AWJ was ok coming out of Minnesota. He played well in his first contract and deserved a raise, but not the highest. Give me Hamilton in Bmore all day long. That said, he got an injury pass last year. This year? He looks disinterested. The fix a coaching change or move him. At the end of the day, he’s a safety. Not one of the most important players on the field.
I’ve said for years, JL makes some bad picks and second contract decisions.
What has JL done for the QB position? After JW, got lucky with Tom for a stop gap. Drafted Kyle, and took a chance on Bake. He should be using 5th and 6th rounders to land a back or a diamond in the rough. That’s one part of drafting a NFL qb.
He also has done little at the LB position. Now it shows.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:42 am
It’s telling the secondary players who Bowles has tried to highlight in his defense AND got these guys contracts are now the biggest liabilities. That’s not a normal dynamic and for whatever reason you’re either going to have to fire the coach or get rid of those players. Realistically it’s probably going to be Bowles. Unfortunately he should have shown the fire he displayed tonight, 6 losses ago. He played cool and calm, now looks inept and panicked. Players have tuned him out, it’s over for the defense. Grizzard and the offense will have to ball out but I don’t see that happening when our QB can’t even drop back without a defender right there blowing up play after play after play.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:43 am
Here we go
Who’s fault is it
This player
That player
The Dirty Birds scored 29 points on Bowles Defense
He didn’t want a DC
He Is in charge of Defense and Team
Bowles is the Problem 100%
Please Stop the Excuses
Lay blame where it belongs
TODD BOWLES SUCKED IN NY AND HERE
December 12th, 2025 at 8:43 am
Not just on Todd Bowles. If players can’t find winning a championship motivating then nothing can.
Baker hasn’t played well, but he’s also one of the few on this team that cares beyond the paycheck.
This is how Brady’s last season was.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:45 am
Ive never understood why if you’re gonna play a soft zone on 4th down just sit at the sticks and keep everything in front of you come up and make a sure tackle no need to go for the big hit. This team is soft and that fact that Todd is still allowed to call the defense shows that those in control of the team don’t truly care about the product on the field. This defense has been terrible for a long time and he’s been in control the entire time. Best game the defense played was in the Superbowl and he actually turned everyone loose and played aggressive. Not sure what reporter asked him after the game why didn’t he stay aggressive on their final drive and he said something regarding worried about them running a screen or something like that. Todd your defense sucks at zone go out being aggressive not soft.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:47 am
Every week, someone makes a boneheaded play. It seems like the players have become slack, no attention to detail. Bowes sounded exasperated in his tirade last night but he has had to have been aware of these issues before last night, yet he never did anything. No consequences. This is a mess where a few simple adjustment are not going to fix the problems. The league has a template how to burn Bowles’ D and now he has a toxic locker room with a few cancers on defense. I would venture to say 2 of the cancers have gotten paid huge coin by Jason and have checked out already. A third is a free agent who apparently wants to get sacks to pad his resume and is angry Bowles has him trying to cover guys like Kyle Pitts. There are probably others, I cannot wait until someone speaks up after the dust has settled. Bowles has to go. He cannot stay and hire a DC, no DC worth his salt will play for a lame duck like Bowles if he did coach next year. Fire him!
December 12th, 2025 at 8:54 am
No Accountability….& don’t hold them to it after a game or loss, do it while the game is being played…..Sorry A$$ coaches, GM and all of the six captains that we have…… this team is drug store cotton SOFT!!!!
December 12th, 2025 at 8:54 am
gotta fire bowles and his staff after the season…
trade winfield and zyon…
let another team be conned by reddick and baker
HIRE KLINT KUBIAK
GO BUCS!!!!
December 12th, 2025 at 8:55 am
The league is about money, it is a massive corporation. The owners are about a successful profitable business and are in it to make money. The Glazers have already began their coaching search (maybe GM?). This has been a pattern now for several years and no change appears in sight.
Unless change happens after the season playoffs or not, you have to be able to sell club seating and luxury boxes. The status quo will make that near impossible.
December 12th, 2025 at 8:59 am
I actually feel bad for Bowles, I know most of you don’t want to hear it, but its like they want to fire him. There wasn’t any in-game decision making he did to lose this game for us. His players did not execute.
That being said, to the broader point, players aren’t getting the message, and I don’t know what player acquisition on def going into next season whether it draft pick or free agency that will change the trends we’ve seen over the past few seasons. I can’t imagine one scary pass rusher will fix everything, and then if that pass rusher goes down, then what? We are back to the 4-6 game losing streaks hoping the other crap teams in the division continue to play bad as well. This team on both sides of the ball just doesn’t seem built to handle adversity. This is Licht’s roster, it’s mediocre, and frankly it’s not talented to enough. I’m good with blowing up the coaching staff, but Licht needs to step down as well. He is also to blame.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:02 am
We can look at individual mistakes in certain plays but that is not the issue.
The problem is this Defense has been playing SOFT & PASSIVE coverage for the last 3 years. Sitting back often 10 yds off even when a blitz is called. Its muscke memory at this point. This coverage contest cathces only a handful of time in a game. Most of the receivers dont have a defender near them when they catch the ball. We ve been seing it for years. Its not only one play.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:11 am
@FortMyersDave…couple of the comments on here have talked about a lack of consequences for the players underperforming…I get it, I wish we could.
What I will tell you is that this team isn’t deep enough to be teaching its players a lesson by sitting them. I think Morrison was a healthy scratch last night, was it to teach him a lesson? Coincidentally, we lose Zyon, and I think having a 2nd Round talent in Morrison could have been of benefit to the team at some point in the game. There isn’t really guy on our def that is balling out. Dean’s ok, but in general, that’s really our problem.
