How Hot is Tampa Bay Buccaneers Todd Bowles' Head Coaching Seat?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach is one of the favorites to be the next NFL head coach to be let go from his position.

Sep 15, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles argues with an official in the fourth quarter of their game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently 4-6 after losing four straight and five of their last six games after such a promising start to the season. The Bucs have been riddled all season with the injury bug and the defense hasn't been nearly as sharp from what we have come to expect from a Todd Bowles-led defense.

The Buccaneers currently sit two games back of the Atlanta Falcons for the NFC South lead and at this point, it seems like a pipe dream for the franchise to make the playoffs as they no longer control their destiny. However, we have seen them do it before as they were in a similar situation last year.

Clearly, things have gone in a different direction than everyone had thought after such a promising start and a lot of the blame has been cast on the Bucs' head coach Todd Bowles for the team's underperformance. Bowles has occasionally had lapses as the head coach whether it pertains to clock management, play calling, having the right personnel, and so on. However, the real dagger that has reared its ugly head has been the level of play by the defense.

READ MORE: Will Daniel Jones Start for the Giants Against the Buccaneers in Week 12?

Over the Bucs' last six games, the defense ranks last in the league in scoring defense (31.3 ppg) and total defense (425.3 ypg), and second to last in pass defense (304.3 pg) and passer rating (118.6). That is just not going to cut it.

Then you add in the fact that the Bucs have lost in walk-off fashion three times and you start to wonder what the heck is going on and why Bowles is making some of the decisions that he is.

Bowles has had an up-and-down tenure as the Bucs' head coach after being handed the reigns once Bruce Arians retired, but things seem to be heating up for him as he currently owns the fifth-best odds to be the next NFL head coach fired at 14/1, according to BetOnline.ag.

Who’ll be the next #NFL HC fired?

Doug Pederson (-125)
Matt Eberflus (+150)
Brian Daboll (+500)
Mike McCarthy (+600)
Todd Bowles (14/1)
Jerod Mayo (16/1)
Kevin Stefanski (16/1)
Zac Taylor (16/1)
Shane Steichen (20/1)
Mike McDaniel (33/1)

[odds via @BetOnline_ag]

— Jaime Eisner (@JaimeEisner) November 11, 2024

Only the Jaguars' Doug Pederson, Bears' Matt Eberflus, Giants' Brian Daboll, and Cowboys' Mike McCarthy have better odds as the next head coach to be fired.

READ MORE: What Is Holding the Buccaneers Back from Finishing Games?

Bowles has been criticized as a head coach going back to his days as the head coach of the New York Jets. After landing in Tampa Bay as the defensive coordinator under Arians, the Bucs' defense rose to great heights as they helped carry the Buccaneers' to Super Bowl LV for the franchise's second Lombardi Trophy.

The move to make him head coach made sense once Arians retired, but Bowles' defense along with the head coaching moves haven't lived up to the expectations that were placed upon him. There is no denying that Bowles is a good coordinator but the question has once again arisen that he might not be cut out to be a head coach in the league.

With questionable decision-making going on, not coming together as a team, and the mistakes on the side of the ball he calls, it comes into question how much longer will he last as the Buccaneers head man. While I don't foresee the Bucs making a drastic change mid-year it will be interesting to see what direction they go this offseason as offensive coordinator Liam Coen will likely garner some interviews for a head coaching gig and if they would like to retain him they could look at either moving on from Bowles or see if he would be willing to return to a coordinator position.

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