As Josh Alper shared for Pro Football Talk, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield suggested after the team’s 28-23 home loss to the New England Patriots this past Sunday that the Tampa Bay offense has lacked a “killer instinct” at times during the season.
While speaking with media members on Monday, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles was asked about Mayfield’s take.
Todd Bowles agrees with Baker Mayfield about lack of “killer instinct”
“We encourage our players to have accountability,” Bowles responded, per the JoeBucsFan website. “I don’t think we had a killer instinct [Sunday]. I thought we played like we had a bye week from an energy standpoint. You know, we have [a killer instinct] when we get rolling, and it’s good for him to speak up and say those things. He’s one of our captains. So, guys listen when [captains] speak. Accountability is making sure the guy next to you is doing their job. And you know, [Mayfield is] one of the guys that advocates that. He leads by example on offense.”
The Buccaneers needed only six offensive plays to jump out to an early 7-0 lead over the Patriots, but New England then outscored Tampa Bay to the tune of 21-3 before the hosts tallied their second touchdown of the contest. Granted, Mayfield was without injured wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan for the Week 10 clash. Evans (broken clavicle) and McMillan (neck) likely aren’t returning to the lineup anytime soon, and it’s unclear when Godwin (fibula) will play again this fall.
Todd Bowles defends Baker Mayfield over getting emotional after a loss
For a video clip posted on Monday evening, Bowles spoke with Aileen Hnatiuk of WFLA-TV about how he and Mayfield reacted to Sunday’s loss at Raymond James Stadium.
“[Mayfield] said some things in the locker room,” Bowles revealed, according to JoeBucsFan. “I said some things in the locker room. We kind of see things the same way most of the time. We understand where we are and what we have to do to get better. We’ll go from there. Baker is p—. I’m p—. The team should be p—. Everybody should be p—off.”
Things will get no easier for the 6-3 Buccaneers when they play at the Buffalo Bills (6-3) this coming Sunday. As of Tuesday morning, ESPN BET had Tampa Bay as a 5.5-point underdog for that matchup.
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