Todd Bowles reveals mood of Buccaneers' locker room ahead of must-win game vs. Panthers

The 7-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers could be eliminated from the upcoming postseason tournament while watching Sunday's NFL action.

However, Tampa Bay's season will certainly come to an end if the club suffers a home loss to the 8-8 Carolina Panthers this coming Saturday. While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was asked about the mood in the locker room amid the club's third in-season swoon in three years.

Buccaneers had "some of the best" practices of the season ahead of Panthers game

"[The] mood has been good all week," Bowles responded, per the Buccaneers' website. "We had some good practices -- probably some of the best we've had all year, but it's got to translate to the game."

A previous report shared that younger Buccaneers players allegedly were "still learning how to be pros with an edge and killer instinct" and needed to get rid of a "happy to be here" mentality. It appears that wasn't a problem for the Bucs this week. 

"Communication [and] effort," Bowles added about why his team's practices were positive experiences. "That's always -- I mean, we've had plenty of good practices this year, this was no different, but we [have] to execute on Saturday."

Even if the Buccaneers execute on Saturday, they could still find themselves 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 lose to the Buccaneers and the 7-9 Atlanta Falcons create a three-way tie in the division standings by earning a win over the 6-10 New Orleans Saints at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.

Buccaneers' energy where it needs to be?

Buccaneers running back Rachaad White raised eyebrows when he recently said he felt some Tampa Bay players had been "kind of floating around and blowing in the wind." According to Bowles, his team's energy "has been good all year." 

Bowles reportedly isn't in danger of losing his job, but ESPN's Jeremy Fowler revealed on Wednesday that "there is talk in some league circles about the future of Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard." Fowler also said that "someone will have to pay if" a Tampa Bay team that was 6-2 in late October misses the playoffs.