<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-gerald-mccoy-defends-todd-bowles-falcons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Gerald McCoy takes to social media to defend Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles after Falcons disaster');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Former-NFL-player-Gerald-McCoy.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Gerald McCoy takes to social media to defend Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles after Falcons disaster</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T11:53:45-08:00">December 12th, 11:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T13:45:51-08:00">December 12th, 1:45pm</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-tristan-wirfs-cant-believe-insane-collapse-vs-falcons">Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Week 15 collapse against the Atlanta Falcons</a> sparked anger across Raymond James Stadium, but Gerald McCoy aimed the conversation in a different direction when it came to Todd Bowles. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/falcons-news-kirk-cousins-heroics-buccaneers-epic-comeback">Buccaneers blew a 28–14 fourth-quarter lead and fell 29–28</a> on Thursday Night Football, a loss that felt heavier than the standings. Fans demanded answers. Blame followed fast. McCoy chose a harder message.</p><p>Taking to social media, the former Buccaneers captain <a href="https://x.com/Geraldini93/status/1999487904985325777" rel="noopener">spoke</a> as both a fan and a leader. “We can’t just say Todd Bowles, Todd Bowles,” Gerald McCoy wrote. He made it clear that the frustration is shared. He also made one thing clear. Accountability doesn’t stop at the headset. “At some point, we have to say ok, when do we look at the players? ‘” he added, pointing to preparation issues showing up on game day. It wasn’t deflection. It was a confrontation.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-playoff-odds-plummet-shocking-meltdown-falcons">The loss dropped the Buccaneers to 7–7</a> and marked their fifth defeat in six games after a 6–2 start. Worse, it cracked open the NFC South race. The Carolina Panthers now sit ahead of Tampa Bay. A Panthers win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday would force the Buccaneers to sweep both upcoming games against the Panthers.</p><p>Under the lights, the collapse felt loud. The silence felt louder after.</p><h2><b>Pressure rises as Buccaneers’ Bowles demands more</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-todd-bowles-cant-stop-f-bombs-tnf-meltdown-falcons">Todd Bowles didn’t soften the message</a> after the Falcons’ loss. He erupted. The normally calm coach delivered a raw assessment of effort and focus. It wasn’t about the scheme. It was about urgency and accountability.</p><p>History still offers a thin thread of belief. This is the third time in four seasons Bowles’ Buccaneers have been .500 or worse after Week 15. Each of the past two ended with an NFC South title. The path remains simple. Beat Carolina twice. Survive the noise.</p><p>But simplicity doesn’t mean easy. The Buccaneers now face a defining question. Do they respond together, or let another fourth quarter decide who they really are?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Gerald McCoy takes to social media to defend Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles after Falcons disaster

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-falcons-4th-down-conversion-hadnt-happened-tampa-bay-5-years');   ga('set', 'title', 'Falcons’ 4th-down conversion hadn’t happened to Buccaneers in 5 years');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Tampa-Bay-Buccaneers-head-coach-and-defensive-coordinator-Todd-Bowles-looks-on-before-the-game-against-the-Atlanta-Falcons-at-Raymond-James-Stadium.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Falcons’ 4th-down conversion hadn’t happened to Buccaneers in 5 years</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T06:16:37-08:00">December 12th, 6:16am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T06:16:37-08:00">December 12th, 6:16am</time><address><a href="http://hoopnut.blogspot.com/">Enzo Flojo</a>Enzo Flojo is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints and a columnist for Asian basketball at FIBA. He brings a dynamic spirit and background, having expertise that spans writing, analytics, coaching, and broadcasting. He is also currently an Assistant Coach on Scouting &amp; Analytics for the Philippine national youth basketball team.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Falcons</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>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 <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-tristan-wirfs-cant-believe-insane-collapse-vs-falcons">during their 29-28 Week 15 collapse</a> 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.</p><p>The breakdown came late in Atlanta’s stunning 15-0 fourth-quarter rally. That was when Kirk Cousins converted the pivotal fourth down to keep the drive alive. It was the kind of snap Bowles’ defenses typically feast on, but coverage lapses and a lack of pressure opened the door. <a href="https://x.com/gregauman/status/1999354417984975119" rel="noopener">The historical echo was cruel</a>: the last time it happened, Daniel Jones hit Sterling Shepard on fourth-and-16 in 2020. Yet, Tampa Bay still escaped that game with a W. This time, there was no such consolation.</p><p>The conversion loomed large in a brutal Week 15 loss that saw the Buccaneers squander a 28-14 fourth-quarter lead. Atlanta followed the fourth-down escape by marching into range for Zane Gonzalez’s walk-off field goal. It capped a Tampa Bay night defined by missed chances and defensive breakdowns. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-baker-mayfield-shoulders-blame-4th-quarter-collapse-falcons">Baker Mayfield’s late interception</a> only compounded the damage. It turned a potential clincher into catastrophe.</p><p>At 7-7, Tampa Bay now finds itself in a tight NFC South race instead of firm control. Meanwhile, the Falcons walk away with a morale-boosting comeback that reshaped the division race. For the Buccaneers, the sting isn’t just knowing a five-year standard crumbled on one snap. It’s that they may no longer recover from this late season downward spiral.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Falcons’ 4th-down conversion hadn’t happened to Buccaneers in 5 years

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-most-blame-loss-falcons-week-15-2025');   ga('set', 'title', 'Buccaneers most to blame for epic TNF collapse against Falcons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/%E2%9A%A1%EF%B8%8FBuccaneers-most-to-blame-for-epic-TNF-collapse-against-Falcons.jpg"></figure><h1>Buccaneers most to blame for epic TNF collapse against Falcons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T05:36:28-08:00">December 12th, 5:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T05:36:28-08:00">December 12th, 5:36am</time><address><a href="http://hoopnut.blogspot.com/">Enzo Flojo</a>Enzo Flojo is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints and a columnist for Asian basketball at FIBA. He brings a dynamic spirit and background, having expertise that spans writing, analytics, coaching, and broadcasting. He is also currently an Assistant Coach on Scouting &amp; Analytics for the Philippine national youth basketball team.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Falcons</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Thursday night was supposed to be a turning point for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A prime-time stage, divisional stakes, and a chance to steady a season that had quietly slipped off course after a 6–2 start. Instead, it turned into the defining low point of their 2025 campaign. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-tristan-wirfs-cant-believe-insane-collapse-vs-falcons">Tampa Bay’s stunning 29–28 collapse</a> against the Atlanta Falcons was a referendum on everything that has gone wrong over the past six weeks. Fans witnessed missed tackles, missed assignments, and missed opportunities. When the moment demanded composure and execution, the Buccaneers delivered chaos instead. At 7–7 and suddenly clinging to fading playoff hopes, the Bucs exposed the structural cracks threatening to pull the entire season apart.</p><h2><b>A meltdown to forget</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Baker-Mayfield.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Buccaneers appeared in full control late into the third quarter of this clash. Baker Mayfield had thrown three early touchdown passes. The offense was moving efficiently, and Tampa Bay carried a commanding 28–14 lead into the fourth quarter. The Falcons, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-painful-irony-loss-to-falcons-despite-19-penalties">sloppy and penalty-prone</a>, looked overwhelmed.</p><p>Then everything unraveled.</p><p>Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins engineered a ruthless 15–0 comeback. He just carved up a Tampa Bay defense that seemed to forget how to tackle, cover, or communicate. Tight end Kyle Pitts torched the secondary repeatedly. He finished with three touchdowns, while Bijan Robinson punished defenders in space. Even after Tampa Bay had a golden chance to seal the game on 3rd-and-28, the Bucs failed to put it away. Moments later, Zane Gonzalez drilled a walk-off field goal to complete the collapse.