Todd Bowles apparently doesn't believe in miracles.
The Buccaneers' coach defended his seemingly bizarre decision not to use a final timeout in Sunday's 31-23 loss to the Lions in the regional round despite having a chance to get the ball back.
“They had already made a field goal and it was probably like 12 seconds left until the end of the ballgame. We weren't going to come back from there.” Bowles told reporters after the game.. “There's no point in postponing the obvious.”
Bowles is correct in saying his decision wouldn't have affected the game, but it's strange that he wouldn't even give a team with a season on the line a chance.
In that scenario Saturday night, when all San Francisco had to do was take a knee twice for a 24-21 victory, after Green Bay's Matt LaFleur didn't use up all of his timeouts. The Packers had no chance to turn it around unless they had a chance to fight back. A 49ers snap that resulted in a fumble.
Detroit needed to make a long field goal to end the game, or Tampa Bay could have taken a shot on a Hail Mary or lateral play.
What seems especially strange is that Bowles didn't call a timeout even though Jared Goff took a knee on the final play with 36 seconds left in the game.
If they had taken a timeout then, Tampa Bay would have had plenty of time.
But the optics appear to be even worse, as Bowles apparently made a conscious decision to punt for a potential reversal before the drive even started and did not change his tactics.
The Lions had possession at the Buccaneers' 29-yard line with 1:33 left in the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie the game when Baker Mayfield threw an interception.
Tampa Bay had one timeout left. That means if each play is within his two seconds, there could be a fourth-down play with at most seven seconds left.
When Bowles did not take a timeout after his first kneel, the Lions took a knee again with 1:06 left in the game instead of using the full 40 seconds.
The third kneel, which came with 36 seconds left in the game, was another example of Goff taking a knee with time remaining, leading some to believe that Bowles could have used a timeout.
Former Giants running back Rashad Jennings called bowls For not taking a timeout at that moment.
“As an NFL player, this just doesn't make sense,” Jennings said. “Make it mean something. I understand why people say the NFL is cheating, which it never is, but this is the kind of thing that it is, and as a staff we don't make these kinds of mental mistakes. When you commit a crime, someone should see it.”
Bowles apparently didn't want to deviate from his plan no matter what the Lions did, but if a timeout had been called after the first down, the Lions certainly would have run out the clock on the play.
If Tampa Bay had taken a timeout on the drive with 36 seconds left or earlier, Detroit would have had the option of attempting a field goal in the 47-50 yard range or punting, giving the Buccaneers the entire field. Move to potentially tie the match.
That being said, it's fair to wonder why Bowles didn't at least give his team a chance — even if it was a one-in-a-thousand — to send the game to overtime.
