Following a disheartening 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, it’s evident that Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ head coach Todd Bowles was far from pleased. An uncharacteristic display from the Buccaneers marked the defeat. Four turnovers—two interceptions by Baker Mayfield and two fumbles marred their performance.
The team’s ground game also faltered, managing a mere 57 rushing yards. Looking ahead, the Buccaneers are set to face the league-worst 2-14 Carolina Panthers in the upcoming week. However, this game prompted HC Todd Bowles to take a harsh take on his team about how they’d have lost anyway, no matter who the opponent was.
Bucs’ coach Todd Bowles showcases his disappointment
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Despite the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ promising upward trajectory with four consecutive victories leading up to Sunday. Their momentum came to an abrupt halt at a 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Baker Mayfield had excelled in the preceding games with nine touchdowns and a mere one interception. Even he faced relentless pressure from the Saints throughout the contest.
#Bucs coach Todd Bowles on his team's performance Sunday. "It didn’t matter who we played today. A good team. A bad team. A college team. A high school team. We wouldn’t have won today.’’
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) December 31, 2023
The defensive prowess of the Saints led to critical mistakes, as evidenced by Mayfield’s two interceptions. The Buccaneers, under duress, struggled to find their footing, with Mayfield unable to guide them into the end zone until the fourth quarter. As a result, Bowles came forward and stated that it wouldn’t have mattered who they were playing against. They would’ve lost against the weakest team if they played like this.
He said, “It didn’t matter who we played today. A good team. A bad team. A college team. A high school team. We wouldn’t have won today.” Meanwhile, Derek Carr was quite satisfied with his performance, and talked about how he wants to continue this as a team in the upcoming games as well.
Derek Carr played a near-perfect game today
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Derek Carr showcased his quarterback prowess, completing 24 of 32 passes for 197 yards without a single interception. Thus, overshadowing Baker Mayfield’s performance in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ disappointing 23-13 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Despite Mayfield’s recent stellar play during the four-game winning streak that propelled the Bucs toward clinching a fourth consecutive playoff berth.
Sunday’s game saw Carr outshine him with steady and interception-free performance. The Buccaneers, with an 8-8 record, missed a crucial opportunity to secure their third consecutive NFC South title. After the game, Carr said, “We can’t feel satisfied because we got a win. We came in with the expectation to win. We had to win and we did. It feels good, but we’ve got to play another team that we haven’t beaten this year. I’m looking forward to that matchup.”
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Carr is not yet satisfied completely. He wants to win another match that’s crucial for his team, and it’s against the Atlanta Falcons, a team that they haven’t been able to beat this season. What do you think? Will they be able to overcome them this time?
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