Category: Latest Team News

Bucs HC Todd Bowles points to team’s ‘fight’ moving forward

Following their crushing loss to the Falcons in Week 5, Todd Bowles commends the fight the Bucs showed all season.

Week 5 was one the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would like to forget quickly and move on from. In a shootout with the division rival Atlanta Falcons, the Bucs came close to victory but ultimately fell short of a walk-off touchdown in overtime.

The Bucs are now 3-2 and surrendered the division lead to the Falcons with their loss. No reason to panic, as this team has shown resiliency so far this year and won’t go down without a fight. Fight is what head coach Todd Bowled alluded to when taking positives away from their heartbreaking loss on Thursday night.

“I mean, we have fight. We knew we had to fight, and we thought we were a very good football team. We’re capable of being a good football team if we eliminate mistakes. We had plenty of chances at the end, either side of the ball, to win the ball game, to put it away on the 28, to get the fourth down stop, not let them get the ball off at the end of the game and get to 0:01. We had plenty of chances to win that [and] we understand that. We’ll go back to work, we’ll get better at that as a team and we’ll move forward, so that’s positive.”

The Bucs will need to regroup fast, as they’ll face another division rival this week, the New Orleans Saints. This game will determine an NFC South winner later in the season.

Bucs S Jordan Whitehead leaves Week 5 against Falcons with groin injury

The Bucs safety left the game just prior to the Atlanta Falcons tying the game in the fourth quarter.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead is questionable to return the Bucs’ Thursday night matchup with the Atlanta Falcons with a groin injury. He left the game following a tackle in the red zone and just before the Falcons tying the game 27-27 in the fourth quarter.

With Antoine Winfield Jr. out with an ankle injury, Tampa Bay is already thin at safety. With Whitehead unable to return, second-year S Kaevon Merriweather was pressed into action.

The secondary surrendered 509 passing yards to Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons and gave up the winning touchdown in overtime.

The Bucs cannot afford to have their secondary take many more hits. We stressed how thin they are, but given what they did tonight, they need to either find some consistent pass rush going forward or dig into free agency to find some depth in the secondary.

Jason Licht isn’t likely to sit on the sidelines with these injuries.

Bucs CB Tykee Smith is being evaluated for a concussion

The Bucs defensive back left the game after he was hit by his own teammate during a tackle in the second quarter.

Buccaneers nickel cornerback Tykee Smith left their Thursday night matchup with the Atlanta Falcons to be evaluated for a concussion. He was hit by Bucs linebacker KJ Britt while making a tackle in the second quarter.

Tampa Bay is already missing All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. His absence could press second-year CB Josh Hayes into service, or the Bucs may move Christian Izien to his old position and bring in Kaevon Merriweather to play safety.

Bucs K Chase McLaughlin makes history in first quarter against Falcons

In the first quarter of the Bucs matchup between them and the Falcons, kicker Chase McLaughlin made history for himself.

With 1:22 remaining in the first quarter of the Week 5 Thursday Night Football showdown between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons Week 5, kicker Chase McLaughlin hit a 53-yard field goal to put the Bucs up 10-7.

McLaughlin’s kicking efficiency came on the heels of Falcons kicker Younghoe Koo missing two kicks, one of which didn’t count due to a penalty. The Falcons kicker proved last week to be consistent from over 50+ yards when he won the ball game for the Falcons, but he is not nearly as good as McLaughlin has been from that distance, as history tells us.

The successful field goal attempt gives McLaughlin 28 successful attempts in 33 tries, making the six-year veteran the most accurate kicker in NFL history from beyond 50 yards, with a minimum of 20 attempts.

Adding another successful field goal to his resume, McLaughin extends his Bucs franchise record with 26 consecutively made field goals and moves into 21st all-time, surpassing running back Errict Rhett.

Bucs WR Mike Evans moves up all-time receiving yards ladder

As Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans continues his trek towards enshrinement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

As Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans continues his trek towards enshrinement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the 11-year veteran moved up the all-time receiving yards ladder in Thursday’s matchup.

Entering the divisional matchup, Evans sat in the 31st position with 11,894 yards, slightly behind Dallas Cowboys great -and Hall of Famer- Michael Irvin, who amassed 11,904 yards in his 12 years of service with the Cowboys. Baker Mayfield’s first pass attempt of the game was a completion to Evans for 15 yards, moving him into the Top 30 all-time.

Assuming Evans keeps his 1,000-yard streak intact this season, the Bucs WR will have at least 12,680 receiving yards in his career, surpassing DeAndre Hopkins for the 23rd most.

23. DeAndre Hopkins – 12,476

24. Brandon Marshall – 12,351

25. Antonio Brown – 12,291

26. Jimmy Smith – 12,287

27. Charlie Joiner – 12,146

28. Hines Ward – 12,083

29. Derrick Mason – 12,061

Oh, and Evans Is also closing in on being in exclusive company in receiving touchdowns. With two more of those, he will become just the 11th player in NFL history to record 100 or more.

