TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles said he has had lower moments in his long coaching career, but Sunday’s 35-7 Bucs loss to the San Francisco 49ers ranks near the bottom.
On Monday, Bowles was joined by News Channel 8’s Dan Lucas for their weekly ‘Bucs with Bowles’ interview and there was hardly an area of the game that was worth praising.
Bowles was especially disappointed in the performance of the Bucs defense, which committed untimely penalties, leading to multiple touchdowns for rookie Quarterback Brock Purdy.
The first play of the game saw a roughing the passer penalty by Bucs Safety Keanu Neal — A play that Bowles felt should have resulted in Neal stripping the football rather than hitting the quarterback the way he did.
Later, a 68-yard touchdown pass from Quarterback Tom Brady to Wide Receiver Mike Evans was nullified by a holding penalty charged to Offensive Tackle Donovan Smith.
The Bucs remain in first place in the NFC with games against the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons still to come. However, this Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals visit Raymond James Stadium, winners of their last five games.
