The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went into Week 4 with the opportunity to solidify their spot in the NFC South, only to come back home with a disappointing loss and further questions surrounding their offense’s identity. They lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 31-25. Quarterback Baker Mayfield wasn’t diplomatic after, deflecting criticism away from himself while also calling out his teammates.

​

Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports

Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports

”We’ve got to take care of the ball, and when we took care of the ball, we were undefeated,” Mayfield clarified in the post-game interview. ‘‘When we didn’t, we lost the game. And that goes for special teams as well, but I’m only going to speak about offense. We’ve got to execute. We’ve got to be able to establish a run… sustain drives… create explosives when we need, and just continue to focus on the details and start fast.’’

​

Tampa Bay got the ball back with six minutes left, and they were successful in getting into the Eagles’ territory, but a key nine-yard sack by DT Moro Ojomo created a third-and-23 situation the Bucs couldn’t convert.

​

Mayfield’s words emphasized what had been very evident to the crowd in the stands: Tampa Bay had played “lifeless” in the first half. In Mayfield’s opinion,

 “We can’t just wait around and get hit in the mouth,” he complained. “We have to fight quicker.’’ Tampa Bay’s game began disastrously as Philadelphia’s punt rush unit overwhelmed the Bucs’ protection. After Tampa Bay gained just one first down and punted, tight end Cameron Latu broke through to block Riley Dixon‘s kick, sending the ball bouncing to the left sideline.

Safety

Sydney Brown alertly scooped up the bouncing ball and raced untouched 36 yards to the end zone, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead just two minutes into the first quarter. The special teams breakdown immediately put the home team at a deficit.

The blocked punt represents Tampa Bay’s third blocked kick through four games – two punts and one field goal – with two returned for touchdowns. The alarming trend points to fundamental issues with protection schemes or personnel execution that require immediate attention from the coaching staff before special teams become a season-defining liability.

​

The Buccaneers’ offense was out of balance all day, with turnovers and stalled drives adding to good field position. Their failure to establish the ground game — something that had been a part of head coach Todd Bowles’ balanced attack to football — added more stress to Mayfield to ignite the offense through the passing game, something the experienced quarterback knew would not be sustainable over the 17 games of a season.

​

Mayfield’s blunt criticism flipped the locker room. The former No. 1 overall draft choice has been complimented on his leadership and coolness since coming to Tampa Bay, but his post-game remarks suggested a disturbed player irritated by recurrent incidents. He repeated discipline, focus on detail, and urgency as the solutions to fewer mistakes.

​

Tod Bowles on players

​Where Mayfield was blunt on offense, head coach Todd Bowles was equally candid on the Buccaneers’ special teams woes. In his post-game news conference, Bowles indicated he would be questioning “the whole operation” of that unit, pointing to a series of miscues that resulted in lost field position and momentum.

​

”There’s a lot going on special teams-wise, and none of it’s good,” Bowles stated. “We’ve got to fix it, and it starts with accountability from top to bottom.’’

Tampa Bay’s special teams struggles extended beyond the blocked punt. Dixon mis-hit another punt in the second quarter that traveled just 18 yards, giving Philadelphia excellent field position. The Bucs averaged starting drives at their own 22-yard line on kickoffs, creating poor offensive field position throughout the game.

A holding penalty negated Kameron Johnson’s long kickoff return in the second quarter that would have positioned Tampa Bay deep in Eagles territory. The infraction eliminated what could have been a momentum-shifting play and highlighted the combination of execution errors and discipline issues plaguing the special teams unit.

​

The Buccaneers have experienced a stretch of costly special teams blunders the last couple of weeks — miscues, penalties, and lopsided returns. This is the third week in which kicks have been blocked in Tampa Bay. However, it’s the first time that it has cost them. Those issues do fall off to the side of defense and offense, but Bowles’ statement brings special units into the spotlight for winning football games. Misdirected execution in the return and kick game has always dug the team into a hole, and Bowles’ vow to rebuild the unit shows massive changes are coming.

​

This is not the first time Bowles has issued a public challenge to his players, but his tone after this loss was notably sharper. He acknowledged the roster has enough talent to compete, but stressed that preparation and discipline must match that talent.

“We can’t afford mental mistakes. We’ve got to be fundamentally sound in all three phases,” Bowles said.

​

In the last games, the special teams group has allowed two blocked punts and a blocked field goal that have directly led to 14 points being scored. The comments by Mayfield and Bowles show a team lost in limbo during the start of the season. The Buccaneers started the season with so much promise, using a stout defense and opportunistic offense to win early. However, this game revealed some weaknesses — spotty run support, inconsistent offensive flow, and special teams blunders.

​

In a few weeks, we will have a clear image about whether Mayfield’s post-game dig and Bowles’ firm rebuke are a wake-up call or a lowlight in an unbalanced season. One thing is certain: both leaders drew a line in public, and the next game will determine how their teammates respond.

​