The Race To 10
October 28th, 2024
Bucs GM Jason Licht watches his team yesterday, knowing there’s enough talent to perform better.
So as expected last night, the 49ers (4-4) cruised to victory against the Cowboys (3-4) after taking a 27-10 lead into the fourth quarter.
That means the combined record of the Bucs’ seven post-bye opponents fell to 15-36.
The Bucs sit at 4-4 with a defense that can’t stop the run and can’t stop the pass. It’s a gruesome situation, so rather than destroy blunt objects at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters, Joe is focused on what could lie ahead for Tampa Bay.
That post-bye schedule cannot be ignored. It will be a huge story of the season.
If the Bucs can’t collectively beat up on the Giants (2-5), Cowboys (3-4), Saints (2-6), Chargers (4-3), Raiders (2-6) and twice against the Panthers (1-7), then Team Glazer needs to look in the mirror and make big decisions.
As Joe noted yesterday, the Bucs offense is moving the ball consistently, effectively and unpredictably. Against Atlanta on Sunday, it was two Baker Mayfield picks thrown into the red zone and a Rachaad White fumble that limited the Bucs to 26 points.
But as Todd Bowels said after the game, “26 should be enough.” And it likely would be to beat all but one of those post-bye teams.
Next up for the Bucs is the undefeated Chiefs in Kansas City followed by the 49ers at home and then the bye week.
It’s going to be a wild ride.
Could Joe stomach a nine-win season? Highly doubtful. It shouldn’t come to that.
October 28th, 2024 at 6:17 am
Bowles gotta go. Promote Cohen, retain Godwin and keep the ball rolling.
October 28th, 2024 at 6:22 am
The Bucs post by week schedule is going to give a lot of peopel rosey colored glasses…. We very well cold finish at 9-8 (missing the playoffs) but lots of people will point to a “strong finish”….
While missing the point the Joes outlined very well in this article. We have probably the easiest ending schedule in the NFL.
Their records are 15-36.
Dont get lulled into keeping Todd becuase we finish “strong” at 9-8.
October 28th, 2024 at 6:24 am
As much as I want divisional wins, there is nothing more than I would want this season than for us to beat the 49ers, they have beaten us so badly the last 3 times we’ve played them, and we simply have no answer for what Shanahan dials up. With a healthy Mike and Chris, it would have been interesting matchup, don’t let the record full you, 49ers are still one of the better teams in the NFC right now.
October 28th, 2024 at 6:26 am
the trade deadline is approaching and we’ve got 3 glaring issues…
edge
ilb
wr
i’m pretty sure big dog licht will address one, if not 2…
a couple of tweaks can get the team back on track possibly…
also we might just be a really good match up for the falcons this year…they’ve played really well vs. us…but when it comes to the rest of the league – they ain’t all that
October 28th, 2024 at 6:29 am
Better prey for 9 wins this team is if anything unpredictable with Bowles as HC
October 28th, 2024 at 6:31 am
Falcons are one and done in the playoffs they just not that good it just that Bucs have a head coach who never should have been a head coach
October 28th, 2024 at 6:32 am
^^^^^^ atlanta’s gonna win 9 or 10…
9 wins get’s us nothing…falcons most likely own us at 9-10 wins…
we kinda need 11 wins
October 28th, 2024 at 6:32 am
Funny how Bowles sees and knows what the problems are but can’t fix them.
October 28th, 2024 at 6:37 am
BAKER STILL SUCKS, JOE.
October 28th, 2024 at 6:53 am
Honestly…..if 9 wins gets us to firing Bowles, then I’m ok with that. The league is geared for offense, we have found an excellent OC….at the end of the season it’s time to move on from Bowles. The defense constantly looks lost and incapable. These guys have been in the same system for multiple years, we shouldn’t still have so many glaring issues…..it’s not the players or lack of talent, it’s the scheme he runs. The league has figured it out and the more Bowles tries to tinker with disguises, the blown assignments occur.
October 28th, 2024 at 7:16 am
@adam from ny…
Most of the season I’ve wanted an edge rusher…badly, and yeah we need WR help, BUT if I had to choose right now just one thing, especially since Bowles can’t seem to adapt his style of defense for the talent he has on this roster, I’d say I want an ILB. Britt is simply a special teams LB.
