The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are taking responsibility for their four-game losing streak, which has followed a promising start to the season.
Injuries to key players like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and others haven’t helped, but the Bucs (4-6) feel they haven’t played well enough in critical moments to be in a better position as they head into their bye week.
Sunday’s 23-20 loss to the San Francisco 49ers was the latest in a series of close losses, where key mistakes — some of which were unusual for the team — cost them the chance to win against a tough opponent.
Coach Todd Bowles, quarterback Baker Mayfield, and veteran defensive leader Lavonte David all pointed out that both the offense and defense have struggled to execute when it matters most.
Bowles continues to emphasize that, no matter who is on the field, there’s no excuse for costly mistakes.
Over the past six weeks, the Bucs have allowed an average of 31.3 points per game during their five losses. Despite this, they have kept most games close, including two overtime losses — one to the defending NFC champion 49ers, who won with a last-second field goal on Sunday.
The previous week, the Bucs took the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs into overtime before losing. In both games, Tampa Bay managed to tie the game in the final minute but couldn’t stop the Chiefs or 49ers from winning on the next possession.
“Whether you lose by 40 or lose at the end in overtime, they’re all bad. You want to win any way you can. It’s frustrating when we don’t execute the things we know we need to execute,” Bowles said.
Mayfield believes the bye week comes at a good time, both physically and mentally.
“We need to step away from it, but we can’t forget what has caused us to lose these games. We need to come back ready to fix it,” Mayfield said.
David, who has spent his entire 13-year career with the Bucs, agreed with his teammates.
“As the defensive captain, I know I’m not doing enough out there,” David said. “We all have to do more. Whatever it is, we have to find it and fix it, and we need to do it quickly.”
Though the Bucs’ offense didn’t perform at its best against the 49ers, the running game showed it can help keep the team competitive. Rookie Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, Mayfield, and Sterling Shepard combined for 110 rushing yards on 27 attempts.
This marks Tampa Bay’s seventh 100-yard rushing game of the season and the sixth in the past seven games. This is the most 100-yard rushing games the Bucs have had since finishing with eight in 2021.
