Have the Buccaneers Become Complacent to Finish the 2023 NFL Season?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been trending in the wrong direction ever since their bye Week. They’ve lost six of their last seven games and face must-win scenarios in their remaining six games of the season. Despite all of that they are just one game out of first place in the NFC South and just one game out of a Wild Card spot.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had some interesting comments after the 27-20 loss to the Colts.
“Until everybody gets pissed off enough to get it fixed, there will be no changes,” Mayfield said. “I know where I’m gonna head at the end of this week. I’ll get my job fixed and try to drag as many people along as well.”
That’s a damning statement.
When asked for clarification on Wednesday Mayfield said it's about accountability. With so many young players on the roster, they need to make them understand that making the playoffs is guaranteed and they need to continue to push and work their butts off.
“For me, my mindset right now – and it should be for the whole team – is we’re in a playoff-mode mentality," Mayfield said. "We have to take care of business each week to move on and to get to where we want to go. It’s a matter of we don’t really have a lot of room [for error], there’s no slack. We have to pick up the pace. We have to have a sense of urgency about it. I think now everybody realizes what is at stake. We have to win out. We have to win these division games to get to where we want to go and to get into the playoffs."
The urgency in the locker room is as high as ever with six games remaining on the schedule and each as important at the next.
"It’s a sense of urgency," Mayfield said. "It’s a matter of guys doing all the treatment and getting everything we need to get done. Young guys stepping up and realizing that they’re going to play a pivotal role in this final season push that we have. Everybody just has to be on board.”
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles doesn't feel like complacency has set into the locker room, rather the team is young and those players need to be more accountable.
“There’s no complacency, there’s just youth," Bowles said. "It’s accountability. You’ve got to bring one along. Everybody is playing hard, but until they start being accountable for each other – and I’ve told them this – we won’t turn this corner until they start being accountable for each other on the field.”
Bowles backtracked on his statement a bit when asked if the team is missing a veteran leader to rile guys up and really hold them accountable saying that it's more of a youth and inexperience than anything.
“They’re accountable – let’s not put this out of proportion. These guys play hard, they work hard. They’re immature in some ways because they haven’t played in a bunch of ballgames. We have enough guys to make plays – we’ve just got to make a play here or there. It has nothing to do completely with accountability or holding each other accountable.
"Certain guys are shy and won’t speak as much, but they play just as hard. It's not a thing of nobody is holding anybody accountable – certain guys are, certain guys have got to become leaders. That’s just how football is when you’re young.”
Whether it's complacency or accountability the Bucs have little margin for error and will need to have their best efforts in every game going forward. They need to cut down on mental mistakes and self-inflicted wounds to ensure they punch a ticket to the dance. Though even that might be enough.
You can follow JC Allen on Twitter @JCAllenNFL.
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