Two years after being fired by the Jets, Todd Bowles is heading to the Super Bowl.
Bowles reunited with Bruce Arians and became the Buccaneers’ defensive coordinator after he was dismissed by New York. Now Tampa Bay is heading to Super Bowl LIV after defeating the Packers, 31-26, in the NFC Championship game on Sunday. Bowles’ defense did just enough to hold off Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay’s high-powered offense, forcing two turnovers and limiting the Packers to their fourth-lowest point total of the year.
It was hardly a surprising effort from Bowles’ unit. The Buccaneers defense was sixth in yards allowed (327.1 yards) and eighth in points allowed (22.2 points) in 2020.
The Jets hired Bowles to be their head coach in 2015 and spent four seasons with New York. He had a 24-40 record over those four years and didn’t make the playoffs despite a 10-6 record in his first season. He was let go after the 2018 season.
This will be Bowles’ first Super Bowl appearance as a coach in the NFL. He was a safety with Washington when it won Super Bowl XXII. Washington defeated Denver, 42-10. Now Bowles has a chance to capture his second ring if his defense can stop Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.
A few other notable ex-Jets played on Championship Sunday. Buccaneers defensive tackle Steve McLendon recorded three tackles in the win over the Packers. He was traded from the Jets to the Buccaneers in the middle of this season. Bills returner Andre Roberts failed to have any return yards in his team’s loss to the Chiefs. Roberts was with the Jets in 2018 before signing with the Bills the following offseason.
Le’Veon Bell is also heading to the Super Bowl — on the Jets’ dime — but he didn’t play in the AFC Championship game due to a knee injury. He was released by the Jets about a quarter of the way into this season and was signed by the Chiefs.