TAMPA, Fla. — The Buccaneers are on a two-game losing streak, and things need to start heading in the right direction soon before some decisions are made.
Tampa Bay will host division rivals Carolina Panthers on Sunday – a team that has only won one game this season. The Panthers also fired head coach Frank Reich on Monday, who only lasted 11 games in his first year with the franchise.
Carolina is in a shaky situation, and this year’s No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young is struggling to adjust to the NFL.
But even with all these issues surrounding the away team, head coach Todd Bowles said this will not be an easy game.
"You can't remap your team in a week but [interim coach Chris Tabor] is a great coach," he said. "[He's going to] concentrate on scheme, I'm sure he'll tweak some things. But we got to worry about the things we can correct ourselves and then go out and play them and we'll see what happens."
The Bucs have lost six of their last seven games since starting the season 3-1, but the team’s hopes of reaching the playoffs are not completely out of the picture.
Baker Mayfield and company are only one game away from the top spot in the NFC South and still have four division games remaining on their schedule. If they can win those divisional games and have the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints lose some other games, Tampa Bay can sneak their way to the playoffs.
Either going 4-2 or 5-1 the rest of the year will give Bowles’ team their best chance of playing January football. But the way the team has been playing, nothing is a guarantee.
"Self-inflicted wounds [keep us from winning]," Bowles said. "It's a different guy each time [causing a penalty]. We definitely got to play better. We're in these games in the fourth quarter, we're not getting blown out. We just have to start making better plays."
Explaining the team's losses in close games may help Bowles and his staff prepare for this upcoming crucial stretch of the season, but time might also be ticking for him.
A loss against the Panthers will make it even that much harder for Tampa Bay to make the playoffs but also put Bowles further on the hot seat.
Bowles said the team practices every day to prevent the unforced errors from happening, but if they still occur in big moments of the game, it begs the question if Bowles’ message is really getting across to the team.
"There's no complacency [within this team], it's just this youth [in the team]," Bowles said. "We got this accountability and you got to bring one along. Everybody's playing hard but I told them we won't turn this corner until they start being accountable for each other on the field."
Tampa Bay has the sixth-worst defense in the NFL, and it’s also Bowles’ worst defense since joining the franchise.
Problems also lie on the other side of the ball.
Red zone issues and turnovers continue to impact the offense in critical times.
Against the Indianapolis Colts, the Bucs could not capitalize after reaching the opponent’s 1-yard line in the opening drive. And then on the last drive of the game to equalize, tackle Tristian Wirfs gets beat and the pass rusher is able to knock the ball out of Mayfield’s hands for a fumble.
"There [are] some penalties here and there that are hurting us," Mayfield said, who played for Carolina last season before getting cut towards the end of the season. "It’s just little things that can change the drive and the momentum. You just have to be locked in at all times.
"It’s that reset-button mentality. Good or bad play, you’ve got to play the next one and your focus has to be there 100%.”
Luckily for Tampa Bay, they don't have to be perfect against Carolina, they just have to limit their self-inflicted mistakes to keep their playoff hopes alive.
PREDICTION
The Bucs' rush defense will continue to make life difficult for Young in the NFL. Although star defenders Lavonte David and Jamel Dean may be ruled out for another week, they have enough depth to compete with a team as bad as Carolina. Plus, this game may get wide receiver Chris Godwin more involved in the passing game. Tampa Bay will get the job done to remain in the hunt. Tampa Bay wins 24-10.
Kickoff for the Bucs’ game against the Panthers is scheduled at 4:05 p.m. inside Raymond James Stadium. Fans can watch the game on 10 Tampa Bay.
Be sure to watch The Blitz at 8:30 a.m. every Sunday only on 10 Tampa Bay as sports director Evan Closky and sports anchor David Schiele give you full Bucs coverage leading up to each game.