The Game The Bucs Never Recovered From
January 13th, 2026
Worst 2025 moment?
It was so bad, even the opposing coach pitied the Bucs.
Bucs coach Todd Bowles (and his quarterback Baker Mayfield) has a very poor record in night games. Why that is, Joe will never figure out.
And Bowles’ defense always gets tied in knots by Rams head coach Sean McVay, unless McVay is playing his fourth-string quarterback due to injuries.
Even when America’s Quarterback, Jameis Winston, rang up the Rams in 2019 in a 55-40 Bucs win in the historic Coliseum, then-Rams quarterback Jared Goff hung 517 yards passing on Bowles.
McVay was at it again in late November. The Rams curb-stomped the Bucs 34-7 on a Sunday night before the eyes of America. McVay called off the dogs in the third quarter in Enos Stanley Kroenke’s playpen. Nobody Joe knows saw such a humiliating beatdown coming.
Gilberto Manzano of SI.com thinks that alley-beating broke the Bucs. They never did recover.
Worst moment: Tampa Bay endured its fair share of heartbreakers, including the blown 14-point fourth-quarter lead to Atlanta in Week 15. But the Buccaneers were embarrassed 34–7 by the Rams in Week 12, a reminder that they didn’t belong with Super Bowl contenders. Tampa Bay was only in the postseason mix until the end because it resided in the subpar NFC South. If they were in any other division, the Buccaneers would not have survived losing seven out of eight games before the regular-season finale against the Panthers.
The Bucs will have a tough offseason. This team will seek help in many areas. The offense is pretty set other than tight end and Joe thinks AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht may want to draft a running back on the second day of the draft.
Running back will be an interesting decision. Joe thinks the Bucs will miss Rachaad White’s versatility. And who knows what state of mind Bucky Irving will be in.
The defense needs help, especially at linebacker.