</p><p>Todd Bowles’ profane sideline eruption afterward said what the scoreboard already had: this loss was ‘inexcusable.’ Tampa Bay dropped to a tie atop the NFC South. They are, however, trending sharply in the wrong direction after losing four of their last five games.</p><p>Here we’ll try to look at and discuss the Tampa Bay Buccaneers most to blame for <a href="https://www.espn.ph/nfl/boxscore/_/gameId/401772948" rel="noopener">their primetime Week 15 loss</a> to Falcons.</p><h2><b>QB Baker Mayfield</b></h2><p>On paper, Mayfield had a respectable night. He completed 59 percent of his passes for 250 yards. He spread the ball to seven receivers and reconnected seamlessly with Mike Evans. Early on, Mayfield looked confident, decisive, and capable of leading Tampa Bay to a much-needed win.</p><p>Once again, though, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-baker-mayfield-shoulders-blame-4th-quarter-collapse-falcons">the critical moments told a different story</a>.</p><p>Mayfield was tentative in the pocket when pressure mounted. He took unnecessary sacks instead of throwing the ball away. He absorbed five sacks overall, several of which killed drives or flipped field position. Most damaging was his fourth-quarter interception while holding a seven-point lead. It was an avoidable mistake that swung momentum squarely in Atlanta’s favor.</p><p>The Buccaneers didn’t need hero ball. They needed situational awareness, clock control, and ball security. Instead, Mayfield pressed when patience was required. He continued a troubling trend of turnovers and hesitation in high-leverage moments.</p><h2><b>Offensive line</b></h2><p>The Buccaneers’ offensive line once again failed the moment it mattered most. With Ben Bredeson and Cody Mauch sidelined, Tampa Bay’s interior protection collapsed repeatedly. Center Graham Barton was blown off the ball too often. Pressure up the middle made Mayfield uncomfortable throughout the night.</p><p>Pass protection was a consistent liability. Atlanta recorded five sacks and countless pressures, particularly when Tampa Bay tried to drain clock late. On what should have been a game-clinching possession, the line allowed immediate penetration that resulted in a four-yard loss on a Bucky Irving run. Forced into an obvious passing situation, Mayfield was promptly sacked on third down. That handed Atlanta one final opportunity.</p><h2><b>Entire defense</b></h2><p>If there’s a single unit that deserves the harshest scrutiny, it’s Tampa Bay’s defense. Entering the game, expectations were already low. Somehow, the performance still managed to disappoint.</p><p>The pass rush was virtually nonexistent. Outside of Haason Reddick’s lone sack-fumble, the Buccaneers failed to consistently pressure Cousins. The defensive line couldn’t win one-on-one matchups. That left the secondary exposed for extended stretches.</p><p>Linebacker play was particularly damaging. Nick Jackson struggled mightily in coverage and run fits. Meanwhile, Deion Jones offered little resistance. Lavonte David, the emotional leader of the defense, surrendered a crucial late touchdown to Kyle Pitts in coverage. It was an uncharacteristic but costly lapse.</p><p>The secondary was no better. Christian Izien battled but was overmatched early. Zyon McCollum exited early, Benjamin Morrison was a healthy scratch, and coverage busts became routine. The most egregious came on 4th-and-14. That’s when Tampa Bay inexplicably allowed David Sills V to get behind the defense and extend the Falcons’ final drive.</p><p>Bad tackling. Soft zone coverage. Poor communication. The Buccaneers’ defensive performance was a masterclass in how to lose a winnable game.</p><h2><b>Coaching</b></h2><p>Bowles might be on his way out sooner rather than later. Defensively, he stubbornly stuck with zone concepts that Pitts shredded all night. The breaking point came on Atlanta’s final drive. That’s when the Buccaneers somehow had 12 men on the field. They gifted the Falcons a first down and prime field position. That penalty alone could define Bowles’ tenure.</p><p>Offensively, Josh Grizzard showed flashes of creativity. That said, his late-game sequencing was baffling. With a lead and the clock in Tampa Bay’s favor, the play-calling failed to protect the defense or reduce risk.</p><p>When the Buccaneers needed calm leadership and situational mastery, they got disarray instead.</p><h2><b>Season slipping away</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Baker-Mayfield_0043ea.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This wasn’t just another Thursday night loss. It was a collapse that revealed Tampa Bay’s deepest flaws. These were on the line, on defense, and on the sideline. At .500, the Buccaneers are still mathematically alive in the NFC South. The downward trend, though, is unmistakable.</p><p>Teams don’t stumble into collapses like this by accident. They ‘earn’ them. On Thursday night, the Buccaneers earned every ounce of embarrassment that came with it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Buccaneers most to blame for epic TNF collapse against Falcons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-baker-mayfield-shoulders-blame-4th-quarter-collapse-falcons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Baker Mayfield shoulders blame for 4th-quarter collapse vs. Falcons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Baker-Mayfieldv1.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Baker Mayfield shoulders blame for 4th-quarter collapse vs. Falcons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T00:49:16-08:00">December 12th, 12:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T01:06:54-08:00">December 12th, 1:06am</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is a veteran editor and writer for print and digital media. He also created and oversaw video and event production departments for legacy media brands. Mike is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers collapsed against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football. The Bucs failed to put Atlanta away despite building a 14-point fourth-quarter lead in their home stadium. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/falcons-news-kirk-cousins-heroics-buccaneers-epic-comeback">Kirk Cousins delivered for the Falcons</a> with three scoring drives in the final quarter, including the game winner. Tampa Bay fell to 7-7 with the brutal 29-28 defeat.</p><p>The Buccaneers have now lost back-to-back games to division rivals who’ve already been eliminated from playoff contention. With the season circling the drain, Baker Mayfield took the blame for the team’s latest defeat. “Disappointing obviously. But it falls on my shoulders. Can’t turn the ball over. Can’t have that interception. And then, gotta hit Emeka [Egbuka] in stride on that third down,” Mayfield told reporters.</p><p>“Listen, you can say what you want about being up two scores and the defense right there. But we have to be better on offense. It comes down to how I play. This one’s going to haunt me. This falls on my shoulders.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"This one's gonna haunt me, this falls on my shoulders." </p><p>—Baker Mayfield after the Bucs loss to the Falcons <a href="https://t.co/1KZUWdArFx">pic.twitter.com/1KZUWdArFx</a></p><p>— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1999353158888210610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Buccaneers flop against Falcons on TNF</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mike-Evansv1.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Buccaneers took a 28-14 lead with a touchdown at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Falcons answered back but still trailed by eight after failing on the two-point conversion. Then Mayfield threw an interception, which Atlanta capitalized on.</p><p>While the Falcons pulled within two points, the Buccaneers still had the ball with 3:35 to go. A sustained, clock-killing drive would give Tampa Bay the narrow victory.</p><p>Unfortunately, the Bucs were forced to punt and Atlanta took over with 1:49 left in the game. Cousins led a nine-play, 45-yard drive, setting up Zane Gonzalez’s game-winning field goal as time expired.</p><p>Although Mayfield and the offense certainly deserve some blame for the ugly loss, the defense came up small on Thursday night. The Falcons faced a 3rd &amp; 28 and then a 4th &amp; 14 on the final drive. But the Buccaneers couldn’t get a stop when it mattered most.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-todd-bowles-throws-players-under-bus-tnf-meltdown">Todd Bowles lashed out at the team</a> after the game. Tampa Bay’s head coach was furious with the effort of some of his players. And you know it’s serious if Todd Bowles delivers <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-todd-bowles-cant-stop-f-bombs-tnf-meltdown-falcons">profanity-laced postgame comments</a>.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Baker Mayfield shoulders blame for 4th-quarter collapse vs. Falcons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-tristan-wirfs-cant-believe-insane-collapse-vs-falcons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Buccaneers’ Tristan Wirfs can’t believe ‘f***ing insane’ collapse vs. Falcons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Tristan-Wirfs-v1.