Todd Bowles faced criticism for his confusing timeout decisions during the Buccaneers’ playoff defeat against the Commanders
Tampa Bay: So, Todd Bowles really messed up the clock management again in the playoffs. It’s like a yearly thing now. The Buccaneers lost 23-20 to the Commanders, and his timeout choices were just head-scratchers.
Even in the first half, he let time slip away during a crucial drive. Sure, they scored a touchdown, but he could’ve set them up better. It’s not like the Commanders were going to run the clock out anyway.
This isn’t the first time, either. Last year, he didn’t use timeouts at the end of a loss to the Lions. It’s like he’s got a timeout phobia or something.
When the Commanders got a first down at the Buccaneers’ 27-yard line, Bowles waited way too long to call his first timeout. He finally did it with just 1:41 left on the clock. What was he waiting for?
After that, he let more time go by instead of calling a timeout when he should have. The Commanders ended up sealing the game with a first down, and Bowles didn’t call his last timeout until there were only 40 seconds left.
In the first half, he let 13 seconds run off the clock when Mike Evans got them into the red zone. They scored later, but losing that time hurt their chances to tie the game.
After the game, Bowles said he was proud of the team’s effort but was disappointed with how it ended. He didn’t want to point fingers, but it’s clear they had chances to win.
