Buccaneers' Todd Bowles addresses job-security chatter after 'TNF' loss to Falcons

Angry Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans chanted for the team to fire head coach Todd Bowles after the club fell to 7-7 via a disheartening 29-28 loss to the lowly Atlanta Falcons (5-9) on Thursday night. 

During a Friday morning videoconference, Bowles spoke with reporters and touched upon the hot-seat chatter that is hovering over the Buccaneers for a third straight year. 

Is Todd Bowles worried about losing his job?

"I don’t think I worry about it at all," Bowles said, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "It doesn’t creep into the locker room. Players play and coaches coach. I got more years behind me than I do ahead of me. I think we’re in a situation where we’re right back in it, and our only focus is on winning a ball game." 

Bowles holds an overall regular-season record of 34-31 with Tampa Bay, and he has guided the club to three straight division titles. However, he has gone 1-3 in postseason play since January 2023. Despite that lack of playoff success, Bowles inked a contract extension that reportedly runs through the 2028 season this past summer. 

Tampa Bay is in the middle of its third straight in-season swoon under Bowles, as the Buccaneers entered their Week 9 bye at 6-2. On Thursday night, Tampa Bay squandered a 14-point fourth-quarter lead against an Atlanta opponent that was playing only for pride. 

Todd Bowles can still save his job

Bowles essentially blamed his players for the loss to the Falcons during an expletive-laden rant shortly after the game wrapped up, and Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield seemed to agree with Bowles' comments. Thursday's result put the 7-6 Carolina Panthers in first place in the NFC South standings. Carolina plays at the 3-10 New Orleans Saints this coming Sunday afternoon. 

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Panthers as 2.5-point favorites over the Saints. 

Following this weekend, the Buccaneers will play at the Panthers on Dec. 21. Tampa Bay is then scheduled to host Carolina in Week 18. Thus, the Buccaneers will have opportunities to erase what happened on Thursday night as it pertains to the division standings.