Todd Bowles sends expletive-filled message to Buccaneers after collapse: 'Look in the f---ing mirror'

Following a fourth-quarter collapse against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have completely blown their lead atop the NFC South. And after the game, coach Todd Bowles went on an expletive-filled rant detailing his message to the team.

The Buccaneers took a 14-point lead with 13:34 left in the game but allowed the Falcons to score three times in the final 10 minutes to hand Tampa Bay a devastating 29-28 loss. On the game-winning drive, the Bucs defense had a chance to end the game but allowed the Falcons to convert on fourth-and-14 with 49 seconds remaining.

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John Breech

It was an inexplicable meltdown that resulted in Tampa Bay (7-7) slipping below the Carolina Panthers (7-6) in the division standings.

"It's inexcusable," Bowles said. "You don't make excuses. You gotta f---ing care enough where the shit hurts. You gotta f---ing care enough where the shit hurts. It's gotta f---ing mean something to you. It's more than a job. It's your f---ing livelihood. How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job? You can't sugarcoat that shit. It was in-f---ing-excusable, and there's no f---ing answer for it. No excuse for it. That's what you tell them in the locker room. Look in the f---ing mirror."

After starting the season 6-2, the Buccaneers have now lost five of their last six. They're a half-game behind the Panthers in the division, but with two games against Carolina in the last three weeks, Tampa Bay still controls its own destiny. According to the latest odds from DraftKings, the Bucs are still a slight favorite to win the NFC South at -130.

For the team needs to get back on track, Bowles said the onus is on the players to make corrections this late in the season.

"At this point, you've seen everything in the season," Bowles said. "The coaches have done everything they can do. This is a player-driven team in the last four or five weeks. You gotta execute, and you gotta hold each other accountable. As a coach, you can sit there until you're blue in the face. Until they start holding each other accountable and doing the little things right -- and we're talking about a small select few -- but the small select few is what's getting us beat. Until that happens, it's not gonna get right."

If there was one small bright spot for the Buccaneers in this one, it was the return of Mike Evans, who missed two months with a collarbone injury. Evans immediately made a huge impact with six catches for 132 yards. Bowles said the rest of the team needs to follow Evans' lead.

"He played winning football," Bowles said. "He cares. He cares. He's one of the guys that cares. He gave his heart. He gave his all. Need more guys like that."

The first of two critical matchups against the Panthers is coming up next week, so the Buccaneers won't have to wait long for a shot at redemption.