Must-Win Sunday … For Todd Bowles
September 18th, 2026
Can the unthinkable happen on Sunday?
Could the Bucs lose their home-opener to a bad Browns football team, one with serious issues and one that trailed 31-0 on Sunday before Jacksonville showed them mercy?
Joe, along with Ira Kaufman, picked the Bucs to win. A loss seems ridiculously unlikely. A close game? Sure, that happens all the time. But a loss to Cleveland would be a major upset and a major embarrassment, a full notch worse than losing to tanking Miami in December.
A loss Sunday would get a conversation started in the Team Glazer suite, Joe believes, a talk about Todd Bowles’ future.
When it comes to Bowles’ job stability, Joe thinks Sunday is a must-win. (That’s “stability,” not security.) No head coach wants to stir up the kind of ire and doubt that would come with a loss.
As much as Team Glazer is all-in on Bowles, a loss to Cleveland could be a lot like Lovie Smith and the 2015 Bucs getting rolled at home on opening day to a bad Titans team.
Joe is confident that Lovie loss kicked off Team Glazer questioning Smith’s future. He was fired after that season.
However, the 2026 scenario would be more jarring because the current Bucs have much higher expectations.
Rondé Barber, the Bucs legend with a WFLA streaming show, noted this week that if the Bucs lose Sunday, he’ll need medical attention. Barber said he would be seen sitting “with some whiskey in my hand saying, ‘I got a problem, man. I got a problem.'”
Barber would not be alone.
Joe is aching for a Bucs win. It would reset the season. A loss would bring total chaos and a wave of checked-out fans.
September 18th, 2026 at 11:24 am
I think this is the rare “must blow out” game. A close win will have the people still angry, especially with the one that got away in Coen waxing the Browns last week.
September 18th, 2026 at 11:25 am
Not sure why beating some terrible team would be a cure all.
September 18th, 2026 at 11:25 am
Like usual we will win Sunday and everyone will forget how bad Todd really is especially when we play good teams and start to lose.
September 18th, 2026 at 11:28 am
Should be a easy win if our INDEPEDENT CONTRACTORS on the Defensive line show up!! Go Bucs
September 18th, 2026 at 11:32 am
No one is saying beating a bad team is a “cure all”, Jmarkbuc..what Joe and others are saying is a loss would be a disaster and start a dumpster fire.
September 18th, 2026 at 11:41 am
The same Bucs’ team that fumbled the ball away FOUR times to lose this past Sunday is perfectly capable of duplicating that act against ANY NFL team. Yes, even the Browns.
The Bengals didn’t beat us. We beat ourselves. And with a repeat of that performance we COULD do it again. I wish people would stop denigrating the Browns. They’re 0-1 like we are, and they gave up 34 pts in their loss. We gave up 33 pts, so we shouldn’t be gloating or thinking that we’re superior to ANY team right now.
September 18th, 2026 at 11:42 am
definitely a must for bowles and baker….
unfortunately, so was the MIA game last year….this has the MIA game written all over it
GO BUCS!!!!!
September 18th, 2026 at 11:42 am
I’m not the least bit confident in a Sunday victory
September 18th, 2026 at 11:45 am
2-8 in their last 10 games
Defense can’t stop any one
Offense can’t play clean and the OVER HYPED up O Line can’t pass block.
6-11 season and Todd is gone.
Last night on Thursday Night Football, I saw a $55 Million a year QB, last Sunday in Cincy I did not see one on the Bucs sideline
September 18th, 2026 at 11:50 am
What Fire the Cannons said above although I can see the Bucs win 7 or 5. Its the same old ‘meh” under this regime.
September 18th, 2026 at 11:53 am
There are several factors that give Cleveland a chance to win this game:
1) Bowles is a terrible HC
2) Bowles is an awful DC
3) The Bucs haven’t played that well at home in years
4) Any decent TE will eat the Bucs poor defensive scheme up
It’ll probably be like the Jets game last year, unless the offense is clicking and without bad turnovers.
September 18th, 2026 at 12:04 pm
Jason Licht has never had a chance to do a legit coaching search. The only time he’s ever had “his guy” is Arians. How’d that work out? Oh yeah, we won a Super Bowl! Just saying.
September 18th, 2026 at 12:05 pm
Fanofdabucs
It’s already a dumpster fire .,
September 18th, 2026 at 12:18 pm
Don’t forget, the Browns have a great defense, a great QB and Todd Monken. This is a hard game, especially because everyone expects the Bucs to win. It’s hard to win in the NFL, every team is good. The best team doesn’t always win. The best coach doesn’t always win.
September 18th, 2026 at 12:19 pm
If Deshaun Watson carves up this defense over the middle and short screens I’m done with Bowles. If there is not 4+ sacks this team has issues, regardless of the players Bowels brings in.
Brand New defenses under a new D Coordinator looked better.
Brand new HCs had their team ready to play fundamental football on Offense.
QBs who make way less than Baker didn’t turn the ball over and won.
The issues with this team are becoming insurmountable by Bowels at least.
September 18th, 2026 at 12:23 pm
Only a loser has the mentality that beating the worst team in the league makes you look good.
It doesn’t. Kind of like a top 5 College team covering a 50 point spread over the high school girls of the blind D2 team.
Pure propaganda to say they get right with a win over Cleveland.
Coen is a winner and Bowles is a loser as a HC.
The Browns have an excellent chance to win on Sunday. 24-20 Browns.
September 18th, 2026 at 12:29 pm
Browns ” great qb” ?? Im confused.. A new coach that hasn’t proved sh!+,great defense that left with Garret…
September 18th, 2026 at 12:30 pm
Watson cant carve a turkey..
September 18th, 2026 at 12:39 pm
If the Bucs show up to play a close game against a tough opponent, they’ll do just fine. If they think it’s gonna be an easy win, then who knows?
September 18th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
Bowles should gain zero credibility by beating the Browns, and lose whatever little credibility he has remaining with a loss.
September 18th, 2026 at 12:45 pm
Baker vs the Browns or any other AFC North team has disaster written all over it.
That chip on his shoulder turns him into a really dumb gun-slinger in those games.
September 18th, 2026 at 12:50 pm
I fully expect Baker to “press” even harder vs the team who drafted then dumped him. Verse could get multiple sacks and the Bucs will be fortunate…very fortunate to win by a FG. The only blowout will be in Ira’s khaki shorts following the free media buffet/spread.
September 18th, 2026 at 12:50 pm
Can the Bucs lose to a bad team like Cleveland??? YES …if they play bad again!!! Will they???
We’ll find out on Sunday!
September 18th, 2026 at 12:51 pm
Would anyone be surprised if a Todd Bowles defence makes Massage Watson look like hes worth 275 million dollars?? Bowles defence makes rookies and backups look like Joe Montana. If Kirk Cousins only played against the Bowles defence he would have a gold jacket.
September 18th, 2026 at 12:53 pm
Defense
September 18th, 2026 at 12:54 pm
I wouldn’t bet a plugged nickel on the Bucs to win this game
I look at teams during their last 10 games
Tampa Bay Bucs —2-8
Cleveland Browns -3-7
This game is a tossup between 2 losing teams
It can go either way
September 18th, 2026 at 12:54 pm
Ditto Fire the Cannons
September 18th, 2026 at 12:55 pm
Dittos Smoke Porterhouse
September 18th, 2026 at 12:56 pm
Ditto Cosmo