"Totally unacceptable," "Fire him": NFL fans rip into Todd Bowles for disastrous game management as Bucs blow 14-point lead vs. Falcons in TNF loss

Todd Bowles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost at home to an already-eliminated team for the second time in a row on Thursday, blowing a 14-point fourth-quarter lead against the Atlanta Falcons. And fans let their anger be known in the aftermath.

With 13:34 minutes to go, the defending NFC South champions appeared to have clinched the game when Baker Mayfield found Chris Godwin for a touchdown, then a two-pointer, to go up 28-14.

Bijan Robinson responded with a rush, but Kirk Cousins failed the two-point attempt. Then, he got a lucky break: Mayfield was intercepted by Dee Alford while trying to hit the returning Mike Evans. He threw his third score of the night to Kyle Pitts, but could not convert the two-pointer again.

But then, the Falcons forced a punt on the Buccaneers' next drive, giving themselves another chance. A sack and holding penalty initially set them back at the 29, but Cousins found Pitts and David Sills V on consecutive plays to enter opposing territory.

That sequence perfectly set up Zane Gonzalez for this 43-yard walk-off:

After the game, Buccaneers fans vented their ire on Bowles:

Steven Cheah

@StevenCheah

These are dark times. I’ve been a Todd Bowles defender, but this is as bad as it’s been. Five losses in their last six games and tonight it was on the defense. Totally unacceptable…again.

Sushi Bet 🍣

@SushiBet

Coaching malpractice at its finest tonight Fire Bowles, Go Bucs

Fellow Patriot 🇺🇸

@GreatPatriot776

Todd Bowles gotta go. @stephenasmith There has not been mismanagement of a game like this in a long time.

Jack O’ TradeZ

@V2Trades

20 FUCKING penalties… Up by 14 going into the 4th… @Buccaneers YOU ARE FUCKING TRASH! Fire the cannons!??? NO! Fire Todd Bowles What a fucking Joke #nfl #buccaneers

James

@FloGrownPatriot

Todd Bowles should be fired tonight. He is that bad. How did you lose that game? WTF?! #ATLvsTB

Swift Mud

@Swift_Mud

TODD BOWLES needs fired immediately. This team is 💩💩💩

Cousins finished the game with 30 completions for 373 yards. Pitts accounted for 11 of them, covering 166 yards. Robinson carried the ball 19 times for 93 yards and also caught eight targets for another 82.

Mayfield, meanwhile, had just 19 completions for 277 yards. Evans caught six of those passes for 132 yards, and Sean Tucker and Devin Culp also scored touchdowns.

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Todd Bowles goes on profane rant after Buccaneers blow 14-point lead vs. Falcons

After the game, Todd Bowles was irate at the Buccaneers. During his press conference, he went on this tirade:

“You can’t sugarcoat that s***. It was inex-******-cusable. You’ve got to f****** care enough where the s*** hurts. It’s got to f****** mean something to you. It’s more than a job. It’s your f****** livelihood.”

He also said this:

“Coaches have done all they can do. … They have to hold themselves accountable.”

Baker Mayfield seconded those thoughts in his own post-game presser, but also made sure to deflect some of the blame off the defense and onto himself and the offense:

“Yeah, we’re pissed off. We expected to win that game.”

The result gives the 7-6 Carolina Panthers the lead in the NFC South, which they can consolidate at the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. That game kicks off at 4:25 pm ET on Fox.