Skip Bayless sounds off at Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles' defense after Kirk Cousins' Falcons take victory in Week 5
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons delivered a high-scoring offensive shootout at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday Night Football. The two teams combined for over 800 yards of offense and needed overtime to decide a winner.
While fans enjoyed the offensive festivities, Skip Bayless wasn't too pleased about the Buccaneers defense's performance and called out head coach Todd Bowles on X for allowing the Falcons to convert twice on fourth down, including the game-tying touchdown in the final quarter.
Bayless wrote:
"Bucs made two big-time running-play stops ... then on 4th and 4 missed the tackle on Mooney and let him waltz home for the tying TD. This Todd Bowles defense ... doesn't look anything like a Todd Bowles defense ... having already given up almost 400 yards."
Early in the fourth quarter, Tampa Bay's defense repelled Atlanta's offense on three straight attempts to score the game-tying touchdown and seemingly limit the damage to a field goal.
However, the Falcons went for it on fourth down, and quarterback Kirk Cousins threw a pass to wide receiver Darnell Mooney close to the line of scrimmage, which could have led to a turnover. But three missed tackles later, the home team had the touchdown it was looking for.
That wasn't the Tampa Bay defense's only late-game gaffe.
Skip Bayless lashes out at Buccaneers' fourth-quarter defensive display
With less than two minutes left in the game, the Buccaneers seemingly had the game wrapped up after Lavonte David picked off Kirk Cousins and allowed the offense to ice the game with a first down or kick an easy field goal to extend the lead to six.
However, two negative plays and a holding penalty took them out of field goal range, forcing them to punt the ball. Tampa Bay's defense was powerless to stop Cousins from driving the ball 51 yards down the field in 1:14 of game time and setting up a game-tying field goal attempt that Younghoe Koo converted to send the game to overtime.
Atlanta won the coin toss and elected to receive the kickoff. After Cousins completed two quick passes, Bayless saw the writing on the wall and posted:
"This is starting to feel inevitable. Bucs can't cover ANYbody and can't get any pressure on Cousins."
As the analyst predicted, on the next play, the Falcons quarterback found KhaDarel Hodge with a pass, who took it 45 yards for the walk-off touchdown.
Cousins finished with a career-high 509 passing yards, an indictment of the Buccaneers' defensive inefficiencies.