Bucks head coach Todd Bowles had a serious message for his team after a hard-fought game and many mistakes. 28-13 victory About the visiting Las Vegas Raiders. The win, which ended a three-game losing streak at Raymond James Stadium, and Atlanta’s 35-21 loss, put Tampa Bay in sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
for the time being.
“Being number one is one thing, but it’s a whole thing.” [other] There’s something that stays there,” Bowles said. “We have four games left. It’s going to be a constant battle. We have to prepare every week.”
Tampa Bay has won three straight since the bye week, when the team went 4-6, and at one point was three games behind Atlanta, which dominated the Bucs earlier this year. The Bucks’ three-game winning streak and the Falcons’ four-game losing streak combined to give Tampa Bay the lead in the NFC South.
Bucks head coach Todd Bowles – Photo courtesy of USA Today
The Bucks are currently 7-6, and the Falcons have fallen from 6-3 on the season to 6-7. With four games remaining, Tampa Bay will decide its own fate. If the Bucks win all four games remaining on their schedule, they will finish 11-6 and win their fourth straight NFC South title regardless of the Falcons’ results.
That’s what Bowles meant in his postgame address to the team in a very excited Tampa Bay locker room at Raymond James Stadium.
“Well, just like I’m telling these guys, just because we’re first, it’s another thing. It’s all about staying first. [other] transaction. The competition period is 4 weeks. I am happy that we will be able to play meaningful soccer in December. We understand what that means. You have to go out and shut out games every week, but it feels good. ”
Bucks no stranger to meaningful football in December
The Bucks are in a similar situation to a year ago. The team started with the same 3 wins and 1 loss, but by the middle of the season their record had changed to 4 wins and 6 losses. In fact, Tampa Bay fell to 4-7, but won five of its final six games to finish 9-8 and win its third straight district title. The Bucks went 4-1 last December, losing just once to the Saints at home on New Year’s Eve, 23-13.
Bucks RT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Tampa Bay is already 2-0 as of December, following a 26-23 overtime win over Carolina last week and a 28-13 win over Las Vegas on Sunday. Next up is two road games next Sunday in Los Angeles against an 8-4 Chargers team that will face Kansas City on Sunday Night Football, followed by a trip to Dallas on Dec. 22. The Bucks will return home and face the Panthers again on the 2nd. Dec. 29, the first week of January, before the Week 18 home game against the Saints, the final game of the season.
The Bucks’ social media publicly shared a short message to the team from head coach Todd Bowles.
“We have four games left,” Bowles said in a video posted by the Bucks on social media. “December football. We’re trying to play meaningful football in December, right? We still have four games left. We have a two-game road trip. See you Wednesday.”
Importantly for the team, non-injured players do not need to be in the facility on Monday. They will take a day off for “Victory Monday” and return to practice on Wednesday.
The Bucs came off a tackle and after Bowles’ speech, team captain Tristan Wirfs brought the team apart.
“Hey, good job today, guys. How to keep the (expletive) swinging,” Wirfs said. “That’s enough. One day at a time. Let’s keep improving.”
