The Buccaneers have won four straight NFC South crowns. Which means that, for four straight years, they’ve emerged with the most difficult schedule of any team in the division.
On Tuesday, coach Todd Bowles said that the players have changed the manner in which they regard the undesirable reward for capturing a division crown.
“I think the mental toughness has gotten a lot better this year,” Bowles said on SiriusXM NFL Radio, via JoeBucsFan.com. “We’ve kind of embraced the grind. You know, playing the first-place schedule, [players] used to look at that as playing all these teams in a row as a burden; now they look at it as a challenge.”
The challenge, this year, has been exacerbated by a rash of injuries.
“[I]t doesn’t matter who plays,” Bowles said. “I think they understand the assignment — to get where we gotta get to it is going to be a lot of different people every week. And that’s what the good teams do and that’s what we’re trying to become. So we’re kind of embracing the challenges week in and week out and guys are really stepping up and maturing, and we got great locker room leadership and their resiliency is outstanding.”
Yes it is, and it’s led by quarterback Baker Mayfield. He’s creeping higher and higher in the MVP odds, and for good reason. He has the perfect combination of tangibles and intangibles to be the leader that any team would want. (And that every team had a chance to sign him. Twice.)
His personality is infectious. His attitude is inspiring. His results are undeniable.
Does Mayfield care who they’re playing? Nope. And if he doesn’t, the rest of the team won’t either.
They face the Lions on Monday night, thanks to winning the NFC South in 2024. Already, they’ve drawn the Texans and the Eagles, games the rest of the division won’t have to play.
Still, beyond those three games, the rest of the schedule is the same for the Falcons, Saints, and Panthers. And, unlike those three teams, the Bucs don’t have to play Tampa Bay. Twice.
They’re 5-1. If they can beat the Lions on Monday night, the Bucs will establish themselves as the best team in the division. Where they go from there is up to them. And Mayfield will be leading the way.
On Sunday, 49ers receiver Jauan Jennings initiated an animated first-half conversation with coach Kyle Shanahan. On Monday, Shanahan downplayed the interaction.
“I think when you’re in an intense football game and stuff that two people who know each other pretty well and are pretty competitive about things can have really intense conversations that don’t always come off as a normal conversation, just hanging out after a press conference with you,” Shanahan told reporters. “But, it’s stuff that you don’t need to make too many assumptions about because it wasn’t anything that big of a deal. Yeah, we were aggressive and intense in our conversations, but I think conversations like that can also lead to making people closer and leading to a better outcome for people.”
Shanahan also addressed Jennings’s decision to sound off after the game about the extent of his current injuries.
“I think Jauan’s in a good mental space,” Shanahan said. “I think Jauan’s a very emotional player. I think that’s one of the things that makes him great. So anytime we have a tough loss like that, that he is banged up and playing through a lot of stuff, I don’t think he’s in the best mood, especially after a loss like that. But, Jauan is good. Jauan battled completely to come play in that game. I know he’ll battle it again to do it this week. I’ve got a lot of love for Jauan and I just hope he can get healthier so he can get back out there and be more consistent for us.”
Jennings has generally been salty this year. He reportedly asked for a new contract or a trade, just before training camp opened. He then missed much of camp and the preseason with a calf injury. Eventually, he got a minor tweak to his deal.
Last year, Jennings caught 77 passes for 975 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games. This year, through four games in which he has played, Jennings has 10 catches for 136 yards and one touchdown. In Sunday’s 30-19 loss to the Buccaneers, Jennings had one catch for seven yards on three targets.
On one hand, Lions safety Brian Branch has willingly accepted responsibility for the behavior that sparked a postgame brawl on Sunday night against the Chiefs. On the other hand, Branch will not willingly accept the punishment the NFL has imposed.
Via Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Branch has appealed his one-game suspension.
Branch has the right to do so. And he has a reason to do so — seventy-six thousand of them. (At a 2025 salary of $1.379 million, he makes $76,611 per week.)
Precedent is on Branch’s side. In the 2012 playoffs, former Washington tackle Trent Williams struck former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman in the face. Williams was fined only $7,871. Three years ago, then-Raiders receiver Davante Adams was neither fined nor suspended for shoving a worker to the ground after a game at Kansas City. (Adams was charged with misdemeanor assault, but the case was eventually dropped.)
In 2019, the NFL suspended Browns defensive end Myles Garrett six games for striking Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with his own helmet, after a play.
Most recently, the NFL suspended Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter one game for spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. (Carter, who was ejected before playing in Week 1, played without pay in Week 2.)
Branch will point to Williams and Adams; the league will point to Garrett and Carter. But the conduct in question is far more similar to what Williams did, especially since (unlike Sherman) Chiefs receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster wore a helmet.
A decision will come quickly, given that the Lions host the Buccaneers next Monday night. And here’s where it could get interesting. If Branch wins the appeal, will the Lions impose discipline in the form of benching him for part or all of the game?
If he’s available, the Lions have to pay him. They don’t have to play him. Given coach Dan Campbell’s strong comments from his press conference after the game against the Chiefs, it’s hard to imagine the Lions doing nothing, if the league’s suspension doesn’t stick.
Lions safety Brian Branch has been suspended without pay for one game for his actions at the end of Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs.
After quarterback Patrick Mahomes took a final kneel down, Branch went behind the line of scrimmage and struck Kansas City receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster in the facemask with an open hand, inciting a fracas between the two teams.
Head coach Dan Campbell apologized in his postgame press conference for Branch’s actions. Branch also apologized, calling his actions “childish.”
NFL VP of football operations Jon Runyan issued the suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“Your aggressive, non-football act was entirely unwarranted, posed a serious risk of injury, and clearly violated the standards of conduct and sportsmanship expected of NFL players,” Runyan wrote in a letter to Branch. “Your conduct reflected poorly on the NFL and has no place in our game.”
Branch may appeal the suspension, which would be heard and decided upon by Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, or Jordy Nelson.
Branch has a history of being fined for conduct, as he had already been handed three fines in the 2025 season. He was fined seven times in 2024.
Pending appeal, Branch is eligible to return to the Lions’ roster on Tuesday, Oct. 21, after Detroit’s Monday night matchup with Tampa Bay in Week 7.
The Buccaneers won’t be getting wide receiver Chris Godwin or running back Bucky Irving back for their Week 7 Monday night game.
Head coach Todd Bowles said that the two players are “not in play” to return against the Lions. Godwin has a fibula injury while Irving has foot and shoulder injuries. Both players missed Sunday’s win over the 49ers and Irving was also out in Week 5.
Bowles said that the team is still waiting for the results of an MRI of wide receiver Emeka Egbuka’s hamstring. The rookie left the 49ers win due to the injury.
The results of that test will provide more clarity about Egbuka’s availability and the coming days will shed more light on wide receiver Mike Evans, cornerback Zyon McCollum, and cornerback Benjamin Morrison. Bowles said that there’s hope those three players can return to practice this week.
