Bucs Gameday

Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles just topped a Super Bowl coach in impressive metric

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach has been trending upward every year.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles on the sidelines during the first half of a game against the Seattle Seahawks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles on the sidelines during the first half of a game against the Seattle Seahawks | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

In this story:


The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't have the best of starts when Todd Bowles took over as head coach, but it's only gone up from there. And now, he's made his mark on Tampa Bay Buccaneers history.

Bowles' Bucs team defeated the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday to move to 5-1, making his squad the best team in the NFC and tied for the best record in the NFL. He also surpassed a franchise mark, however, moving to 32 wins as a head coach of the Bucs — with that, he's officially surpassed his predecessor, Bruce Arians, for the fourth-most wins in Buccaneers history as a head coach.

Todd Bowles coaching well for the Buccaneers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles warms up for a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles warms up for a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Bowles has improved by a win a year every year since he took over for the Buccaneers. He won eight games in 2022, nine in 2023 and 10 in 2024 — it's too early to say he'll do so again in 2025, but he's on track to shatter that 10-win total from last year. With this win over the 49ers, he overtakes Arians for win total and sits below John McKay (44), Tony Dungy (54) and Jon Gruden (57).

There are still a few metrics where Bowles is beat, though. He's third in win percentage with 56.1%, behind Dungy (56.3%) and Arians (63.3%), and he's just 1-3 in the playoffs. That's a record he'll look to improve on, as he's tied with John McKay for the worst playoff winning percentage among Bucs head coaches. That being said, he's still one of five Bucs coaches to ever even make the playoffs, an accomplishment in its own right.

Things are looking up for Bowles, as it stands. He recently hired a clock and game management expert, Zach Beistline, who has helped address clock management and fourth-down aggressiveness concerns that detractors have had for him. He's also managed to win games despite numerous injuries across both sides of the ball, which has put the Bucs in a great position early on in the year.

There's a long way to go this season, but if Tampa Bay's trajectory even comes close to what it looks like now, Bowles could continue to cement himself in franchise history — especially with how he's continued Arians' success from 2020-21.

READ MORE: Buccaneers' Baker Mayfield receives NSFW message from NBA superstar

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2025 season.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

• Buccaneers have major problem on offensive line

• Former NFL QB's top 5 MVP list has a big Buccaneers surprise

• Buccaneers’ star Emeka Egbuka suffers injury that ends his game against 49ers

• Buccaneers hopeful to have offensive starter back before end of season


Published
River Wells
RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.

Share on XFollow @riverhwells