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Buccaneers’ Tristan Wirfs can’t believe ‘f***ing insane’ collapse vs. Falcons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-12T00:22:36-08:00">December 12th, 12:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-12T00:23:06-08:00">December 12th, 12:23am</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Even when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were winning in the first half of the season, the cracks were evident. Baker Mayfield was forced to scramble his way into one game-winning drive after another, an approach that is extremely hard to sustain. The Bucs’ weaknesses and injury woes have caught up to them and resulted in a sharp decline. Despite their limitations, there is <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-baker-mayfield-doesnt-get-imploding-tnf-falcons">no excusing what has happened</a> in the last five days.</p><p>Following a ghastly 24-20 loss to the last-place New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Tampa Bay once again failed to protect its house in an NFC South matchup. The Buccaneers blew a two-possession lead in the fourth quarter and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-painful-irony-loss-to-falcons-despite-19-penalties">fell to the Atlanta Falcons</a>, 29-28, via a 43-yard field goal. Kirk Cousins took a swig from the Fountain of Youth, and then Tampa’s defense gave him a couple more sips.</p><p>Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts enjoyed the best game of his NFL career, Mayfield threw a costly interception and the Bucs employed questionable clock management down the stretch. The team’s throwback Creamsicle uniforms, which players wore during the franchise’s ugly infancy, looked all too fitting on this night. All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs struggled to comprehend the collapse during <a href="https://x.com/gregauman/status/1999362966702162182" rel="noopener">an NSFW postgame interview</a>.</p><p>“I don’t know… that was f***ing insane,” he told reporters, per Fox Sports’ Greg Auman. Wirfs missed the Saints game due to an oblique injury, but he got to witness this train wreck up close. Although divisional battles can be unpredictable, Tampa hosted a subpar opponent inside Raymond James Stadium in back-to-back matchups, and it slipped on the proverbial banana peel on both occasions.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Video: Tristan Wirfs at a loss for words after a fourth-quarter collapse and loss to the Falcons. “That was fucking insane.” <a href="https://t.co/6hSA57Afvq">pic.twitter.com/6hSA57Afvq</a></p><p>— Greg Auman (@gregauman) <a href="https://twitter.com/gregauman/status/1999362966702162182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>What is going on with the Buccaneers? </b></h2><p>Yes, there were some close calls that went against the Buccaneers on Thursday, but they had multiple chances to land a knockout blow on the Falcons. Their execution and play-calling are in need of immediate adjustments. The four-time reigning NFC South champions are daring the Carolina Panthers to take the crown. Head coach <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-todd-bowles-throws-players-under-bus-tnf-meltdown">Todd Bowles is furious</a> with his squad’s performance, and so is Tristan Wirfs.</p><p>The 26-year-old wants the entire locker room to feel the pain of this implosion, that way, the Bucs will be extra careful to never suffer such a humiliating loss again.</p><p>“I hope everybody sits and lets it f***ing stew,” Wirfs said, per Auman. Tampa Bay (7-7) has a week and a half to break out of this enigmatic slump before a pivotal clash with Carolina (7-6).</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Buccaneers’ Tristan Wirfs can’t believe ‘f***ing insane’ collapse vs. Falcons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-painful-irony-loss-to-falcons-despite-19-penalties');   ga('set', 'title', 'The painful irony of Buccaneers’ loss to Falcons despite 19 penalties');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mike-Evans2.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>The painful irony of Buccaneers’ loss to Falcons despite 19 penalties</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T23:38:58-08:00">December 11th, 11:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T23:53:52-08:00">December 11th, 11:53pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is a veteran editor and writer for print and digital media. He also created and oversaw video and event production departments for legacy media brands. Mike is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to 7-7 with an ugly loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football. Tampa Bay has now dropped five of its last six games, including back-to-back losses to division rivals. And the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-playoff-odds-plummet-shocking-meltdown-falcons">Buccaneers’ playoff odds</a> took a tumble after the team’s prime-time collapse.</p><p>Despite a 14-point fourth quarter lead, the Bucs couldn’t hold off the Falcons. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/falcons-news-kirk-cousins-heroics-buccaneers-epic-comeback">Kirk Cousins led three scoring drives</a> in the final quarter and set Zane Gonzalez up for the game-winning kick as time expired. Atlanta’s win is all the more impressive considering the team overcame 19 penalties on Thursday night.</p><p>The Falcons <a href="https://x.com/ByJayMorrison/status/1999344672196690436" rel="noopener">became the 12th team</a> in the Super Bowl era to draw 19 flags in a game, according to NFL reporter Jay Morrison. And they’re just the fourth team to win a game after committing that many penalties. Incredibly, the Buccaneers were also the last team to lose when an opponent had 19 or more penalties.</p><h2><b>The Falcons storm past the Buccaneers on TNF</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Kyle-Pitts-2.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Tampa Bay now owns two of only four losses in the Super Bowl era when the refs handed out 19 penalties to an opponent. The last time it happened was in Week 8 of 2016 when the Raiders racked up an NFL-record 23 penalties. And the Buccaneers lost the game 30-24.</p><p>On Thursday night, Tampa Bay failed to pull away from Atlanta. Despite already being eliminated from the playoffs, the Falcons continued to fight. Cousins went off for 373 yards and three touchdowns. And <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-news-kyle-pitts-joins-tight-end-history-game-buccaneers">Kyle Pitts had a monster game</a>, with 11 receptions for 166 yards and three scores.</p><p>The Buccaneers still control their own destiny. If they can beat the Carolina Panthers twice in the next three weeks they’ll win the division and make the playoffs. But there’s little confidence in Tampa Bay after the team’s recent performance.</p><p>A <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-todd-bowles-throws-players-under-bus-tnf-meltdown">furious Todd Bowles blamed his players</a> for the brutal 29-28 defeat. And Baker Mayfield attempted to take all the blame for the collapse when speaking to reporters after the TNF disaster.</p><p>The Bucs head to Carolina in Week 16 to face the Panthers in the first of two must-win divisional showdowns. Fans can only hope the mini bye gives the team time to iron out its issues.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The painful irony of Buccaneers’ loss to Falcons despite 19 penalties

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-todd-bowles-throws-players-under-bus-tnf-meltdown');   ga('set', 'title', 'Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles completely throws players under the bus after TNF collapse');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Baker-Mayfield_0043ea.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles completely throws players under the bus after TNF collapse</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T22:26:27-08:00">December 11th, 10:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T22:29:38-08:00">December 11th, 10:29pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles was deep in his feelings after they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-baker-mayfield-doesnt-get-imploding-tnf-falcons">suffered a one-point defeat to the Atlanta Falcons</a>, 29-28, on Thursday.</p><p>The Buccaneers held a comfortable 14-point advantage in the fourth quarter, but the Falcons, who are already out of playoff contention, mounted a furious rally. Kyle Pitts caught a late touchdown, while Zane Gonzalez delivered the game-winning field goal, stunning everyone at Raymond James Stadium.</p><p>After the game, Bowles seemingly <a href="https://x.com/gregauman/status/1999359414952755358" rel="noopener">pinned the blame on his players</a>.</p><p>“The coaches have done everything they can do. This is a player-driven team in the last four or five weeks. You’ve got to execute. They’ve got to hold each other accountable,” said Bowles, as reported by Fox Sports’ Greg Auman.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles completely throws players under the bus after TNF collapse

