For five seasons, Todd Bowles’ defense had lived on the right side of NFL trivia. That streak ended Thursday night in gut-wrenching fashion. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers surrendered a fourth-and-14 conversion
during their 29-28 Week 15 collapse against the Atlanta Falcons. It marked the first time since 2020 that Tampa Bay failed to stop an opponent on fourth-and-14 or longer. Before that moment, the Bucs had turned away eight straight such attempts. They have built a quiet reputation for long-yardage resilience. That, however, vanished at the worst possible time.