We as fans know that there’s more than just reloading through the draft, there’s undrafted free agents we have to hit on, and we always seem to find a handful of dudes you’re hoping are so much better than where and why we signed them off the street, and that all these scouts missed on them, and yet sadly, most of these guys are who they are. You look up Britts draft profile, he was drafted exactly where he should have been and he is most likely a special teams guy. Whoever thinks JJ is going to perform better, I wouldn’t count it. I would count on 5th Round Pick Denis to be the guy either. Be great if we could see him play that position for an entire season, but that isn’t likely at this point. Undrafted free agents like Izien, splashed early last season but faded during Tampa’s high point, of all the times. Funderburk is a rookie, it’s not fair to judge him too bad based on yesterday’s performance, but who knows if he’s any more than what we see now. If finding diamonds in the rough, are simply JAGS that fill out the roster, and make some contributions in spot play then we seem to have that in spades.
October 28th, 2024 at 7:22 am
Adam, I agree we have 3 glaring issues, but it’s not the ones you laid out.
(1) Bowles
(2) Defense
(3) No Evans and Godwin
October 28th, 2024 at 8:15 am
^^^ ohhh bob…all you did was add bowles to the list haha
2 & 3 is one and the same with what i listed…
but you get the monday morning pass 😉
October 28th, 2024 at 8:16 am
I’m tired of hearing people down on Baker. He’s nothing like Winston and was when he was here. If the defense can figure it out we’ll be there.
October 28th, 2024 at 8:34 am
Adam, I was trying to be too clever by a couple of degrees.
October 28th, 2024 at 8:36 am
Defensive diarrhea can be such a pain, literally and figuratively. When the Bowles digestive system is disturbed, what players eat can significantly help them ease symptoms and get them back on the right track.
The Bucs have 743 coaches in their staff. This JBF reader is suggesting adding just one more, a digestive internist.
Or, come end of the season without 10 wins, the proverbial sh*t will hit the fans.
October 28th, 2024 at 8:44 am
I smell a 7 win season. I can live with that if it means a change in HC. But with these numb nutz owners, you never know.
October 28th, 2024 at 9:00 am
Gotta get this defense fixed or this thing goes south.
October 28th, 2024 at 9:02 am
10 will not win the division.
They are, in essence, 3 games behind the Falcons, and I doubt Wild Cards will come from the NFC South.
Bucs will not make the playoffs this year.
October 28th, 2024 at 9:03 am
Wild card is all you can hope for with a defense like this. Damn honestly yet another season fans want to brag about making it to the playoffs to do what exactly? Keep Bowles for another mediocre and lose a damn good offensive coordinator?
October 28th, 2024 at 9:11 am
Love the caption under JL’s photo Joe …
‘Bucs GM Jason Licht watches his team yesterday, knowing there’s enough talent to perform better.’
This for the guy who in essence said ‘Nah, we don’t need to draft any ILBs. We’ve got KJ Britt’.
Or … ‘Nah, we don’t need no more OLBs. We’ve got JTS & this is his year to break out’.
Or … ‘Nah, we don’t need to draft another DLineman with beef. Vea’s lost weight and his availability will be up to 75-80% this year’.
Or … ‘No problem; LVD is ageless’.
Or … ‘We made Winfield the highest paid Safety for a reason. That guarantees at least 2 wins right there.’
Tell ya what Joe, why don’t you take the CBs. That’s the eaasiest one of all.
October 28th, 2024 at 9:15 am
Defense has three people starting who should be on the practice squad at best
October 28th, 2024 at 9:22 am
JTS, White and send a 1st round pick to Cleveland!!! we need Myles Garrett immediately!!! That was the most frustrating game I have ever watched as a Bucs fan since 1998
October 28th, 2024 at 9:36 am
As long as the fraud impersonating a defensive genius is allowed to conduct such embarrassing public carnage, this team isn’t winning another game. When the Bucs lose their next two, the Monday after they sink to 4-6, the Fraudster needs to be canned. No one ever knows their assignments. The “Cover Who?” Defense must come to an end.
