On Sunday afternoon, right after the Jets stunningly blocked a field goal for a scoop and score to go up 27-26 on the Bucs with a little over a minute left in the game, Tampa Bay head coach had one thought.
“You gotta’ f**king be sh**ting me!”
But he and the offense didn’t panic after the initial shock. Instead, the offense went to work.
Led by Baker Mayfield and rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka, the Bucs marched down the field, and kicked a field goal with no time remaining to win 29-27.
That put Tampa Bay at 3-0 and one of only four teams to start the season with an unblemished record.
Yet while most are talking about how Josh Allen and the Bills will meet Jalen Hurts and the Eagles in the Super Bowl, or how the Chargers have become legitimate contenders in the AFC thanks to Jim Harbaugh, not many are talking about what Todd Bowls is doing, and has been doing, down in Tampa Bay with the Bucs.
That’s unfortunate for Bowles is, arguably, the most underappreciated head coach in the NFL.
In 2015, in his first season as the head coach of the Jets, the team went 10-6 and showed great promise. But thanks in large part to GM Mike Maccagnan, management hamstrung Bowles by releasing key veterans and drafting poorly. Three losing seasons later, Bowles was fired.
Bowles eventually linked up with Bruce Arians, who he played for at Temple University, as the team’s defensive coordinator and won Super Bowl LV.
In 2022, Arians stepped down and handed the reins to Bowles in a true example of a succession plan.
“I wanted to ensure when I walked away that Todd Bowles would have the best opportunity to succeed,” said Arians at the time. “So many head coaches come into situations where they are set up for failure, and I didn’t want that for Todd.”
In his first season, Bowles went 8-9 but won the NFC South. In 2023 and 2024, the team improved to 9-8 and 10-7, respectively, repeated as NFC South champions and made three straight playoff appearances.
Yet not many have acknowledged what Bowles has been building down in Tampa.
Under Bowles, who is the 11th Black NFL head coach to have the rare second opportunity to be hired as a head coach, not only have the Bucs improved each season, but he has forged the defense into one of the most formidable units in the NFL and has transformed Baker Mayfield from a castaway into one of the best QBs in the league that people seem to overlook.
