Rachaad White challenges Buccaneers to 'have a level of pride' ahead of must-win game vs. Panthers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles seemingly spent much of November and December scrambling for answers amid the club's third in-season swoon in three years. 

The Bucs went from 6-2 to 7-9 and are left needing help to reach the upcoming postseason tournament. On Wednesday, Buccaneers running back Rachaad White indicated he's also baffled by the team's collapse heading into this Saturday's regular-season finale versus the 8-8 Carolina Panthers.  

Rachaad White says Buccaneers have "got to look in the mirror" ahead of Panthers game

"I don’t know," White told JoeBucsFan when asked what he would say to upset Tampa Bay fans. "It boils down to, for me, how I look at it, just being honest, we all just got to look in the mirror. We all gotta have a level of pride, a level of care. And right now, we all just, you know, are kind of floating around and blowing in the wind. So I think we need to come out with our p— hot and let’s see what happens."

Even if the Buccaneers are the better team and earn a massive win on Saturday, they could end Week 18 on the outside looking in as it pertains to the playoffs. The Panthers would win the NFC South division title via tiebreaker advantage if they, the Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons all finish at 8-9. 

7-9 Atlanta hosts the 6-10 New Orleans Saints on Sunday. As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Falcons as three-point favorites over the Saints. 

Rachaad White insists Buccaneers haven't lost focus amid woes

"I wouldn’t even say we’ve been having horrible or bad starts to games," White added during his comments. "I mean, lately we’ve been putting up seven on the offensive end, defense came out the last two games and got some stops in the first drives. Obviously, in this game, it’s about consistency and who can do it for a long period of time. And we’ve been getting outdone for a longer period of time on this losing streak."

Also on Wednesday, DraftKings Sportsbook had Tampa Bay as a 2.5-point favorite over Carolina. Buccaneers ownership reportedly could make changes that may or may not involve moving on from Bowles if the franchise misses the playoffs for any reason.