Frustrations are piling up in Todd Bowles’s team’s locker room. After Week 10’s loss to the New England Patriots, everyone thought that they would learn from their mistakes and return stronger. But Week 11’s Bucs were much worse, with mistakes stemming from every play, ultimately causing them to lose 44-32 against the Buffalo Bills.

The most shocking thing happened in the fourth quarter when 7 minutes and 28 seconds were still left. The Bucs were 4 and 2 down, but head coach Bowles went for a punt when the team was trailing by 5 points. When asked about the decision, Bowles gave the most generic answer, frustrating the fans even more.

“There was plenty of time; we felt like we had a chance. It was early in the fourth quarter, and we felt like we had a chance to not give them a short field there.”

Was the decision correct? Maybe if time was running out. However, with half of a quarter left, it was the worst decision that Todd Bowles could have made. No doubt there is always a risk of failing, but the Bucs could have easily tried to convert and earn a new set of downs.

If there were no time, the decision would have made sense. But blowing up the chance of taking the lead at such a crucial time is outright foolish. It occurred at a critical time, ultimately helping the Buffalo Bills’ victory by a large margin. Bowles also pointed fingers, blaming the atrocious defense.

Surprisingly, Todd Bowles’ decision came at the worst possible time, when his team’s defense was making mistakes continuously. Even the QB Baker Mayfield made crucial mistakes, which led him to take the blame and apologize.

Unlike Week 10, Baker Mayfield was sure to criticize himself even as Todd Bowles came under fire

After the Bucs lost to the Patriots, Mayfield was seen calling out his teammates during the post-game press conference. Fast forward a week, and another loss to the Bills saw the QB pointing fingers at himself.

It is not the Bills who should be credited for the win, but the Bucs themselves. They were continuously contributing to their own loss. One such contribution came from Mayfield in the third quarter when Bills safety Cole Bishop intercepted him. It shifted the momentum to the Bills. QB Josh Allen snapped a 25-yard pass, which led to a touchdown by running back James Cook. The Buccaneers began to crumble after that.

At that point, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were leading 26-24. The touchdown changed the score to 31-26 in favor of the Bills.

“It goes back to where the momentum swung in the game, and it was the interception on third down in our own territory,” Mayfield said during the press conference. “We played well for the most part, but in critical moments like that, you can’t have it.”

He added, “We’ve got to make the plays when they’re there. We ran the ball well, but the pass game, I just have to be better and lead those guys better when we need it. And we needed it today.” The QB was sure to point out the mistakes without any hesitation.

Baker Mayfield completed 16 passes out of 28, with only a 57% success rate. He had only 1 touchdown to his name and covered 173 all-purpose yards.

It was a day when nothing was working for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With two consecutive losses, Todd Bowles and Baker Mayfield will have a lot of pressure against the Los Angeles Rams. Only time will tell if the Bucs finally learn from their mistakes or continue making them, resulting in their third straight loss and losing sight of the playoffs.