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-baker-mayfield-doesnt-get-imploding-tnf-falcons');   ga('set', 'title', 'What Baker Mayfield says ‘doesn’t get you s***’ after Buccaneers’ implosion vs. Falcons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/What-Baker-Mayfield-says-doesnt-get-you-st-after-imploding-vs.-Falcons.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>What Baker Mayfield says ‘doesn’t get you s***’ after Buccaneers’ implosion vs. Falcons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T22:00:39-08:00">December 11th, 10:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T22:12:55-08:00">December 11th, 10:12pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield had an empty look on his face as he exited Raymond James Stadium after their bitter loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.</p><p>The Buccaneers blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, as the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-news-kyle-pitts-joins-tight-end-history-game-buccaneers">Falcons escaped with a one-point victory</a>, 29-28, via Zane Gonzalez’s walkoff 43-yard field goal.</p><p>Mayfield <a href="https://x.com/gregauman/status/1999342233699647891" rel="noopener">didn’t hold back</a> when he was asked to comment on their painful setback, which dropped them to 7-7.</p><p>“We have the talent. (But) talent doesn’t get you s***,” said Mayfield, as quoted by Fox Sports’ Greg Auman.</p><p>The 30-year-old signal-caller went 19-of-34 for 277 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He was sacked five times.</p><p>The Buccaneers have now lost five of their last six outings, including back-to-back defeats to division rivals. They are now half a game behind the Carolina Panthers for the top spot in the NFC South, with the playoffs just around the corner.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-todd-bowles-cant-stop-f-bombs-tnf-meltdown-falcons">Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles didn’t hide his dejection</a> after the game as well, issuing an expletive-laced statement to his players.</p><p>The Buccaneers failed to get the win even though the Falcons committed a team-record 19 penalties, which resulted in 125 yards lost.</p><p>Mayfield, however, <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/recap/_/gameId/401772948">also took responsibility</a> for the tight defeat. His lone interception happened during a crucial juncture in the fourth quarter.</p><p>“This one is gonna haunt me. It falls on my shoulders. It’s not the defense’s fault. It’s my fault,” said Mayfield in a report from the Associated Press.</p><p>The Buccaneers will look to bounce back against the Panthers in Week 16.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

What Baker Mayfield says ‘doesn’t get you s***’ after Buccaneers’ implosion vs. Falcons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-playoff-odds-plummet-shocking-meltdown-falcons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Buccaneers’ playoff odds plummet after shocking meltdown against Falcons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mike-Evans_8dd6eb.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Buccaneers’ playoff odds plummet after shocking meltdown against Falcons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T21:57:02-08:00">December 11th, 9:57pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T22:19:03-08:00">December 11th, 10:19pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is a veteran editor and writer for print and digital media. He also created and oversaw video and event production departments for legacy media brands. Mike is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-todd-bowles-drops-disheartening-truth-bomb-stunning-loss-saints">stunning loss to the New Orleans Saints</a> in Week 14, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoped to rebound against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday Night Football. However, the Bucs’ awful run following their Week 9 bye continued with another loss to a division rival.</p><p>The Falcons embraced the role of spoiler against the Buccaneers. Despite being eliminated from playoff contention, Atlanta fought hard on Thursday night. The Falcons overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/falcons-news-kirk-cousins-heroics-buccaneers-epic-comeback">Kirk Cousins led the game-winning drive</a>, setting up a Zane Gonzalez field goal.</p><p>The Bucs have lost five of six games since the bye week. Still, Tampa Bay led the NFC South at 7-6 thanks to owning the tiebreaker over the Carolina Panthers. But Thursday night’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/nfl-playoff-picture/2025/buccaneers/" rel="noopener">loss dropped</a> the Buccaneers to 7-7 and their playoff odds fell to just 53 percent, per The Athletic.</p><h2><b>Buccaneers’ slide continues with TNF loss to Falcons</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Baker-Mayfield.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While there’s clearly reason to panic in Tampa Bay, the team still controls its own destiny. The Buccaneers really just have to win their two upcoming games against the Panthers. If the Bucs can defeat Carolina next Sunday and in the season finale, they’ll win the division and make the playoffs.</p><p>But Tampa Bay’s recent struggles make it hard to trust the team to deliver in those must-win matchups. The Buccaneers were unable to put Atlanta away on Thursday night. And they had plenty of help. The Falcons were flagged 19 times for 125 yards in Week 15. Still, they kept coming.</p><p>Down 28-20 midway through the fourth quarter, the Falcons scored a touchdown to pull within two points. After forcing a punt, Atlanta got the ball back with under two minutes remaining. Cousins led a nine-play, 45-yard drive and got the team in position for the game-winning kick. Gonzalez hit the 43-yard field goal as time expired, sealing the Falcons’ 29-28 victory.</p><p>The Buccaneers head to Carolina to take on the Panthers next Sunday. The team needs to pull out of its skid in the must-win matchup. On the bright side, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-announces-return-first-catch-since-injury">Mike Evans made his return</a> from injury on Thursday night. And the veteran wideout impressed with six receptions for 132 yards.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Buccaneers’ playoff odds plummet after shocking meltdown against Falcons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-todd-bowles-cant-stop-f-bombs-tnf-meltdown-falcons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles can’t stop dropping F-bombs after TNF meltdown');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Todd-Bowles.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles can’t stop dropping F-bombs after TNF meltdown</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T21:13:17-08:00">December 11th, 9:13pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T21:25:57-08:00">December 11th, 9:25pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Hide the women and children! Raymond James Stadium witnessed a pair of dejections on Thursday: 1. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Atlanta Falcons and 2. Todd Bowles in the postgame conference.</p><p>The Buccaneers lost for the sixth time in their last eight outings after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/falcons-news-kirk-cousins-heroics-buccaneers-epic-comeback">allowing the Falcons to complete a come-from-behind victory</a>, 29-28.</p><p>After the game, Bowles didn’t hide his disappointment, as he peppered his comments with a word that can’t be published, as shown in the video posted by NFL reporter Ari Meirov.</p><p>“It’s inexcusable. You can’t make excuses. We got to f****** care enough where the s*** hurts. You got to f****** care enough where the s*** hurts. It got to f****** mean something to you. It’s more than a job, it’s your f****** livelihood,” said Bowles.</p><p>“How well do you know your job? How well can you do your job. You can’t sugarcoat that s***. It was f****** inexcusable, man. There’s no f****** answer for it. There’s no excuse for it. That’s what you tell them in the locker room. Look in the f****** mirror.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">A pissed off <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bucs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bucs</a> HC Todd Bowles dropped 7 F-bombs in his postgame presser when asked what he’ll tell his locker room after the 4th-quarter collapse. <a href="https://t.co/1RjCz455Nw">pic.twitter.com/1RjCz455Nw</a> <a href="https://t.co/EB4BpMEOVc">https://t.co/EB4BpMEOVc</a></p><p>— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1999342029629981144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Meirov forgot to mention that Bowles also dropped two S-bombs in his prolific rant.</p><p>The 62-year-old Bowles has always come off as an existential person, and his latest comments proved it. Even though they were laced with expletives, they should make the Buccaneers reflect about themselves and their approach to the game.</p><p>The Buccaneers blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter, with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-news-kyle-pitts-joins-tight-end-history-game-buccaneers">Kyle Pitts and Zane Gonzalez delivering the heroics for the Falcons</a>.</p><p>Tampa Bay fell to 7-7, including 3-4 at home.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles can’t stop dropping F-bombs after TNF meltdown

