TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers four-game winning streak came to an end Sunday night with a 26-24 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
On Monday, Bucs Head Coach Todd Bowles sat down with Dan Lucas for their weekly “Bucs with Bowles” interview. The coach did not hold back on his disappointment with plays on defense, and a pair of turnovers where the ball was ripped out of the hands of an offensive player both times.
The first turnover occurred in the 4th quarter, with the Bucs trailing 26-17. Quarterback Baker Mayfield found Wide Receiver Jalen McMillan down the middle of the field, a throw that hit McMillan at the Cowboys one-yard line. But when McMillan emerged from the ground, the ball was in the hands of Cowboys Defensive Back Jourdan Lewis.
On the Bucs’ final possession of the game, Mayfield escaped a sack by flipping the ball to Running Back Rachaad White, who also had the ball ripped from his hands.
A possible setup for a game-winning field goal attempt was over.
Defensively, missed tackles were a major culprit on a night of ordinary plays becoming big moments for the Cowboys.
The loss cost the Bucs their lead in the NFC South with two games to play.
The Bucs must win both games and have the Atlanta Falcons lose one of their games, to avoid a tiebreaker with Atlanta. The Falcons would win the division.
A wild card scenario would require the Bucs to win both of their remaining games and have the Washington Commanders lose their games. The tiebreaker favors the Bucs due to their head-to-head win over Washington.