Here’s the thing about situations that are the equivalent of catching lightning in a bottle. Slim as the chances of it happening might be, it definitely can’t happen unless you put the bottle in the street.
On Sunday, Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles failed to put the bottle in the street, conceding to the Lions with 36 seconds left and one timeout in hand (after the Lions bungled the two-minute clock management). If Bowles had called the final timeout, the Lions would have had to do something on fourth and 12 from their own 32.
With 36 seconds left, the choices for Detroit would have been punt, try a field goal, or go for it. The way Bowles addressed it after the game and on Monday, he was basically conceding that the Lions would have made a 50-yard field goal.
While kicks like that succeed far more often than they once did, they aren’t chip shots. (Just ask the Bills and Tyler bass.) A miss would have given the Buccaneers the ball on their own 39 with right around 30 seconds to play.
As noted by the folks at JoeBucsFan.com, who are demanding that Bowles admit his error and apologize for it, the Bucs got the ball back on a Thursday night in Buffalo on their own 20 with 21 seconds to play in a six-point game. And they nearly connected on a perfectly-thrown Hail Mary pass by quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Beyond the possibility of a missed field goal, what if the Buccaneers had blocked the kick? What if they’d picked it up and returned it for a touchdown?
If the Lions had chosen to punt, there could have been a bad snap. There could have been a bobble by the punter. There could have been a block. There could have been a return for a touchdown.
Frankly, it’s inexcusable to not empty the tank when the season is on the line. So what if the Lions had made a field goal and gone up by 11? Bowles forfeited the chance, slim as it might have been, to shock the world and advance to the NFC Championship.
Who does that? This is the same franchise whose head coach used to send defensive linemen into the legs of offensive linemen in the hopes of forcing a fumble in victory formation. While that tactic crossed the line, it underscores the fact that there should be no white flag. There should be no gimme putts. There should be no surrender.
While there’s no reason to believe Bowles is in trouble, it’s alarming to think he gave up with barely a shrug of the shoulders on what could have been one of the great finishes in NFL playoff history. And with offensive coordinator Dave Canales possibly getting some sniffs in Carolina, Bowles might want to think about what happened with Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter before assuming that getting to the divisional round is more than enough to return for 2024.