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/falcons-news-kirk-cousins-heroics-buccaneers-epic-comeback');   ga('set', 'title', 'Kirk Cousins’ heroics lead Falcons over Buccaneers in epic comeback');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Kirk-Cousins.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Kirk Cousins’ heroics lead Falcons over Buccaneers in epic comeback</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T20:58:23-08:00">December 11th, 8:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T22:41:00-08:00">December 11th, 10:41pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Falcons</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kirk Cousins’ tenure with the Atlanta Falcons will be regarded as a big disappointment when fans dive into the history books ages from now, but the 37-year-old quarterback can still channel his inner Captain Kirk under the right conditions. He and his teammates stunned the home crowd in Raymond James Stadium on Thursday night, handing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-todd-bowles-cant-stop-f-bombs-tnf-meltdown-falcons">devastating 29-28 loss</a>.</p><p>Cousins made a couple of clutch throws on the final drive, overcoming what were seemingly insurmountable odds, and positioned the Falcons for a thrilling comeback win over their divisional rival. Zane Gonzalez capped off the heroic fourth quarter with a <a href="https://x.com/NFL/status/1999337569117700179" rel="noopener">43-yard field goal</a> as time expired.</p><p>Trailing 28-14 with 13:34 remaining in the game, Atlanta refused to stay down and clawed its way back into this NFC South matchup. The Bucs did their part to keep the Birds alive — Baker Mayfield tossed an interception near midfield with 8:28 left on the clock — but the Falcons displayed amazing tenacity on the road. They somehow survived a number of mistakes in the second half and prevailed in the kind of game that they typically lose.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ZANE GONZALEZ FOR THE WIN! <a href="https://t.co/y3JYqrB2qc">pic.twitter.com/y3JYqrB2qc</a></p><p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1999337569117700179?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><h2><b>Kirk Cousins, Falcons flip the script on Thursday Night Football </b></h2><p>David Sills V dropped a deep pass that could have led to a touchdown in the third quarter, Atlanta fumbled the ball on its own 15-yard line on the next drive and the team misfired on what seemed like a must-have two-point conversion late in the fourth.  If all that adversity was not enough, the Falcons found themselves facing third-and-28 on what improbably morphed into the game-winning drive.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-news-kyle-pitts-joins-tight-end-history-game-buccaneers">Cousins connected with tight end Kyle Pitts</a>, who enjoyed a historic three-touchdown, 166-yard night versus the Bucs, to give the squad a highly manageable fourth down. Sills obtained sweet redemption with the game on the line, <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1999336526199861557" rel="noopener">snagging a 21-yard reception</a> along the sidelines to inch Atlanta closer to field goal range. A defensive offside penalty and six-yard catch by Darnell Mooney put the fate of both teams on Gonzalez’s leg.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">KIRK COUSINS CLUTCH FIRST DOWN 🍿</p><p> <a href="https://t.co/AldGTEQ2Jd">pic.twitter.com/AldGTEQ2Jd</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1999336526199861557?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>He delivered a big blow to the Buccaneers’ playoff hopes, enabling the Carolina Panthers to potentially assume control of the division this Sunday. But Kirk Cousins is rightfully the man of the hour. The four-time Pro Bowl selection was 30-of-44 passing for 373 yards and three touchdowns, posting what could very well be the last magnificent game of his NFL career.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-raheem-morris-hits-potential-staff-changes-with-irrelevant-mic-drop">The Falcons have much to address</a> heading into the offseason after another failed campaign, but they can take some pride in this resilient prime-time performance. If nothing else, fans can at least revel in Tampa’s potential combustion. Cousins and Atlanta (5-9) will have another favorable opportunity to get in the win column when they visit the Arizona Cardinals (3-10) in Week 16.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Kirk Cousins’ heroics lead Falcons over Buccaneers in epic comeback

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-johnny-manziel-hypes-mike-evans-return-2-word-post');   ga('set', 'title', 'Johnny Manziel hypes up Mike Evans’ epic return with 2-word post');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Former-Texas-AM-quarterback-Johnny-Manziel-.jpg"><figcaption>© Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption></figure><h1>Johnny Manziel hypes up Mike Evans’ epic return with 2-word post</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T19:43:42-08:00">December 11th, 7:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T19:55:47-08:00">December 11th, 7:55pm</time><address><a>Allan Binoy</a>Allan Binoy is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NCAA Football, and NBA for ClutchPoints. With a deep passion for storytelling and analysis, he brings fans closer to the action by breaking down the biggest moments and storylines across the world of sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Falcons</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Johnny Manziel fired off a two-word social post after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-announces-return-first-catch-since-injury">Mike Evans’ electric return</a> to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night. Evans ripped a contested 45-yard reception in the third quarter, hauling in a Baker Mayfield heave near the 15-yard line while a Falcons defender clung to his hip. The play flipped field position and injected life into a Bucs offense that had been searching for a spark.  </p><p>Manziel, the former Heisman Trophy winner and Texas A&amp;M quarterback, <a href="https://x.com/JManziel2/status/1999317196938576135?s=20" rel="noopener">wasted no time</a> celebrating. He wrote on X, “My Goat @MikeEvans13_,” a short, pointed endorsement.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">My Goat <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeEvans13_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MikeEvans13_</a> <a href="https://t.co/uWni6hHLKf">https://t.co/uWni6hHLKf</a></p><p>— Johnny Manziel (@JManziel2) <a href="https://twitter.com/JManziel2/status/1999317196938576135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-final-injury-update-thursday-matchup-falcons">Mayfield targeted Evans sparingly</a> as the Buccaneers managed a methodical attack, but the veteran’s long catch had the crowd on its feet. The Tampa Bay wide receiver <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-miss-most-2025-nfl-season-mnf-injury">missed most of the season through injury</a>, and fans love seeing him back on the field doing what he does best.</p><p>The catch also sparked chatter about Evans’ role moving forward. Tampa Bay coaches eased him back into the lineup after a layoff, and a play like that justifies the cautious plan. Reintroduce, limit snaps, then lean on him when the game hinges on contested throws. Opposing secondaries must now account for his size and timing.  </p><p>For fans, Manziel’s post provided instant social proof. It wasn’t an analytical take or a highlight clip, just two words that positioned Evans among the greats in a moment fans will replay. For a Buccaneers team still fighting late-season games, a shot of confidence like this might be the kind of small, human moment that carries into December.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Johnny Manziel hypes up Mike Evans’ epic return with 2-word post

