Bucs, Bowles Face Must-Win In Week 13

The Bucs currently have a 2-1 record within the NFC South. If the Saints beat them, though, both teams will have the same divisional record and New Orleans, ridiculously enough, will be back in the race at 5-8. The 4-8 Panthers and their 3-1 divisional record are also looming, as crazy as that sounds. When the entire division is as tight (even if it’s mediocre) as this one is, every week counts that much more.

On the flip side, a win gets the Bucs back to 6-6 and improves their record in the NFC South to 3-1. Having a strong NFC South record could prove extremely valuable down the line if tiebreaker scenarios come into play. So for division title implications alone, Monday night is a must-win for the Bucs. But it’s about more than just that.

Bucs Can’t Let Their Season Get Away From Them

During the bye week, Bucs quarterback Tom Brady talked about how the team had its whole season ahead of them. There was a sense of positivity that Tampa Bay had weathered the early storm and done well to beat Los Angeles and Seattle to reach the .500 mark again. Most  goals for the defending NFC South champions appeared to be well within reach.

But after that loss to the Browns on Sunday, a loss to the Saints on Monday night could really send the Bucs on a downward spiral. They’d be 5-7, with back-to-back losses coming out of their bye week. Being two games under .500 with games against the 49ers (7-4) in San Francisco and Bengals (7-4) at home in the next two weeks would be less than ideal.

It’s not far-fetched to think that Tampa Bay could drop both of those games. In fact, that feels like the most likely outcome right now. San Francisco and Cincinnati are both better teams.

So, in this theoretical worst-case scenario that sees Tampa Bay slide out of control, factoring in a loss to the Saints with losses in Weeks 14 and 15 would mean four potential straight losses and a 5-9 record with three games to play. If the Bucs somehow remain in the division title hunt at 5-9, they’d surely have to win out for a chance to make the playoffs with a hideous 8-9 record.

Again, the other side paints a much better picture. A win would lighten some of the pressure as Tampa Bay heads out west and it keeps a 9-8 or 10-7 record on the table if things break the right way. Momentum — that dreaded “M” word — could turn back in the Bucs’ favor with a win over the Saints.

But with a loss, Tampa Bay’s sinking ship will be much harder to keep afloat down the stretch.

Monday Also Serves As Must-Win Game For Bowles

As much as the Bucs need to beat the Saints on Monday night, it’s especially important for head coach Todd Bowles. Faith in Bowles hit an all-time low this week after the way he mismanaged the team’s loss to Cleveland. Then, it hit a new all-time low with the explanations he gave during his Monday press conference when asked about his in-game decisions.

So, the pressure is on Bowles this week. A win will buy him a whole lot of goodwill with the fan base, as it would mean a sweep for Tampa Bay over New Orleans. The Bucs haven’t swept the Saints since 2007.

Bowles already did something his predecessor, Bruce Arians, couldn’t do. He led the Bucs to a regular season win over the Saints back in Week 2. If his team can finish the sweep, that’ll be a feather in his cap.

A loss, however, means questions about Bowles’ future will only grow louder.

The Glazer family has never been quick to pull the plug on Bucs head coaches. They’ve given every coach they’ve hired at least two seasons, so Bowles is very unlikely to be given his walking papers after just one season in charge.

But another loss this week and a bad finish to the season that includes missing the playoffs — with Tom Brady as your quarterback, no less — likely places Bowles firmly on the hot seat heading into 2023. And the outlook for the 2023 Bucs is as bleak as ever right now with questions about Brady’s successor remaining unsolved.

In fairness, most of Tampa Bay’s problems this season haven’t been on Bowles. His defense is the main reason the team is even within a game of .500 right now. The offense’s issues fall on him to an extent given that he’s the head coach, but Byron Leftwich deserves more of the blame. And because of when he was promoted this offseason, Bowles didn’t really have much of a choice when it came to retaining his coaching staff. Maybe a change this offseason turns things around for the offense.

Regardless, Bowles has to do enough down the stretch to restore some faith in him as “the guy.” That means no more coaching scared like he did in Sunday’s loss to Cleveland. It means no more hard-to-defend answers in press conferences. And more than anything, it means winning.

That has to start on Monday against the Saints, both for the Bucs’ sake — and for Bowles’.