Todd Bowles: “We’ll Be OK”
October 9th, 2026
“Bucky, we’re still in this.”
The season is not over. The Bucs raised their record to 1-4. Far, far more often than not, that’s not good enough to get back in the hunt for a playoff berth.
Just don’t tell that to KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles and his Bucs. After Sunday’s loss to the Packers, Bucs tight end Cade Otton told Joe in no uncertain terms the Bucs have three quarters still to play, and ground can be made up.
That was the message Bowles gave after tonight’s game. Asked how he kept the team together after starting 0-4, Bowles also referenced the quarters system.
“We lost the first quarter of the season,” Bowles began. “We didn’t lose the second, third, and the fourth [quarter]. We still got to play those.
“So we started the second quarter tonight. We got one win. We got to get three more to go to try to even this thing up.
“It’s a long way to climb out, but at the same time, we’re upbeat. And if we play this hard and and play this effective, we’ll be OK.”
Playing hard was the key for Bowles. He said his defense played hard. They didn’t play their best but by playing hard, they made key plays to seal the win, a trait the Bucs had been unable to pull off in the previous four games.
“For the most part they played hard,” Bowles said. “They didn’t play perfect but they played hard. They stayed together and they got a win.”
Bowles indirectly gave credit to the defense-only meeting Vita Vea referenced on Amazon in the postgame show.
“We got some good leaders,” Bowles said. “We got some good leaders from a coaching standpoint and a player standpoint.
“So they have a good grasp on the situation.”
Is this enough to still get back in the playoff hunt? Well, the Steelers aren’t the mighty Steelers of old. After the Steelers, the Bucs have two division games against the Stinking Panthers and the Dixie Chicks.
The next three weeks will tell Joe a lot about if the Bucs can rally back into the playoff race or not.
October 9th, 2026 at 12:28 am
We need to win 9 of 12
And 5 divisional games
We could get in with less wins
But, that’s what I’m shooting for
October 9th, 2026 at 12:29 am
I think we make the playoffs
And make a strong run during the playoffs
October 9th, 2026 at 12:29 am
Baker will come back and the losing will start again.
October 9th, 2026 at 12:33 am
i’m ok with coach going for the td late in the game rather than the field goal…
but…
i do think the cowboys going for 2 on that 4th quarter 99 yard drive was an insult to the bucs defense…..like what kind of call was that by the cowgirls…?
October 9th, 2026 at 12:33 am
I’m full of hope once again 😉
October 9th, 2026 at 12:35 am
lakeland:
we need to win 3 more in a row and we are back in the mix…
because that would include 2 divisional wins vs spirulina and hotlanta
October 9th, 2026 at 12:35 am
This is all part of the script. LFG!! 🔥
October 9th, 2026 at 12:36 am
Daniels became only the second UDFA quarterback to start and defeat the Cowboys, joining Washington’s Ed Rubbert in 1987.
October 9th, 2026 at 12:37 am
3 more wins in a row = a hard reset
tall order……….but it is possible
October 9th, 2026 at 12:41 am
We can will win 3 straight
Nobody gave us a chance against Dallas
We need to clean up the penalties, 14 is way too many
October 9th, 2026 at 12:42 am
I so want to believe. Defense is looking really good. Need some sacks and we’d be hollerin’. The O line though…. Those penalties! Make it stop.
October 9th, 2026 at 12:46 am
This Bucs defense has low key been very solid this year. I give Todd credit for that. With that being said, I did not agree with the decision to not take the FG and would have 100% officially been on board with firing him had we lost. Now wit THAT being said, this young QB has an IT factor to him. It gave the team a spark and I can see him getting much better. We WILL still win the division.
October 9th, 2026 at 12:47 am
I work with a HUGE Cowboys fan…..so this win was great!
Can’t wait to tell him the Boys lost to the worst team in the NFL.
October 9th, 2026 at 12:54 am
Dallas looked like the Bucs I mean absolutely everything went wrong for them in the game. This is Bowles he has a great game then a bunch of head scratchers. We won’t focus on the negatives let him have his moment but nothing changes on Black Friday
October 9th, 2026 at 12:58 am
I don’t know if we’re gonna make the playoffs or not (probably not) but I know that Licht and Bowles aren’t going anywhere – the Glazers get such a woodie seeing Jerry Jones get upset that they will give Licht and Bowles a pass – the overall mediocrity we’ve witnessed lately is what we can expect going forward – it’s a Bucs life
October 9th, 2026 at 1:08 am
3 winnable games coming up with a mini bye in between. We went 6-2 last year there is no excuse to not do the same 🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️
October 9th, 2026 at 1:17 am
Lol. Bowles is cooked. He almost gave the game away again. He sure tries to even when he’s leading..