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-tampa-bay-secondary-injury-zyon-mccollum-down');   ga('set', 'title', 'Buccaneers add another secondary injury as Zyon McCollum goes down');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Tampa-Bay-adds-another-secondary-injury-as-Zyon-McCollum-goes-down.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Buccaneers add another secondary injury as Zyon McCollum goes down</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T19:39:03-08:00">December 11th, 7:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T19:55:50-08:00">December 11th, 7:55pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The injury bug is not going away for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as cornerback Zyon McCollum suffered a hip injury <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-news-kyle-pitts-boosts-free-agency-stock-touchdown-buccaneers">against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday</a>.</p><p>McCollum sustained it in the first half at Raymond James Stadium. The Buccaneers reported that he is <a href="https://x.com/BuccaneersComms/status/1999306803318825358" rel="noopener">questionable to return</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Zyon McCollum (hip) is Questionable to return. <a href="https://t.co/GABnXuTtpX">pic.twitter.com/GABnXuTtpX</a></p><p>— Buccaneers Communications (@BuccaneersComms) <a href="https://twitter.com/BuccaneersComms/status/1999306803318825358?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The 26-year-old McCollum has started all 13 games this season, tallying 45 tackles, six pass deflections, and one interception entering the game against the Falcons.</p><p>The Buccaneers were already playing without tight end Cade Otton, linebacker SirVocea Dennis, and safety Tykee Smith, among others, due to various injuries.</p><p>Fortunately, wide receiver <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-announces-return-first-catch-since-injury">Mike Evans made his much-awaited return</a> for Tampa Bay. He suffered a calf injury in Week 7, which crippled the Buccaneers’ offense.</p><p>The Falcons also lost a key member of their secondary after cornerback Mike Hughes suffered an ankle injury in the first half. He was also deemed questionable to return.</p><p>McCollum’s exit could be a tough blow, especially since the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-vita-vea-shows-up-offense-help-tb-score-falcons">Buccaneers are desperate to get back on track</a> with the playoffs on the horizon. They have dropped four of their last five games, including a close defeat to the New Orleans Saints, 24-20, in Week 14.</p><p>The Buccaneers can’t afford to fall back as they’re tied with the Carolina Panthers atop the NFC South with identical 7-6 records. The division is tightly contested, and any loss could swing the race.</p><p>As of writing, Tampa Bay is ahead of Atlanta, 28-14, in the fourth quarter.</p><p>McCollum agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $48 million in the offseason after a breakout campaign last year.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Buccaneers add another secondary injury as Zyon McCollum goes down

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-vita-vea-shows-up-offense-help-tb-score-falcons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Vita Vea shows up on offense to help Buccaneers score vs. Falcons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Vita-Vea-shows-up-on-offense-to-help-TB-score-vs.-Falcons.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Vita Vea shows up on offense to help Buccaneers score vs. Falcons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T18:33:56-08:00">December 11th, 6:33pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T18:33:56-08:00">December 11th, 6:33pm</time><address><a>Paolo Mariano</a>Paolo Mariano is a freelance writer, editor, and producer based in Manila, Philippines. He is a journalism graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and the father of a young girl whose personality swings from Simone Biles to Dillon Brooks. A beacon of objectivity, he believes Penny Hardaway is the true NBA GOAT.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Watching the NFL is fun because you get to see things you don’t see every day. Exhibit A: Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Vita Vea making a cameo appearance on the offense unit.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/falcons-vs-buccaneers-prediction-odds-pick-for-week-15-thursday-night-football-2025">The Buccaneers hosted the Atlanta Falcons</a> on Thursday at Raymond James Stadium, and Vea helped the team get on the board late in the opening quarter.</p><p>With only 1:41 to go on second and goal, the bruising enforcer was tapped to help hold down the fort as Tampa Bay tried to get to the end zone. The <a href="https://twitter.com/Buccaneers/status/1999295486142873701" rel="noopener">unique ploy worked</a>, as Vea, doubling as a fullback, aided in clearing the way for Shawn Tucker for the touchdown.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Vita Vea leading the way for 6️⃣</p><p>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ATLvsTB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ATLvsTB</a> on Prime Video <a href="https://t.co/rga3wvgnch">pic.twitter.com/rga3wvgnch</a></p><p>— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Buccaneers/status/1999295486142873701?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While it’s not the first time the Buccaneers—or even other teams—have used a defensive tackle on an offensive play, it’s still entertaining to watch.</p><p>Even fans had to share their thoughts on X.</p><p>“The Vita Loca motive,” <a href="https://x.com/BrandenHart1/status/1999295952168034597" rel="noopener">said</a> @BrandenHart1.</p><p>“Damn, got a flashback. Vita reminded me of Lorenzo Neal for a second, blocking for Alstott. LOL,” <a href="https://x.com/Yuccax36/status/1999295897776382299" rel="noopener">observed</a> @Yuccax36.</p><p>“Better than the tush push, I won’t lie,” <a href="https://x.com/BucsFanOfPain/status/1999295985227542853" rel="noopener">added</a> @BucsFanOfPain.</p><p>“Everybody knows and can’t stop it,” <a href="https://x.com/AjokeRIGHTer/status/1999295534755119612" rel="noopener">wrote</a> @AjokeRIGHTer.</p><p>“That’s hilarious,” <a href="https://x.com/LeshV18/status/1999295648198459791" rel="noopener">posted</a> @LeshV18.</p><p>The 30-year-old Vea continues to be a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-jj-watt-blunt-baker-mayfield-take-mnf-drive">key piece for the Buccaneers</a> in his eighth year. The two-time Pro Bowler is arguably the team’s best defender, displaying his rare combination of size and speed every week.</p><p>As of writing, Tampa Bay is ahead of Atlanta, 10-7, in the second quarter.</p><p>The Buccaneers are looking to get back on track, as they have lost four of their last five assignments.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Vita Vea shows up on offense to help Buccaneers score vs. Falcons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-announces-return-first-catch-since-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Buccaneers WR Mike Evans announces return with first catch since injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mike-Evans-announces-return-with-first-catch-since-injury.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Buccaneers WR Mike Evans announces return with first catch since injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T18:31:59-08:00">December 11th, 6:31pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T18:31:59-08:00">December 11th, 6:31pm</time><address><a>Allan Binoy</a>Allan Binoy is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NCAA Football, and NBA for ClutchPoints. With a deep passion for storytelling and analysis, he brings fans closer to the action by breaking down the biggest moments and storylines across the world of sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Falcons</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Mike Evans made his much-anticipated <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-final-injury-update-thursday-matchup-falcons">return for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> on Thursday night, hauling in his first catch since suffering a collarbone injury in Week 7, a 12-yard gain that got the crowd to its feet.  </p><p>Evans lined up on a short-to-intermediate route, and quarterback Baker Mayfield hit him in stride for the first down, a tidy little moment that felt bigger than its box-score value. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-officially-activated-ir-ahead-falcons-clash">The play capped a careful reintroduction</a>. Coaches kept his snaps limited and dialed up clearer looks to get him back in rhythm without risking a setback. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mike Evans first catch since injury.</p><p>Baker Mayfield finds his boy, Mike Evans for the first down catch, welcome back 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/Blsi3pd2Rp">pic.twitter.com/Blsi3pd2Rp</a></p><p>— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) <a href="https://twitter.com/SMHighlights1/status/1999293706554474553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-tampa-bay-could-get-mike-evans-tristan-wirfs-back-for-falcons-game">Tampa Bay needed the lift.</a> The Buccaneers have battled injuries across their receiving corps this season, and getting Evans, a proven chain mover and red-zone threat, back, even on a pitch count, changes how defenses must approach them. Opponents can’t simply tilt coverage to Chris Godwin or crowd the middle with safeties; Evans commands attention every time he runs a route.  </p><p>Mayfield started with modest numbers but looked more comfortable targeting his veterans once Evans checked in. The connection was short, efficient, and exactly the kind of possession play the Bucs need in close games. If Evans stays healthy and climbs past limited snaps, Tampa Bay’s passing attack suddenly looks less one-dimensional. Especially with <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-emeka-egbuka-vote-of-confidence-amid-rookie-season-slump">Emeka Egbuka suffering a mid season slump</a> in productivity, any contribution Evans can make will be more than welcome for the Bucs.