Jason shall make Liam interim head coach and begin the hunt for a replacement DC.
October 28th, 2024 at 9:38 am
We will not win 10. 9 or 8.
October 28th, 2024 at 9:43 am
Sticking with my pre season pick of 7-10
When your head coach is ineffective at his side of the ball and is awful using timeouts and managing the clock you are already going into the game shorthanded
Talent can’t overcome a bad head coach and awful defensive scheme
October 28th, 2024 at 10:07 am
First Name Greatest … ‘Talent can’t overcome a bad head coach and awful defensive scheme’.
And no head coach nor any defensive scheme can overcome poor talent. You’ve gotta have the horses. (Put another way … ‘Fleabiscuit never won the Kentucky Derby’).
October 28th, 2024 at 10:22 am
Of course the defensive masturmind has zero input on talent needed, nor bears any responsibility for developing talent. If talent were really the issue, the Head Coach would be telling the GM to fortify the roster in-season. Suddenly Jason is the scapegoat? ROTFLMAO.
Vea – regressed. Whitehead – regressed. Diaby and Kancey – regressed. Dean – regressed. KJ Britt – should be already in the glue factory. JTS – cosmetics for men. No development. What a joke this “coach” had been, has been, and will have been a has been.
After the race to 10 ends up being 10 losses, there is one person accountable for taking a talented roster that Rich Kotite or Bobby Petrino could win 10 games with. He is the fraud masquerading as a HC/DC nothing burger. And he will be fired.
October 28th, 2024 at 10:39 am
atlanta will win 9 or 10……
we need 11 wins…
if we can pull off the impossible in kc…
then i think we come home amped up, and knock off sf too…
then we are also back in the drivers seat…
go into the bye week at 6-4 and we are good…
go into the bye 5-5, with atlanta having this big lead on us, and we are in deep doo…even with the weak post bye schedule…
a win in kc can spark us…and kc is really due for a loss…
they’re like young wei koo after making 25 field goals in a row…streaks must end…
if we go into the bye 5-5, we will need to basically go 6-1 down the stretch…
i can see 5-2…but 6-1 is a tall order for any team
October 28th, 2024 at 10:41 am
yep the nfc north is slowly locking the wild card spots up…imagine the whole division goes to the playoffs…that’ll be wild
October 28th, 2024 at 10:44 am
Agreed!
Bowles needs to go. Promote Cohen to HC (or someone else will take him). Find a young stud DC with upside and comes from a strong pedigree.
Bowles is supposed to be a Defensive juggernaut, but he’s only been mediocre at best. This year he down right sucks!
If he can’t at least provide a middle of the road defensive game plan… he’s worthless.
October 28th, 2024 at 11:36 am
So let me get this straight, Todd Bowles better win the division EVERY year or pack your bags cause your fired!! Someone plz enlighten me, since the Bucs won the Superbowl when have they took a step back, retooled their roster with young elite players and they are simply just underperforming now?? Where’s the influx of talent that people are OUTRAGED Todd Bowles isn’t getting the most out of that talent on the defensive side of the field?? I personally don’t know of ANY defensive mind that can consistently succeed with the personnel Jason Licht has put together on the defensive side of the field and the neglect is FINALLY making its presence seen!! Licht has done some good thinks and he is also guilty of whiffing on a bunch of high draft picks as well so the fix that the Bucs find themselves in today is much more on Licht than Bowles in my mind and yes today the Bucs are not going ALL IN to salvage this season like in the past when Brady was here by being big players in the free agent market BUT hey Its all Bowles fault 👁️👁️!! OPEN YOUR EYES PEOPLE
October 28th, 2024 at 12:30 pm
10 wins isn’t enough.
And we won’t get to 11.
Most likely 9-8, watching the playoffs from home.
October 28th, 2024 at 1:17 pm
If unbelievable is right and it’s gonna take 11. Man. Means we need to finish 7-2. Then we need to look at this KC game as a must win. If the Chiefs beat us then we can only suffer one more loss or we’re out of it. It’s hard playing that many games with your back to the wall. unbelievable I hope 10 wins would do it but no matter. I’m looking at KC as a Must Win and I believe the organization is too. I can’t wait, it oughta be a doozy.