Bowles challenges Bucs: 'We got to decide what our fate is'

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles is searching for his team's identity after suffering a one-sided 35-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

With the offense held off the scoreboard until the third quarter and the defense surrendering 404 total yards, Tampa Bay finds itself at a pivotal moment in the 2022 campaign.

"We've got to decide what team we want to be," Bowles said postgame. "We can't be one set of Bucs and another set of Bucs. It's got to mean something."

The coach didn't blame the team's lackluster performance on any one side, instead insisting it was a complete failure from everyone involved.

"As a coach, you don't go on the field, but we definitely got outcoached, so we're not excused from this at all," Bowles said. "But we got outplayed as well. As a team, as a group, we gotta buckle down, and we got to decide what our fate is in the next few weeks."

Bowles noted that Tampa's eight penalties for 62 yards didn't help matters.

The 6-7 Bucs remain a game ahead of the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons for first place in the NFC South. Tampa Bay has won three of its last five games and is attempting to earn a playoff berth despite erratic play down the stretch.

"We've got a one-game lead with four games to go," Bowles said. "We want it, or we don't."

Quarterback Tom Brady wasn't sharp in Sunday's defeat. He completed 34 of 55 passes for 253 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The future Hall of Famer said the Bucs haven't played well consistently for four quarters but added that this week's loss wouldn't impact the team going forward.

"You got to put the work in, you gotta dig deep, and keep fighting," said Brady

Tampa Bay will try to bounce back against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15.