</p><p>This wasn’t a comeback celebration so much as a pragmatic step forward. For a Buccaneers team still fighting for seeding in the NFC South, that’s the kind of small win that can add up.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans announces return with first catch since injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/atlanta-falcons/atlanta-falcons-lose-key-db-to-ankle-injury-during-buccaneers-game');   ga('set', 'title', 'Atlanta Falcons lose key DB to ankle injury during Buccaneers game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Atlanta-loses-key-DB-to-ankle-injury-during-Buccaneers-game.jpg"><figcaption>Brett Davis-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Atlanta Falcons lose key DB to ankle injury during Buccaneers game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T18:05:45-08:00">December 11th, 6:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T18:19:30-08:00">December 11th, 6:19pm</time><address><a>Allan Binoy</a>Allan Binoy is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NCAA Football, and NBA for ClutchPoints. With a deep passion for storytelling and analysis, he brings fans closer to the action by breaking down the biggest moments and storylines across the world of sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Falcons</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Atlanta Falcons lost starting cornerback Mike Hughes to an ankle injury Thursday night during their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/nfl-stories/falcons-vs-buccaneers-bold-predictions-for-week-15-thursday-night-football-clash">game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a>, forcing him to the locker room and leaving him questionable to return, reports said.  </p><p>Hughes limped off after a tackle late in the first half and did not immediately rejoin the sideline, a gut-punch to a secondary that has leaned on him for stability this season. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-news-kyle-pitts-aj-terrell-join-drake-london-injury-report-before-buccaneers-game">The loss tightened an already-thin</a> defensive-back rotation and handed more snaps to younger options behind A.J. Terrell.  </p><p>The Buccaneers carried a 7-0 lead when the injury occurred, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-news-james-pearce-jr-accomplishes-feat-micah-parsons">Atlanta’s defensive plan</a> suffered an obvious blow; the Falcons had prepared for a matchup that required press coverage and contested throws downfield. Coach Raheem Morris said the team would evaluate Hughes in the medical tent before offering a full update.</p><p>The Falcons already have struggled to find consistent answers at corner outside A.J. Terrell, and losing Hughes could push Clark Phillips III or a slot defender into a larger role, depending on the scheme. Opponents will test whoever fills in, which could force Atlanta into more single-high safety looks or extra help over the top.  </p><p>Through the 2025 season, Hughes has logged 22 solo tackles and five passes defensed, numbers that underline his value to Atlanta’s defense. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-news-raheem-morris-message-atlanta-fans-hot-seat-noise">With the playoffs out of reach</a>, the Falcons will treat the rest of the season as a development window, and losing Hughes would accelerate younger players’ development.  </p><p>The Falcons’ medical staff will provide more details after the game; for now, the team lists Hughes as questionable to return.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Atlanta Falcons lose key DB to ankle injury during Buccaneers game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-jason-pierre-paul-practice-squad-thursday-falcons-clash');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jason Pierre-Paul left on practice squad for Thursday’s Falcons clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Jason-Pierre-Paul_15fbcf.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jason Pierre-Paul left on practice squad for Thursday’s Falcons clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T14:12:40-08:00">December 11th, 2:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T14:29:32-08:00">December 11th, 2:29pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is a veteran editor and writer for print and digital media. He also created and oversaw video and event production departments for legacy media brands. Mike is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/nfl-stories/falcons-vs-buccaneers-bold-predictions-for-week-15-thursday-night-football-clash">Week 15 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons</a> badly in need of a win. Tampa Bay has lost four of its last five games, falling to 7-6 on the season. The Bucs still lead the NFC South thanks to a tiebreaker over the Carolina Panthers. But the team has tailed off following a 6-2 start.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-reuniting-with-jason-pierre-paul-recent-skid">Buccaneers signed Jason Pierre-Paul</a> to the practice squad earlier this week. The veteran pass rusher had been out of football for nearly two years before reuniting with Tampa Bay. Now the three-time Pro Bowler is ready to make his return.</p><p>However, he won’t be on the field for the Bucs on Thursday night. Tampa Bay elevated two players from its practice squad for the game against Atlanta. But Pierre-Paul <a href="https://x.com/RapSheet/status/1999225228044697677" rel="noopener">isn’t one of them</a> according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.</p><h2><b>Can Jason Pierre-Paul boost the Bucs defense?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Jason-Pierre-Paul2.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This is Pierre-Paul’s second stint with the Buccaneers. He spent four years with Tampa Bay from 2018-2021, winning a Super Bowl with the team in 2020.</p><p>After leaving the Bucs, JPP spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins. However, his production dropped off considerably. Pierre-Paul only made three appearances between the Saints and the Dolphins in 2023, recording just one tackle and no sacks.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/miami-dolphins/dolphins-news-jason-pierre-paul-released">Dolphins released Pierre-Paul</a> late in the 2023 season and he spent last year away from football. Now he’ll attempt to make a comeback in his age-36 campaign with the Buccaneers.</p><p>Tampa Bay is looking for a spark after a rough patch. The team still controls its own destiny in the brutal NFC South, with three divisional games remaining on the schedule, including two against the Panthers.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-final-injury-update-thursday-matchup-falcons">Mike Evans will make his return</a> on Thursday night. The Buccaneers’ veteran receiver has been out since Week 7 with a broken collar bone.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jason Pierre-Paul left on practice squad for Thursday’s Falcons clash

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-final-injury-update-thursday-matchup-falcons');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mike Evans gets final injury update before Buccaneers’ Thursday matchup with Falcons');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Mike-Evans-with-TB-Bucs.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mike Evans gets final injury update before Buccaneers’ Thursday matchup with Falcons</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-11T12:38:03-08:00">December 11th, 12:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-11T12:57:00-08:00">December 11th, 12:57pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-officially-activated-ir-ahead-falcons-clash">Mike Evans has been dealing with injury woes</a> throughout this season. However, it sounds like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will finally have him back in the lineup for the Week 15 “Thursday Night Football” game against the Atlanta Falcons.</p><p>Reports indicate that Evans, who has been unavailable since Week 7 due to a broken collarbone, <a href="https://x.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1999212801966113115" rel="noopener">will play on Thursday</a>, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The Buccaneers do not plan on playing the 32-year-old wide receiver on every play, but he will be on the field when the offense needs him.</p><p>“Good news is Tampa Bay, Mike Evans is back,” said Fowler. “Sources told me he is expected to play tonight despite a questionable tag. He was activated off injured reserve with the full intention to go tonight. I’m told he probably will not play every snap. He will be on somewhat of a pitch count coming back from that collarbone injury. But I’m told he will be in on the important downs.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">From Tampa: Mike Evans good to go tonight. Won’t play every down but will be in on the key ones. </p><p>OL Graham Barton said Evans was juiced up all week to make his return <a href="https://t.co/PtXbNSAeA5">pic.twitter.com/PtXbNSAeA5</a></p><p>— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1999212801966113115?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Evans has only been able to play in four games this season, which is a career-low for the six-time Pro Bowler. Due to the broken collarbone, Mike Evans will not reach the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his 12 years in the NFL. This season, he has recorded 14 receptions for 140 yards and a touchdown.</p><p>Injuries in the wide receiver room have been the story for the Buccaneers throughout the 2025-26 campaign. The Week 15 matchup against the Falcons marks the first time this year that Tampa Bay will have all of its main wide receivers available for quarterback Baker Mayfield.</p><p>Both Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan have returned from the IR. Meanwhile, Chris Godwin and rookie Emeka Egbuka will retain their roles in the starting lineup. Other rookie Tez Johnson could retain some of his playing time with Evans being on a pitch count, as he’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-tez-johnson-thought-mvp-chants-in-49ers-game-were-for-him">played a big role for the Buccaneers</a> when they’ve called his number.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mike Evans gets final injury update before Buccaneers’ Thursday matchup with Falcons

