The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered 2026 expecting to compete for the NFC South. Three games into the season, those expectations have already taken a serious hit.
Bowles’ Job Security Is Becoming a Major Story
Tampa Bay is 0-3 after losing 23-16 at home to the Minnesota Vikings. Now, the pressure surrounding head coach Todd Bowles has reached another level.
Prisco Says Bowles Is Feeling the Heat
Before the season, there was already speculation that Bowles could be fired if Tampa Bay endured another losing campaign.
Following Sunday’s loss, NFL reporter Pete Prisco provided an update during a Monday appearance on CBS Sports HQ.
His assessment was blunt.
“That thing [hot seat] is searing underneath him right now,” Prisco said about Bowles, per JoeBucsFan. “And it should be. I mean, this is a team that went into the season in a bad division that I thought would win the division and play good football. They have not played good football at all, and there’s a variety of reasons. They haven’t got better on the offensive line, which I thought they’d be good on the offensive line. The pass rushers haven’t established themselves. …They haven’t rushed the passer. They have a lot of busts in the secondary. I’ll be honest with you. They look poorly coached.”
That is a significant indictment of the Buccaneers and their coaching staff.
Tampa Bay has struggled in multiple areas, and Prisco believes those problems point back to Bowles.
Mayfield’s Injury Makes Things Even More Difficult
The situation became even more complicated when Baker Mayfield suffered a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand against Minnesota.
Mayfield is expected to miss at least three weeks, leaving Tampa Bay without its starting quarterback.
Undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels will now make his first career start against the Green Bay Packers. Tampa Bay enters that matchup at 0-3, while Green Bay sits at 1-2.
The Buccaneers are currently expected to be underdogs, adding another challenge to an already difficult situation.
Bowles’ Message Did Not Sit Well With Prisco
Following the Vikings loss, Bowles pointed out that Tampa Bay remains only one game behind in the NFC South.
That may be factually accurate, but Prisco questioned whether it was the right message to deliver publicly. It isn’t.
“The offensive line. … They haven’t been very good,” Prisco added. “So I think the heat is on [Bowles]. I mean, when Todd Bowles starts saying, ‘Yeah, we’re not, we’re 0-3, but we’re only one game behind in division,’ that’s the reality of it. But you shouldn’t quite be saying that publicly. I don’t think that’s the message to be sending. So I like Todd a lot, but I’ll be honest with you, I think he’s in big trouble.”
That assessment reflects how quickly the conversation surrounding Bowles has changed.
Instead of discussing how Tampa Bay can contend for the division, the focus is now on whether Bowles can survive the season.
The Buccaneers Need a Turnaround
There is still plenty of time remaining on Tampa Bay’s schedule.
The NFC South also remains within reach, giving the Buccaneers a legitimate opportunity to change the narrative.
However, the team needs to start winning before that opportunity disappears.
With Mayfield sidelined and Daniels preparing for his first NFL start, the pressure will only increase on Bowles and his staff.
If Tampa Bay continues losing, the questions surrounding Bowles’ future will become impossible to ignore.
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