The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
are only two games into the 2026 season, but it already feels like Todd Bowles is running out of time as the head coach. After missing the playoffs following a late-season collapse in 2025, Bowles entered this season with pressure already surrounding his job. Starting 0-2 has only made it worse, especially after a 23-19 home loss to a Cleveland Browns team that had just been beaten 34-10 the week before.Tampa Bay is now just 2-9 over its last 11 games, dating back to last season's second-half disaster. The Bucs are also 3-10 since Week 8 of 2025, with only three NFL teams posting worse records over that span. That is no longer a small slump; it has carried over from one season to the next. Tampa Bay allowed 411 points
last season, averaging 24.2 per game, ranking 20th in the NFL. Through two games this season, the Bucs have already surrendered another 56 points and 618 total yards. They rank 24th in points allowed per game and 21st against the pass. The pass rush has not provided much help either. Over Tampa Bay's last 11 games, the Bucs have recorded just 15 sacks, tied with San Francisco for the fewest in the NFL during that stretch. Through two games this season, Bowles' defense has produced only three sacks and one takeaway.
That matters because Bowles is not simply a head coach overseeing someone else's defense. This is his defense. He remains the defensive play caller, and Tampa Bay spent the offseason trying to give him more pieces to work with, but the results have not followed. Cleveland's final touchdown drive Sunday was another example. The Bucs led 19 to 16 in the fourth quarter before allowing Deshaun Watson to lead a 12-play, 68-yard touchdown drive. Watson completed eight of nine passes for 58 yards on the possession as Cleveland took the lead for good.
The national media has noticed. CBS Sports placed Bowles at number 1 in its latest NFL coaching hot seat rankings, pointing to the 0- 2 start, the Cleveland loss, and the major coaching staff changes Bowles made following last season. FOX Sports also listed Tampa Bay's panic level as high and specifically pointed toward the upcoming stretch against Minnesota, Green Bay and Dallas. The Bucs host the 2-0 Minnesota Vikings on Sunday before hosting Green Bay the following week. Four days later, Tampa Bay travels to Dallas for Thursday Night Football. That means Bowles has three NFC games in just 12 days to find a way to stop the slide. Nobody outside the organization knows exactly where ownership's breaking point is, and Tampa Bay historically has not been quick to make in-season coaching changes, especially when the Glazer family allowed both Raheem Morris and Greg Schiano to finish their seasons despite lengthy losing streaks.
If Tampa Bay comes out of games against Minnesota, Green Bay, and Dallas sitting at 0-5 or 1-4, Bowles' future could become one of the biggest stories surrounding the franchise. The Bucs would have followed last year's 2-7 finish with another disastrous start, despite changing coordinators and adding talent throughout the roster. Bowles has recovered from slow stretches before. His teams won three straight NFC South titles from 2022 through 2024, and he has taken Tampa Bay to the playoffs three times as its head coach. But last season was different. The Bucs never recovered from their collapse, finished 8 and 9, and missed the postseason. At 0 and 2, Bowles still has time to turn it around. But with Tampa Bay sitting at 2 and 9 over its last 11 games and three difficult NFC opponents coming up, that time may be disappearing quickly.
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This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Todd Bowles time is running out
