Todd Bowles Dodges Talent Question
January 6th, 2026
Bucs coach Todd Bowles.
One reason there was so much hype for the 2025 season was it seemed like the Bucs were finally going to get over the hump and win postseason games.
And maybe, just maybe, a Super Bowl appearance?
The Bucs had a veteran-laden offense with a powerful offensive line, stacked receivers and a dangerous tailback returning from a team that should have won its first-round game of the playoffs the season before.
And if you think about it, the Bucs had a better roster than the team that lost by eight points at Detroit in the second round of the playoffs following the 2023 season.
Of course, after getting out to a 6-2 mark, the Bucs fully collapse with an 8-9 record.
So was the talent on the roster overrated? Bucs coach Todd Bowles was asked if the 2025 talent was capable of fighting for a Super Bowl berth.
Bowles punted.
“I feel like we had enough talent to win,” Bowles said. “The mistakes we made weren’t talent-driven; they were more mistake-driven.”
Win what? A crappy division with a losing record? A wild card game? An NFC title game? Bowles didn’t say.
Or maybe he was just talking about regular season games? Your guess is as good as Joe’s.
There’s no two ways about this: The Bucs had injuries, so too did San Francisco, which played in a significantly better division. The 49ers found a way to make the playoffs.
Simply put, the coaches let this team down. There’s no way one can objectively say the team was coached up.