It’s not too late, but it’s not too good either for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They’ll send a rookie quarterback into the fray as a starter for the second week in a row as they try to secure their first victory of the season.
It’s not ideal, particularly for coach Todd Bowles, whose status seemed shaky last December and January.
Now imagine the scrutiny as the only team in the NFC with a winless record.
Bowles might have already used his get-to-keep-my-job card following last season, so whether there’s a reprieve or grace period because quarterback Baker Mayfield is sidelined with a thumb injury is part of the unknown.
But what is known is that these are challenging times for the Buccaneers.
They’ll go with Jalon Daniels at quarterback for Thursday night’s game at the Dallas Cowboys (2-2), who ought to be in their own form of desperation while facing a winless team minus its top QB.
Daniels had his moments in Sunday’s 17-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
“Some good plays were made being able to see and watch the film of that game helped me be able to grow in a lot of different ways,” Daniels said early this week.
Daniels’ first NFL start came with encouraging stretches that ordinarily wouldn’t be connected with a doomsday tag attached to the team. But this Tampa Bay team hasn’t won a game, so everything becomes more extreme.
Daniels, who wasn’t selected in last spring’s draft coming out of Kansas, seems eager to get back on the field and see where he can make improvements. This is a short week for the Buccaneers, so that’s less time to sort through the details, though it’s also a chance for him to see where he can show progress.
Daniels has said that Mayfield has been at his side to offer insight and support at every turn.
But Dallas is the NFL’s second-highest scoring team despite some of its warts, so the Buccaneers are bound to have to produce at heightened efficiency on offense.
Then there’s extra time following the Dallas game if significant staff changes are deemed necessary.
There might be a way out of the demise, partially because no team in the NFC South has compiled more than two victories so far. The Buccaneers still have all six of their intra-division games remaining.
Bowles has a 35-36 regular-season record with the Buccaneers, with a pair of winning seasons and two 8-9 marks. They’ve won the NFC South three times under his watch, including with one of those 8-9 records in 2022.
The Buccaneers are 1-9 in their last 10 night games during a three-season stretch. They’re certainly not built for prime time at the moment.
The question remains: Will another loss result in lights out for Bowles and Co.?
Discussion about this post