Buccaneers News: Todd Bowles makes tough admission on losing control of playoff destiny

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are against the wall. The NFC South club had the ticket to the playoffs in their own hands, but a defeat in Week 16 complicated things, and Todd Bowles is aware of the tough situation they currently face.

In recent years, the Buccaneers have done a remarkable job staying competitive. Even with Tom Brady‘s retirement last year, the club managed to remain a legitimate contender.

Todd Bowles, the team’s head coach, has had a solid tenure with the NFC South franchise. However, this year has been more challenging than expected, and their playoff hopes are now in jeopardy.

Todd Bowles makes tough admission on the Bucs’ playoff destiny

There are only two games left in the 2024 NFL regular season. All teams are preparing for the end of it, either to make a late playoff push or to start focusing on next season.

In Week 16, the Buccaneers had the opportunity to take one step closer to the playoffs. However, their hopes suffered a direct blow, and their postseason ticket is now in serious jeopardy.

In a surprising turn of events, the Buccaneers suffered a tough loss to the Cowboys in Week 16. Combined with the Falcons’ victory against the Giants, Tampa Bay is currently out of the playoff picture.

The Falcons now lead the NFC South. The Buccaneers need them to lose at least one game while winning their remaining two, a situation that led Todd Bowles to admit the frustration of not controlling their own destiny.

“It won’t be difficult,” Bowles said on the team needing to concentrate more, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “We’ve got to win a ballgame. If we don’t win a ballgame, we don’t give ourselves a chance. We’ve got to focus on ourselves like we’ve been doing and we’ve got to correct our mistakes and we’ve got to go out and win Sunday and we’ve got to win the next week and we’ll what happens after that.“

What happens if the Falcons and Buccaneers end with the same record?

As of now, the Falcons and the Buccaneers share the same 8-7 record. However, Atlanta currently holds the NFC South title in their grasp.

The Falcons won both head-to-head matchups against the Buccaneers this year, which serves as the tiebreaker. As a result, Tampa Bay must win their final two games and hope Atlanta loses at least one to keep their playoff hopes alive.