Baker Mayfield threw two touchdown passes but also a crucial late interception Thursday. Nathan Ray Seebeck / Imagn Images
After squandering a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter and a chance to take control of the NFC South division race, Tampa Bay Buccaneers players and their coach were visibly and vocally angry following Thursday night’s 29-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
And so were Bucs fans.
“This was inexcusable,” Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles said in his postgame news conference. “We don’t make excuses. You gotta f—ing care enough where the s— hurts. It’s gotta f—ing mean something to you. It’s more than a job. It’s your f—ing livelihood. How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job? We can’t sugarcoat that s—. It was f—ing inexcusable, and there’s no f—ing answer for it. There’s no excuse for it. That’s what you tell them in the locker room: Look in the f—ing mirror.”
The Buccaneers once were 5-1 and No. 1 in many power rankings. Since then, they’ve lost six of eight games and now have a 53 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to The Athletic’s playoff simulator. The Carolina Panthers are in the driver’s seat to win the NFC South, although the teams do play each other twice in the final three weeks. So it’s all in the Bucs’ hands to win the division.
Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans, who missed nine games with multiple injuries, returned Thursday night and caught six passes for 132 yards. But his brilliant performance was overshadowed by the stunning loss, and even before the Falcons’ winning kick, he reportedly began heading off the field toward the locker room in disgust.
Evans was also seen yelling in anger on the sidelines as the Falcons were making their winning rally and also muttering to himself angrily after the game as he walked to the locker room.
Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield passed for 277 yards and two touchdowns, but he threw a critical interception with the Bucs driving toward what could have been a game-sealing score. The pick occurred with 8:28 remaining and led to a Falcons touchdown that cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 2.
“This one’s going to haunt me,” Mayfield said. “This falls on my shoulders.”
“This one’s gonna haunt me, this falls on my shoulders.”
—Baker Mayfield after the Bucs loss to the Falcons pic.twitter.com/1KZUWdArFx
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 12, 2025