October 9th, 2026 at 2:19 am
I’ve been a long time watcher, been commenting on Joe Bucs since the beginning and quit commenting back in 2015 or so🤷♂️ one thing I can say, is don’t get those hopes ups. We’re the Bucs after all. I love this team! I also feel this team has everything it needs and that the coaching isn’t holding them back.
October 9th, 2026 at 2:21 am
The coaching is holding them back-*
October 9th, 2026 at 2:25 am
We sure will, when Todd is gone!
October 9th, 2026 at 2:53 am
If the keep up their torrid pace of winning 20% of their games, they’ll have a whopping 3.4 wins for the season. That’s pretty good for Bowles.
October 9th, 2026 at 6:04 am
Beating a dysfunctional Dallas team with the worst defense in the league, and you fools are talking playoffs.
October 9th, 2026 at 6:47 am
Playoffs?! Playoffs?!!!! Some bipolar fans round these parts. Worst thing to happen to this team is backing in to another 8-9 division championship and having Bowles stay another year.
October 9th, 2026 at 7:01 am
Great win!
Finally!
Go Bucs!
October 9th, 2026 at 7:07 am
That’s a big part of the problem, we are tired of being OK.
October 9th, 2026 at 7:32 am
Maybe these leaders should have showed up before game 1
October 9th, 2026 at 7:59 am
This win was so HUGE, if for no other reason than to show the players what they can accomplish.
14 penalties is figging ridiculous, I think mostly on the O-line.
Walker, you played great, but getting an encroachment penalty has to be the dumbest penalty you can get. Don’t you know where your feet are with respect to the line of scrimmage?
But, GREAT GREAT WIN. HUGE.
Now, on to next week. Lets see what you can do with Pittsburg.
October 9th, 2026 at 8:02 am
“i’m ok with coach going for the td late in the game rather than the field goal…”
– – – – – – – – – – – – – –
I was too, at the moment. If he got it, it would have iced the game.
I have to admit, I don’t know if I would feel the same way this morning if the Bucs lost.
October 9th, 2026 at 8:21 am
1 week at a time!!!!
you’re going to be hard to beat if the offense doesnt turn the ball over, limit penalties and the defense continues to create turnovers
GO BUCS!!!!!
October 9th, 2026 at 8:39 am
They are a 4-13 team in a season’s worth of their last 17 games.
Even 4-13 teams have 4 wins, don’t get too excited. Dallas had a horrendous game. And about a half dozen plays went the Bucs’ way and yet they still won by only one score. Them’s the facts.
October 9th, 2026 at 9:13 am
We’ll be ok,you’ll be gone
October 9th, 2026 at 9:14 am
Breaking News: You actually have to win more games than you lose to be relevant and have a chance at making the playoffs.
Only in the NFCS can you be a below 500 team and win the division.
The Bucs would need to go 7-5 the rest of the way to get to 8-9, Todd’s favorite win-loss total.
Nothing about the last two seasons tells us that is going to happen.
3-11 in our last 14 games. Get a grip folks. Bowles sucks.
October 9th, 2026 at 10:34 am
“if we play this hard and and play this effective, we’ll be OK.”
Hahaha ladies and gentlemen I give you Todd Bowles. No one inspires the fan base like him
October 9th, 2026 at 11:17 am
Colonel – exactly. A great point.
The good news is we won’t have to worry about that. There will be no winning 7 out of our next 12 games.
October 9th, 2026 at 12:39 pm
Hey @813: I missed the game last night so am reading the reviews. We’ve got the usual crew of negative nellies going even though I don’t recognize a bunch of them. So, why can’t the Bucs overcome 0-4? That first loss was solely on Mayfield, period. He didn’t look worth $160M in the next games either. Glazer Boyz got rooked, but they have the $coin$. Mayfield better start showing something positive when he comes back. And no turnovers either. The penalty count? That’s SOP when you play Cowjerks in their crib. Still laughing at Jones throwing a hissy fit over getting buc’ed! Rest up Bucs, and then get set for the Steelers. They’re beatable. Go Bucs!!
October 9th, 2026 at 1:06 pm
On any given Thursday, . . . . Still a great win. Making up for early losses is possible in in a 17-game season; stats about early losses go back not only to 16’game seasons but also to 14- and even 12-game seasons. And parity has made super teams rare; teams like the Cowboys won’t beat teams like the Bucs unless they’re playing their best. And the Bucs won’t win unless they play their best. Every week. But that’s possible and what keeps us tuning in.