The Buccaneers started the 2025 season at 6-2. Since then, they’re now 2-11.

Sunday’s 17-14 loss to the Packers has dropped the Bucs to 0-4. After the game, coach Todd Bowles was asked whether he’s the right coach to lead the Buccaneers moving forward, and what he can do to change the recent trend.

“I’m the head coach,” Bowles told reporters. “I can do more. I can always do more. I’ll always take the blame on that.”

He was then again asked what he can do to change things.

“We’re gonna fight, we’re gonna stick together, and we’re gonna figure this thing out, and I’ll lead them to that,” Bowles said. “That’s my job.”

The good news is that every loss in 2026 has come in a one-score game. The bad news is they’ve won none of them.

“We know what the problem is,” Bowles said. “It’s on us. We can’t keep getting close to not winning. That’s not good enough. Our record says what we are. We’re 0-and-4, until we acknowledge that and we correct our own mistakes, you know, it’s gonna keep happening. We talked about it as a team. We’re gonna be a team, and we got to play tougher in the end and we got to execute the end. And that’s the only way you can win the ball game.”

It won’t get any easier on Thursday night, with a short-week trip to Dallas. The Cowboys are not easy to beat at home, and Tampa Bay will have an undrafted rookie at quarterback against Dak Prescott and company.

Then comes the mini-bye, which provides an opportunity for the Bucs to make a coaching change.

There’s a benefit to an in-season termination; it gives the team a longer runway to search for the next coach. Working in Bowles’s benefit is the fact that there’s no clear candidate on his staff to serve as the interim head coach. There’s no defensive coordinator. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson is in his first year with the team, after being fired by the Falcons. The special-teams coordinator is Danny Smith.

The Bucs could go outside the organization for an interim hire, like the Colts did in 2022 when Jeff Saturday replaced Frank Reich. Or the Bucs could just ride it out, quietly planning for a new direction in 2027 while allowing the balance of 2026 to play itself out.

However it goes, it’s not going well in Tampa. After playing the Cowboys, the Bucs face the Steelers, Panthers, Falcons, and Bears before the Week 10 bye. For now, they need to start digging out of the early-season hole. And they’ll need to get used to plenty of empty seats for the six remaining home games — unless those otherwise empty seats are filled by fans of the visiting team.