How Buccaneers plan to help Emeka Egbuka bounce back from drop in loss to Saints

As Scott Smith shared for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' website, Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield defended rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka shortly after Egbuka failed to catch what could have been a game-tying touchdown pass in the fourth quarter of the club's 24-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints this past Sunday.

While speaking with reporters on Monday, head coach Todd Bowles explained how he plans to help Egbuka bounce back when the 7-6 Buccaneers host the Atlanta Falcons (4-9) this coming Thursday night. 

Buccaneers need to get Emeka Egbuka back into rhythm 

"Just getting some quick throws early, get him some easy catches and try to get him in the groove and get him in the rhythm," Bowles said about Egbuka, per the JoeBucsFan website. "He’s got to get himself in a rhythm, as well." 

It is fair to wonder if Egbuka may be hitting a so-called "rookie wall" ahead of Christmas. He recorded six touchdown catches over his first nine games but hasn't found the end zone since. Against the Saints, he caught just two of nine targets for 15 yards. Nevertheless, Bowles gave the 2025 first-round draft pick a public vote of confidence on Monday. 

"We trust him completely," Bowles added about Egbuka. "He’s a great player for us. So when your great players drop the ball, you just got to live with it. But you know, he’s hard on himself. He’ll come back from that, and he’ll play better."

Todd Bowles challenges Buccaneers to put losses behind them

For the third consecutive year, the Buccaneers are enduring a worrisome in-season swoon. They've gone from 6-2 to 7-6 and are now tied with the Carolina Panthers in the NFC South standings. Tampa Bay and Carolina will face off in Week 16 and Week 18, but not before the Bucs welcome the Falcons to Raymond James Stadium on Thursday night. 

"We lost [Sunday], and we’ve got to get over it," Bowles said on Monday, according to the Buccaneers' website. "We've got to be big boys. We've got to get over it and own what we did, and we've got to get better at things we need to get better at. We've got to look in the mirror – we understand that as a group we've been through this before, but it's different every single year and every time [we] do it. Nobody likes to lose, and you're coming on a short week, [we have] a chance to get the bad taste out of your mouth, but they should be upset."

As of Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Buccaneers as 4.5-point home favorites over the Falcons. Meanwhile, 7-6 Carolina will play at the 3-10 Saints this coming Sunday.