Bucs WR Kameron Johnson questionable to return with an ankle injury

The Bucs receiver suffered an ankle injury during Thursday Night Football against the Atlanta Falcons.

Buccaneers wide receiver Kameron Johnson is questionable to return to their Thursday night matchup with the Atlanta Falcons with an ankle injury. The undrafted rookie was injured on Tampa Bay’s first offensive drive of the game.

The Bucs are already without receivers Jalen McMillan (hamstring) and Trey Palmer (concussion). They signed Sterling Shepard to the main roster and elevated Cody Thompson from the practice squad for the Thursday night game.

Johnson was spotted on the sideline on a bike, seemingly trying to test his ankle while the team decides on his future for the game. The broadcast said he remains questionable to return despite his appearance on the sideline.

If he is ruled out, expect more passing work for running backs Rachaad White and Bucky Irving and tight end Cade Otton. Liam Coen will have to be creative with his play-calling here, especially with any injuries happening to skill players.

What challenges does Kirk Cousins present for Bucs in Week 5?

The Buccaneers are gearing up for a Thursday night matchup with the Falcons, with their new quarterback Kirk Cousins under center.

Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season is here and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have an important division matchup in front of them. The Bucs will travel to Atlanta for a Thursday night showdown with the Falcons. The implications of this game will go a long way in deciding the NFC South winner at season’s end.

The Bucs currently sit in first place at 3-1, with the Falcons right behind them at 2-2. These don’t look like the same old Falcons of the past, as new quarterback Kirk Cousins leads them. Cousins has been a part of some of the league’s best offensive units during his time with the Minnesota Vikings. The Falcons offense isn’t near that caliber, but it shouldn’t be taken lightly with Cousins under center.

“He’s a good football player,” said head coach Todd Bowles. “We played him last year in Minnesota. We’ve had our chances to play him a few times, but he’s in a different offense this time. He’s got a lot more weapons than he had, than just [Justin] Jefferson and a couple of guys in Minnesota. He knows how to play the game. He runs the offense well, he knows where to go with the ball and how to get rid of the ball. He presents a great challenge.”

The Bucs defense will have to rise to the challenge on Thursday night against one of their biggest rivals.

WATCH: Bucs LB Lavonte David gets a strip-sack of Jalen Hurts

Lavonte David comes up with a huge defensive play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers again.

Lavonte David comes up with a huge defensive play for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers again.

With the Philadelphia Eagles in the red zone looking to cut the Bucs lead down to one score, David records a strip-sack on Jalen Hurts, giving the Bucs linebacker his 30th career forced fumble.

With the 30th forced fumble under his belt, David is now tied with Khalil Mack for the lead among active players. The 13-year veteran has totaled 34.5 career sacks, which ties him for seventh-most in Bucs franchise history with Chidi Ahanotu.

  1. Warren Sapp – 77.0
  2. Simeon Rice – 69.5
  3. Gerald McCoy – 54.5
  4. Shaquil Barrett – 45.0
  5. Chidi Ahanotu – 34.5

Bucs LB SirVocea Dennis ruled out against Eagles with a shoulder injury

Linebacker SirVocea Dennis left the Bucs’ Week 4 game with a shoulder injury.

This story was updated to add new information.

Buccaneers linebacker SirVocea Dennis suffered a shoulder injury during the Bucs’ Week 4 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles and has been ruled out.

Dennis was shaken up and left the game during the Eagles’ only scoring drive of the first half. The second-year linebacker has been splitting time with LB K.J. Britt at inside linebacker next to veteran Lavonte David.

Dennis is the latest Bucs defender to be injured this season, joining Vita Vea, Antoine Winfield Jr., and Calijah Kancey. Only Vea has been able to return from the injury report, so hopes will be high that Dennis will not miss significant time.

K.J. Britt will be expected to step up and play more meaningful snaps alongside Lavonte David in his absence.

Tom Brady responds to Baker Mayfield’s comments during game’s broadcast

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield was asked about how his role within the organization meshes with his personality ahead of today’s game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was asked about how his role within the organization meshes with his personality ahead of Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Bucs.

“They wanted me to come in, be myself, bring the joy back to football for guys who weren’t having as much fun,” Mayfield told reporters.

Tom Brady responded to those comments on the Fox broadcast during Sunday’s game. “I thought stressful was not having Super Bowl rings,” Brady responded. As a good portion of the current Bucs roster was on the Super Bowl winning team of the 2020 NFL season, Brady added “There was a mindset of a champion that I took to work everyday.”

“This wasn’t daycare. If I wanted to have fun, I was going to go to Disneyland (World) with my kids,” Brady concluded.

Likely, Mayfield was referencing the last year Brady was the Bucs’ quarterback, when the team finished 8-9 and nothing seemed to gel across the board. Nonetheless, what an exchange from the greatest of all-time to his successor, who has repeatedly stated that he was not here to fill in Brady’s shoes or be the second-coming of the former Bucs quarterback—but to be the best Baker Mayfield he could be.