What is wrong with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? The Buccaneers are coming off their two worst performances of the season, losing to the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills.
In the 28-23 loss to the Patriots at home, the Bucs allowed touchdown runs of 55 and 69 yards, as well as a 72-yard touchdown pass. In the 44-32 loss to the Bills, the Buccaneers’ defense allowed Buffalo to score on seven of their 10 possessions. Josh Allen had a hand in all five touchdowns for the Bills.
This season, the Buccaneers have allowed an NFL record 11 touchdowns of 25 plus yards, which includes six in the last two games. It’s the annual mid-season swoon defensively for the Buccaneers.
Here is the record for the Buccaneers, month by month, excluding January. As you can see, Todd Bowles’ defenses struggle greatly in the middle of the season.
September October November December
2023 2-1 0-3 1-3 4-1
2024 3-1 1-3 2-1 4-1
2025 3-1 3-1 0-2 ?
(January record not included)
As the above chart indicates, every year since 2023 under Todd Bowles, the Bucs have gotten off to a decent start, struggled in October and early November, and then righted the ship in the last third of the season to win the division and secure a playoff berth. It seems to follow the same trend every year. The defense forgets how to tackle, cover opposing receivers, and fails to step into their assigned gaps, allowing too many explosive plays, some of which result in touchdowns.
As a group, the Bucs have gotten minimal production from their edge rushers. It looks as if Chris Braswell was a wasted pick. Hassan Reddick has been hurt for part of the season, but when he has played, he has made little impact on the game, registering just 1.5 sacks on the season. YaYa Diaby is the only edge rusher who has played well this season. Diaby leads the team in sacks with four and is tied for first on the team in tackles for loss with seven.
The Bucs rank 10th in the league in sacks. They are sixth in interceptions, but behind these gaudy stats, the Bucs are allowing more passing yards per game than just five teams.
Why is the Bucs’ pass defense so poor? Lack of production from the edge rushers, breakdowns in pass coverage, and not getting consistent pressure on the quarterback.
Todd Bowles loves the blitz. The Bucs are blitzing too much. You live by the blitz and you die by the blitz. You can have success against an inexperienced quarterback by blitzing a ton. Still, an experienced, savvy veteran will pick the defense apart, and that is what is happening right now with this defense.
During this annual swoon, three of the Bucs’ losses have been to four of the top 10 teams in the league. The Buccaneers have dropped games to the Patriots, Bills, Lions, and Eahles, with another probable loss looming on Sunday in Los Angeles, where the Rams are seven point favorites. There have also been impressive wins against Seattle and San Francisco.
Offensively, the Bucs have been hit hard with injuries; wide receiver Jalen McMillian has missed the entire season. Mike Evans broke his collarbone in the Detroit game and may be back for the final game of the season. Chris Godwin has been MIA since the second game of the season in Houston. Running back Bucky Irving, who was injured in the Philadelphia game, has yet to practice since sustaining his shoulder and ankle injuries. Baker Mayfield has not missed time, but was roughed up in the Detroit game, which significantly limited his mobility. He had his first running attempts this past week against Buffalo since the Detroit game.
Fortunately, the Bucs are in the NFC South. This is the weakest division in football, and despite the latest string of losses, the Bucs can still win the NFC South.
After the game against Los Angeles on the west coast, the schedule lightens up considerably with two games against Carolina. The Bucs will also play Atlanta, New Orleans, Arizona, and Miami.
Fixing the defense, specifically the pass rush and pressure from the edge rushers, will bring the Buccaneers more success down the stretch and in the postseason.