Buccaneers lose NFC South streak to Panthers, miss playoffs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed a New Orleans Saints win or tie to get to the playoffs, but it wasn't to be — they've lost the NFC South.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles walks off the field during halftime against the Los Angeles Rams | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did their part by beating the Carolina Panthers in Week 18 of the regular season. Unfortunately, they needed the New Orleans Saints to do theirs by defeating the Atlanta Falcons, and that didn't happen — with Atlanta's 19-17 win on Sunday, the Buccaneers finish the season 8-9 and miss out on the playoffs, with the Panthers winning the division.

This marks the first time the Buccaneers have missed the playoffs since 2019 and the first time head coach Todd Bowles has missed the playoffs while in charge of the Buccaneers. With a late-season skid and poor play all around, questions will be asked about his future in the coming days.

Buccaneers miss playoffs after brutal late-season skid

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) looks on against the Atlanta Falcons | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers started off the year hot as one of the NFL's best teams, beginning 6-2 before their bye week. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was being lauded as a potential MVP candidate, and it looked as if the Bucs were going to make some serious noise in the NFL in 2025.

That, however, did not happen the second half of the season. The Buccaneers went 2-7 after their bye week, with just two wins over the Arizona Cardinals and the Panthers at the end of the year. The back half of the season was marred by poor play in all three phases, with the defense, offense and special teams all suffering drastic drops in play over the final stretch.

The Bucs miss the playoffs after the Atlanta Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints. That makes Tampa Bay, Carolina and Atlanta all 8-9, and in that three-way tiebreaker, the Panthers have won the most games between the three teams. As a result, the Buccaneers miss out and the Panthers win the division, and Carolina will host a playoff game as the No. 4 seed next week.

Questions now rightfully arise on head coach Todd Bowles' future with the team. Bowles, now 35-33 as Bucs head coach, misses the playoffs for the first time during his tenure in Tampa Bay, and fans and pundits are left wondering if the team's epic collapse from 6-2 will be enough to cost him his job. Even if Bowles does return for the Buccaneers, coaching changes across the board are likely to be expected.

For now, though, the Buccaneers will clean out their lockers on Monday — and wait to see just how different the team and coaching staff will look next year.

READ MORE: ESPN insider reveals Buccaneers could make offensive coaching change this offseason

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