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Stunning statistic.
This stat had Joe reaching for the bottle of Buffalo Trace earlier than expected on Friday night.
This Bucs year is the Invasion of the North. The’ll face all the AFC and NFC North teams.
Todd Bowles has had good success against NFC North team, including two key road wins at Green Bay and at Detroit in recent years when both teams were among the best in the league. And there was Baker Mayfield’s big debut win in Minnesota.
But when it comes to the AFC North, you really don’t want to know. But curiosity killed the cat. So here we go.
Can you believe (said in a Maxwell Smart voice) Bowles is still looking for his first victory against the AFC North as a Bucs coach? That’s right. Per Jenna Laine of ESPN, Bowles and the Bucs haven’t beaten an AFC North team (0-6) since he became defensive coordinator in 2019, and then head coach in 2022.
Every time the Bucs, with Bowles, have faced Baltimore, the Crows quite literally have knocked the snot out of Tampa Bay, physically beat them up. Just ask Shaq Barrett and Chris Godwin.
The loss to the Steelers in 2022 was one of the most horrific gameplans Joe has ever seen. The Steelers, quite literally, pulled dudes off the street to play cornerback because of so many injuries. With Tom Brady behind the wheel and Mike Evans and Chris Godwin healthy, this seemed like a no-brainer. Throw deep early and often and let Evans and Godwin cook those stiffs.
Instead, dolt Bucs offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich decided rather than attacking Mike Tomlin’s practice squad dudes, it would be slick to run Rachaad White right into the teeth of the ferocious Steelers run defense.
And people actually wonder why Leftwich cannot get a job in football.
Bowles approved this. Otherwise, he would have been screaming at Leftwich and Brady to start airing it out.
The loss to the Browns in Cleveland is almost too painful to relive. Coming off bye week, Brady had the Bucs marching late in the game to either tie or win. But Bowles pulled the ball out of Brady’s hands, stating Brady might have thrown an interception.
Naturally, the Bucs lost in overtime.
The Bengals, specifically Joe Burrow, carved up Bowles’ defense in 2022. Burrow threw four second-half touchdown passes on Sunday afternoon in Tampa.
So if the Bucs are to make a playoff run, it sure would help if Bowles can find a way to end this AFC North curse placed upon him.
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