Bowles says the Bucs need to do little things better to get out of the midseason downward spiral

TAMPA, Fla. – Todd Bowles is adamant about what it will take to turn around the season in Tampa Bay.

Yes, he and his staff can make some adjustments. It would also help get a few injured starters back on the field, reduce turnovers and eliminate other mistakes that undermine the Buccaneers.

But most of all, Bowles says the Bucs need to stick together and stop beating themselves.

The three-time defending NFC South champions have lost three straight (four of five overall after a 3-1 start) and fell to 4-5 midway through the season.

The offense, which ranks among the league leaders in yards and scoring, was more productive than expected.

The defense, which has allowed 30 points or more over the past five weeks, has been less reliable than other Bowles-led units that have helped Tampa Bay to four straight playoff appearances.

For the most part, the Bucs have played better on the road, where they not only handed the NFC-best Detroit Lions (7-1) their lone loss but also took down Patrick Mahomes and two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City. Chiefs (8-0) to overtime before losing 30-24 on Monday night.

“We did a lot of good things, but not enough to win the ballgame,” Bowles said after watching the Chiefs drive for a game-winning touchdown on the opening possession of OT. “We have to do the little things to win the ballgames.”

The Bucs also lost in OT on the road at Atlanta. Meanwhile, they are 2-3 at home, with Bowles’ message remaining consistent: the key to changing the course of the season is not making wholesale lineup changes, but rather doing small things that make a difference between winning and losing.

“Right now it’s about us. It doesn’t matter who we play,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “We have to focus on doing our job and finding ways to win. That’s all that matters.”

Despite losing to the Chiefs after scoring an extra point instead of going for a potential game-winning 2-point conversion in the final seconds of regulation, Bowles felt the Bucs were showing signs of righting the ship .

“We had fewer mistakes in this match. They beat us on this one. We didn’t really beat ourselves,” the coach said on Tuesday.

“It came down to the end, but we won’t lose much of it if we keep playing like this,” Bowles added. “As long as we play this hard and make fewer mistakes, we feel good about our chances week in and week out, no matter who we play.”

What works

Mayfield leads the NFL with 23 touchdown passes, and the Bucs rank fifth in the league with 377.8 yards of total offense per game under first-year coordinator Liam Coen. Tampa Bay ranks fifth (28.8), up from 20th (20.5) a year ago, when the team bounced back from a midseason downward spiral to win five of six and win the division with a record of 9-8.

Mayfield is second in the league in passing yards (2,389) but has also thrown nine interceptions – seven in the past four games.

What needs help

The defense has been one of the stingiest in the league since Bowles joined the Bucs as defensive coordinator in 2019. After allowing just over 19 points per game and ranking seventh in scoring defense last season, Tampa Bay ranks 28th in points allowed (27 per game). ) and 30th in yards allowed (386.7) through nine games this season.

“We can make 62 good plays and five bad plays and things go wrong,” Bowles said. “We have to cut out the bad plays. We understand that.”

Stock up

The rushing attack has improved dramatically after ranking last in the NFL the past two seasons. With starter Rachaad White, rookie Bucky Irving and second-year pro Sean Tucker sharing the workload, Tampa Bay is rushing for 127 yards per game.

Stock down

Bowles is looking for more consistency in his pass rush. LB Yaya Diaby led the team with 7 1/2 sacks last season as a rookie. While the team is still high on becoming a dominant edge rusher, Diaby has just two sacks heading into Week 10. That ranks tied for fifth on the team, which is eighth in the league with 25 sacks.

Injuries

The Bucs played without top receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin the past two weeks. They are still hopeful that Evans (hamstring), the team’s career leader, will return after the Week 11 bye. Godwin (ankle) is expected to miss the remainder of the year, although Bowles has said there is a there’s a chance he could return if the team is able to make a deep playoff run.

Key numbers

25, 51 — Mayfield leads the NFL with 25 total touchdowns (23 passing, two rushing). Since signing with Tampa Bay as a free agent, he has thrown 51 TD passes in 26 regular season games.

Next

The Bucs host San Francisco on Sunday, capping a stretch in which they faced three of the four teams that played in the conference championship game last season.