Buccaneers Game Decision “Shocking” To Chris Simms
November 17th, 2025
The porous Bills defense seemed to spook Todd Bowles yesterday.
What other reason could there be for the Bucs to pass on a fourth-quarter 4th-and-2 try at their own 39 yard line with about 7:30 remaining and the Bills leading 37-32? Buffalo had scored 16 points on its prior three drives, needing only 14 plays to put those three scores on the board.
In the moment, the Bucs defense was overmatched and ineffective. Still, Bowles opted to punt the ball to the sizzling hot Bills offense.
The punt was damn good. The problem was the Bills churned out an 85-yard drive in 8 plays. Ballgame.
Joe always is in favor of putting the game in the hands of your best players. On 3rd-and-2, the Bucs opted for a pass to Sterling Shepard rather than decide they were in two-play territory and run behind Tristan Wirfs, for example.
Former Bucs quarterback Chris Simms was appalled by the Bowles decision to punt — on the road — and hand the ball to Josh Allen, rather than let Baker Mayfield operate on 4th-and-2 in the fourth quarterback. Some might call that Bakertown.
Simms acknowledged he’s a “kick the ball” guy most of the time. But Simms emphasized that’s when a game is a defensive struggle or you’re handing the ball back to a shaky quarterback.
Neither was true yesterday.
“This was since the second quarter, nobody stops anybody,” Simms said. “Everybody’s going up and down the field. So you thought here with Josh Allen just going up and down the field that you punt to him and all of a sudden the defense took the magic pill this one series and was like, ‘Now we can stop them!’
“No, you can’t. That was shocking to me in the moment. Shocking.”
Joe has to recognize Bowles has punted in similar situations this year and when it’s been controversial and ultimately correct. However, Sunday was not that day against a quarterback having a record-breaking game.