The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the Pittsburgh Steelers right where they wanted them Sunday, up 16-3 entering the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Then Pittsburgh scored on its final four possessions of regulation, and its first in overtime, and the 26-19 overtime loss was complete.
The short answer to how it happened: two fourth-quarter interceptions by rookie Jalon Daniels, an offense that went 6-of-19 on third down, and a defense that ran out of gas against a 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers.
The long answer? We’re looking into that, plus four more questions fans are asking after an unfathomable loss.
How did the Bucs blow a 16-3 lead to the Steelers?
For three quarters, Todd Bowles’ defense was terrific. The group sacked Rodgers five times and held Pittsburgh to 144 yards, according to the team’s postgame recap.
Then Rodgers found Darnell Washington for a touchdown, and Chris Boswell started stacking field goals. The momentum abruptly flipped.
The killers were Daniels’ two picks. Daylen Everette’s interception set up a game-tying field goal, and former Buc Jamel Dean returned the second one 40 yards to set up the go-ahead kick with 1:21 left.
Chase McLaughlin forced overtime with a 53-yarder, but the Bucs won the toss, chose to kick off and watched Rodgers march 70 yards in 12 plays for what’d end up being the winning score.
“We played hard. We played very hard, very competitive. We (have) to learn to finish ballgames, and that’s all three phases,” Bowles said postgame.
Is Todd Bowles getting fired?
Not yet, and there’s no report that the Glazers are close to a decision. But the heat is real.
The Bucs are 1-5 with all five losses by seven points or fewer, and they’re 0-4 at home. The Tampa Bay Times’ John Romano noted the Bucs have been outscored 48-23 in fourth quarters this season and have lost 10 one-score games since last November.
Even after the win in Dallas, we predicted the Buccaneers would fire him before the Week 10 bye.
Sunday’s collapse only fuels the case against Bowles.
Inside the building, the message is that excuses have run out.
“That’s just reality. There are no more excuses; we just have to be better,” center Graham Barton told the Times.
The next two weeks bring Carolina and Atlanta, two division games that could decide how long this staff stays intact.
Is Baker Mayfield playing in Week 7 at Carolina?
It’s trending that way, but nothing is decided.
Mayfield dislocated his right thumb in the Sept. 27 loss to Minnesota and has missed three straight games.
On Monday, Bowles said Mayfield is expected to practice Wednesday.
“He’s supposed to practice Wednesday,” Bowles said. “We’re gonna take a good look at him there, and we’ll kind of evaluate him during the week and see how he does.”
Bowles added that both quarterbacks will sit in on game-plan meetings until a starter is named. There was already optimism about a Week 7 return before Sunday’s game.
Daniels is 1-2 as a starter, and he believes he has proved he belongs. After 164 yards on 43 attempts Sunday, though, most fans want Mayfield back the minute he can grip the ball.
What happened to Bucky Irving vs. the Steelers?
Pittsburgh’s defensive front happened, that’s what.
One week after Bucky Irving ran for 165 yards in the Thursday night win at Dallas, he managed 46 yards on 19 carries against the Steelers, a 2.4-yard average. He added two catches for 3 yards.
“It was a tough front,” Bowles said after the overtime loss.
The Bucs were also without backup running back Sean Tucker (quad).
Through six games, Irving has 452 rushing yards on 96 carries (4.7 per carry) with two rushing touchdowns, according to Pro Football Reference.
The bigger concern is what happened around him. Daniels averaged 3.8 yards per pass attempt, and the Bucs’ passing game never made the Steelers pay. Getting Mayfield back would help Irving as much as any blocking tweak. The Bucs dominated for three quarters, but the run game never put the game away.
Can the Bucs still win the NFC South?
Mathematically, sure.
Carolina leads the division at 3-2. Atlanta and New Orleans are both 2-4. The Bucs sit 2 1/2 games back with 11 games left. The division was decided by a tiebreaker last season, so nobody in this group is running away.
That makes Sunday’s trip to Bank of America Stadium (1 p.m. ET, FOX) close to a must-win.
The Panthers are favored by 3.5 points at bet365, and a loss would drop Tampa Bay to 0-1 in division play before Atlanta visits on Nov. 1.
Daniels, at least, isn’t letting the record get to the locker room.
“This doesn’t affect our confidence, it doesn’t affect our energy,” he said after the game, per the Bucs’ official site.
Win in Charlotte, and the Bucs are right back in it. Lose, and the trade deadline conversation we started with Jason Licht’s trade habits gets a lot louder.