Speaking of Zyon, god help me he is on my crap list… can’t I just say, I don’t think we have blocked a field goal all season, and now we’re going to be uber aggressive to where he got penalized, allowing the Falcons to get another shot at 6 vs 3…smh. We have idiots for players that just seem h@ll bent on getting Bowles fires. Mission accomplished.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:15 am
Zoocomics,
I agree with you about Licht needing some of this blame and I am amazed at how local talk radio protects this guy. It is like they are all giddy that he returns their texts and jokes around with them. But, he has missed on every edge rusher and linebacker and most dbs in the last 5 or 6 drafts. Bowles is no genius, but he can coach good players….sadly, these guys on defense are awful. They are unathletic and slow, do not seem intelligent, and many of us are wondering if they really could care less about the team winning and losing. Licht needs to fix this defense or he will be the next name on the hot seat. Getting lucky with Tom Brady and Gronk coming here only gets you so much time.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:20 am
I’ll go a step further I believe the little mantra they’re using to draft players isn’t working. Thats the reason we see the return of JPP. This staff wouldn’t have drafted Sapp and he’s one of the reasons the defense was feared back in the day. You cant continue to draft guys that don’t have an attitude on your defense and especially in the trenches on either side of the ball. No one on defense is scared to mess up because there is no one on the field that’s going to get in their butt. That didn’t fly with our HOF guys on defense. I haven’t been to a game this year and the TV probably won’t show it so I’m asking anyone that has been to a game this year. When there’s been a major laspe on defense have you seen any player going off on the sidelines? We have a bunch of betas on this defense and the head coach is also one.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:21 am
Bowles. Zyon. Hall. Reddick. Diaby. SVD. Braswell. David. Winfield. Dean.
All should be gone. Trade them for dog crap if you can and cut who can’t be traded.
No sacred cows.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:27 am
Y’all sound like a bunch of idiots on here that’s not on awj that’s on vildor lol
December 12th, 2025 at 9:33 am
Mike vildor is supposed to have help overtop and if that player in the flat catches the ball he’s gotta come up and tackle. This is 100% on Winfield.
Winfield is just a symptom of Bowles. Most decent players seen to get worse under Bowles lately. Yeah he got paid and hasn’t seemed super motivated. That’s on coaching, especially when it’s more than one or two guys. None of the younger defensive guys have improved
December 12th, 2025 at 9:38 am
The most important job of a coach is to set the tone. Bowles lost this team a long time ago. Players need to know their job is ALWAYS on the line, no matter the contract. Motivation should come from coaches challenging young players to press the veterans. Happy warriors, but always warriors.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:42 am
Overpaid and overrated.
Same with Zyon.
FIRE BOWLES. CLEAN HOUSE. THIS TEAM IS BROKEN.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:43 am
Mike,
You’re mistaken. Winfield has been trash.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:46 am
On this screen shot I see 3 Falcons wide ass open. The most important one is the one beyond the sticks but the other 2 easily could have got the first down if someone misses a tackle especially considering one of them was Bijan who was wide open in the flat.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:52 am
I wouldn’t trade anybody until we get a new coach and scheme. Not sure how you can be so adamant that its AWJs fault when its clear Bowles scheme wants everyone to play back like this. We all know how scared Bowles is of getting beat deep.
December 12th, 2025 at 9:56 am
It is just more of the same that has been going on all season long for him. A day late & a dollar short. He has missed on about EVERY big play this year. Literally, he played a part in every single one of them by either guessing WRONG or just being miserably out of position from the jump. It’s really amazing. It’s indescribable from a guy I ‘thought’ was the next ED FREAKING REEEEEED. It’s unreal. Guess that one season was a total FLUKE then, during a contract year. And, this is after MISSING basically the ENTIRE SEASON last year! Looks as if he just got complacent collecting that FAT CHECK all last year, & it’s carried over. The perfect example for why this whole thing HAS TO BE blown-up. There MUST BE brand new leadership starting at the TOP. All of these guys are miserably overrated and ‘think’ they are GREAT (cough cough, Jason Lickt). They’ve ALL gotta go! The ONLY reason for why it ‘looked-like’ we were loaded with talent and so many people were ‘licking’ Lickt, was because a good portion of the roster has been here FOREVER, over a decade worth of drafts. And, they did a good job keeping some of these guys… But, why wouldn’t they want to stay here!? Pretty nice laid back living… Not a pressure cooker like the northeast cities, & not up north in the COLD depressed rustbelt. Just Sunny Beaches and Palm Trees. I thought he did very well with the 2024 Draft, BUT that’s about IT. He’s weak, dumb, cocky, and lazy. And, NOTHING is as insufferable as someone who is both dumb AND cocky. I don’t mention Todd, because that is now FINALLY, obvious to everyone.
December 12th, 2025 at 10:01 am
I believe in trends. If you look at Bowles as a head coach with the Jets, every year the defense got progressively worse. This trend is happening again in Tampa. You can’t really say he is a bad DC, because things start out well, but after awhile the message somehow gets lost. If Bowels was just the Head Coach, I would say keep him and fire the DC, but this situation is not that, so basically, he is toast. Bright side, because of the talent on the offensive side, the job should be attractive for the next HC, so depending on who is available and who gets anointed as the next great thing, we should be able to land a decent coach.
December 12th, 2025 at 10:03 am
Todd Bowles says Kindle Vildor needed to drift more towards the sideline on that 4th and 14. That’s his job.
December 12th, 2025 at 10:06 am
overpaid business decision making sack a crap
December 12th, 2025 at 10:29 am
AWJ hasn’t played like AWJ in two years
December 12th, 2025 at 10:33 am
Bowles scheme is pure garbage. The game has passed him by.
December 12th, 2025 at 10:44 am
I just don’t know how you let anyone make 4th and 14 with the game on the line. Fourth and four, yeah, but 14?!?