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-mike-evans-officially-activated-ir-ahead-falcons-clash');   ga('set', 'title', 'Buccaneers’ Mike Evans officially activated from IR ahead of Falcons clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Mike-Evans.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Buccaneers’ Mike Evans officially activated from IR ahead of Falcons clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-10T12:34:01-08:00">December 10th, 12:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-10T12:34:01-08:00">December 10th, 12:34pm</time><address><a>Yago Antunes</a>Yago Antunes is a Brazilian journalist and writer with experience covering esports, the NFL, NBA, and soccer. He has contributed to online outlets and reported on major international tournaments, building a strong background in sports journalism and digital media while displaying his passion about storytelling and sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>A banged-up Tampa Bay offense is inching back toward full strength at exactly the moment the NFC South race is tightening. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-tampa-bay-could-get-mike-evans-tristan-wirfs-back-for-falcons-game">Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan returned to work this week</a>, with Todd Bowles acknowledging that both receivers, along with left tackle Tristan Wirfs, are being ramped up for the short-week showdown against the Atlanta Falcons rather than being rushed recklessly back onto the field.</p><p>According to Adam Schefter, the Buccaneers <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1998845745001279643" rel="noopener">have now activated</a> wide receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan from injured reserve, and both are eligible to play Thursday night in Atlanta, turning earlier optimism about their status into a clear green light as long as there are no late setbacks.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Buccaneers now have activated WRs Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan from Injured Reserve and both can play Thursday night. <a href="https://t.co/1KHiuuJPUQ">pic.twitter.com/1KHiuuJPUQ</a></p><p>— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1998845745001279643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Evans’ situation has hovered over Tampa’s season. The veteran has been limited to four games by a broken collarbone and earlier hamstring trouble, stuck at just 14 catches for 140 yards and one touchdown.</p><p>His streak of 1,000-yard campaigns is effectively over, but his impact goes well beyond raw numbers. When he’s on the field, coverages tilt, safeties back up and Baker Mayfield finally has a true jump-ball winner to punish single coverage on the outside.</p><p>McMillan is the wild card. The rookie wideout has been working his way back and profiles as the kind of intermediate and slot target who can feast if defenses overcommit to Evans down the field. Even limited snaps from him would diversify a passing game that has leaned heavily on role players in recent weeks.</p><p>Up front, any snaps from Wirfs would be massive. The All-Pro’s oblique issue forced Graham Barton into emergency duty at left tackle, and while Barton held his own, protecting Mayfield on the road in Atlanta is a very different assignment than grinding through a home date with the Saints.</p><p>For a team trying to fend off the Falcons and cling to a playoff spot, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-rumors-mike-evans-in-line-tnf-injury-return-falcons">having both Evans and McMillan</a> in uniform, even in a limited capacity, could be the difference between controlling the division and chasing it.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Buccaneers’ Mike Evans officially activated from IR ahead of Falcons clash

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-news-jon-gruden-chris-simms-welcome-to-the-nfl-moment-warren-sapp');   ga('set', 'title', 'Buccaneers’ Jon Gruden set Chris Simms up for his Welcome to the NFL moment with Warren Sapp');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Buccaneers-1.jpg"><figcaption>Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Copyright © 2005 Bob Donnan</figcaption></figure><h1>Buccaneers’ Jon Gruden set Chris Simms up for his Welcome to the NFL moment with Warren Sapp</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-12-10T09:38:27-08:00">December 10th, 9:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-12-10T09:38:27-08:00">December 10th, 9:38am</time><address><a href="https://www.downeuclid.com">Evan Dammarell</a>Evan Dammarell is an award-winning sports journalist covering all things Cleveland, including the Cavs, right off the shores of Lake Erie. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NFL</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Chris Simms’ NFL initiation didn’t come on the practice field or in a meeting room. It arrived the moment Jon Gruden told <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-lions-bold-predictions-2025-week-7-clash">Simms to introduce himself</a> to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ veterans, a rite of passage <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/los-angeles-rams/rams-bold-predictions-for-week-12-snf-tilt-against-buccaneers">Simms quickly learned</a> was anything but ceremonial.</p><p>“I stick my hand out, and Sapp goes, ‘Get the f— away from me,’” Simms <a href="https://x.com/bykevinclark/status/1998441361305960777" rel="noopener">recalled</a>, laughing now at what felt like a shocking first interaction with Hall of Fame defensive tackle Warren Sapp. But with time and experience, Simms came to believe that moment wasn’t entirely spontaneous.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">When <a href="https://twitter.com/CSimmsQB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CSimmsQB</a> got to the Bucs, <a href="https://twitter.com/BarstoolGruden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BarstoolGruden</a> told him to introduce himself to the vets. So he went to go shake Warren Sapp's hand. </p><p>"I stick my hand out, and Sapp goes 'Get the f— away from me'." </p><p>"Did Gruden know that was gonna happen? I think he probably did." <a href="https://t.co/ESv5mZzHWc">pic.twitter.com/ESv5mZzHWc</a></p><p>— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) <a href="https://twitter.com/bykevinclark/status/1998441361305960777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Did Gruden know that was gonna happen? I think he probably did,” Simms quipped.</p><p>The exchange encapsulates the era Simms entered. Gruden pushing buttons, veterans testing newcomers, and a locker room defined by the presence of icons like Sapp, Derrick Brooks, John Lynch, and Ronde Barber. Tampa Bay’s culture, demanding, unforgiving, and built on accountability, forged some of the franchise’s greatest players and sustained the Bucs during one of the most successful stretches in team history.</p><h2><b>Grit and humor defined this era of Buccaneers football</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Buccaneers-2.jpg"><figcaption>Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Those expectations extended far beyond personal interactions. Tampa Bay’s roster-building success, especially in the third round, helped cement the foundation of a championship defense. Lynch and Barber became two of the most celebrated mid-round hits in NFL history, later earning gold jackets after rewriting the franchise record book. Their careers, like Sapp’s, were reminders that toughness wasn’t optional in Tampa. It was the standard.</p><p>Simms eventually earned his own place in that lineage, becoming one of only two quarterbacks the Buccaneers ever selected in the third round. His tenure overlapped with the end of Tampa Bay’s dominant defensive era, a time when veterans still served as gatekeepers to the franchise’s identity.</p><p>And while the Bucs continue evolving, with a new generation chasing another playoff run, stories like Simms’ endure because they capture what made Tampa Bay Tampa Bay. A blend of personality, pressure, and purpose, often delivered with a hit of Sapp-sized intimidation.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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