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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — After a tough loss during Monday Night Football against the Ravens, Bucs coach Todd Bowles said communication needs to improve if the team wants to fix their defense.
“The communication has got to be right, but we’ve got to straighten out the coverages and the run fits,” Bowles said. “If you miss one or two run fits against those guys, they’re going to kill you.”
Against the Falcons on Sunday, it sure didn’t look like the communication had been fixed.
The defense has cast a shadow over the season. After a 3-1 start where no team scored more than 26 points against the Bucs, Tampa Bay has now allowed 27 points or more in each of their last four games.
“It starts with me. It starts with the defensive coaches, and it starts with the players. We’ve got to play better,” Bowles said. “We have to fix it. Nobody is coming to save us. We have to do a hell of a lot better job then we’re doing, and that starts with me.”
The defense, which has given up a combined 13 touchdowns to quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Lamar Jackson in three games against the team, is holding back an offense that continues to thrive under new Offensive Coordinator Liam Cohen.
Tampa Bay has scored the third most points in the league through eight games, gaining over 400 yards four times and averaging 29.4 points per game. The offense continued to hum against Atlanta even without star receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, largely thanks to contributions from tight end Cade Otton and running back Rachaad White.
With a trip to Kansas City to face the Chiefs, the NFL’s last unbeaten team, on the horizon, Bowles and the defense need to find a solution if they want to avoid a three-game slide.
“The problems are in the locker room, but the answers are in the locker room,” Bowles said. “From coaches to players, we’ve got to stay together. We’ve got to fix us, and we’ve got to get moving.”