Instant Takeaways from the Bucs disappointing loss to the Saints

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a problem as the NFC South is now in the balance following their Week 14 loss to the New Orleans Saints. The bottom dwellers of the NFC South had two wins coming into Sunday, and they leave Tampa Bay with three, while the Bucs drop a game and are now tied with the Carolina Panthers for the lead.

The Bucs' offense struggled all game long, especially quarterback Baker Mayfield. They missed several times by slim margins, and it ended up costing them the game. On defense, they could not stop the run game or even quarterback Tyler Shough, who had two rushing touchdowns. The game as a whole was a disaster for the Bucs, and now they are left picking up the pieces from yet another loss.

With that in mind, here are our takeaways from the Bucs' loss to the Saints.

Baker Mayfield needs to settle down

While the game was played in a mini-typhoon, there is still room for some critical comments. For Baker Mayfield, the inaccuracy and erratic throws have been a trend for several weeks. He is missing players high and low in a way he was not early on in the season. On top of the rain, he also has a non-throwing shoulder injury, but that is not the issue either it seems.

The issue boils down to Mayfield playing the game at a million miles an hour. He is not letting the game come to him and instead is pushing the issues before plays can even develop, or too late at times. He needs to slow down, process what opposing offenses are giving him, and then go from there. Early on in the season, when he was an MVP candidate, he was doing that, but now he is just playing too fast for his or the team's own good.

Opposing running backs can't be contained

Every week, it seems this linebacker group and secondary cannot contain opposing running backs in the passing attack. It all started with Week 2 against the Texans, where they made Nick Chubb look like a dual-threat back out of the backfield. From there, they then gave up over 200 yards to Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs. All of that led to Devin Neal on Sunday when he was able to get some running lanes and convert a critical third down late in the game.

The linebackers have been atrocious all year long, both in coverage and in run support. The only bright spot has been the spots of promise from SirVocea Dennis as a pass rusher. Other than that, it has been abundantly clear that a linebacker needs to be a priority in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Todd Bowles is not the man for this moment

This Bucs team is no longer getting the coaching it needs. No more talk of injuries handicapping him, no more excuses for the play degradation of others, Todd Bowles is not meeting the moment. Every year he has coached, they have had trough stretches but come out of the tunnel at the end and win the NFC South with an abysmal record. Now, in 2025, the team is going through a rough midseason stretch, and it is extending into the end of the year.

If they win the division, that will save his job, but if he doesn't or it is another early playoff exit, they need to move on. And if he is retained, then there needs to be a serious look at someone else calling plays on both sides of the ball.

This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Instant Takeaways from the Bucs disappointing loss in Week 14 at home