> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ‘When You Score 32 Points, You’re Supposed to Win’: Buccaneers Defense Picked Apart in Loss to Bills - URL: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/when-you-score-32-points-youre-supposed/ - Published: 2025-11-17T19:01:24.000Z - Updated: 2025-11-17T19:01:24.000Z - Description: Tampa Bay loses 44-32 to the Bills and put themselves in danger of a long mid-season losing skid. - Author: Collin Sherwin - Tags: #Migrated-1792597384348, #Import 2026-10-21 15:44 For the last three weeks, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ offense had been maligned. Whether it was pundits questioning Baker Mayfield’s health or Josh Grizzard’s ability to call plays, the Bucs’ offensive woes were well documented. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) In Sunday’s 44-32 loss to the Buffalo Bills, those storylines flipped on their head. “When you score 32 points, you’re supposed to win,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said after the game. The 44 points allowed were the most given up by the Bucs since they surrendered 48 to the Chicago Bears in 2018\. It’s the most points allowed since Bowles took over as defensive play-caller in 2019, and just the fifth time an opponent has surpassed 40 points against his Bucs defense. Bills quarterback Josh Allen had an opening-drive blunder when his two-handed chest pass attempt was picked off by Bucs rookie Jacob Parrish. After that, Allen was surgical in his domination of the Bucs’ defense. He finished with 317 passing yards, 40 rushing yards and six total touchdowns. The six touchdowns tied Allen’s career high, which he set against the Los Angeles Rams last season. He is the only player in NFL history to record three rushing and three passing touchdowns in the same game. Buffalo had 414 total yards and averaged 7.8 yards per play. Tampa Bay has now allowed 400 or more yards in back-to-back weeks after not allowing any opponent to surpass 400 in its first eight games. “If we’re covering, we’re not getting to the quarterback. If we’re getting to the quarterback, we’re not covering long enough. It’s a lot on the coaches, starting with me,” Bowles said. The Bills had touchdown receptions of 43 and 52 yards by receiver Tyrell Shavers and running back Ty Johnson in the second quarter. Tampa Bay has allowed five touchdowns of 40 or more yards in the last two weeks. The Bucs have just one sack in their last eight quarters of football. One thing Tampa Bay’s defense has done well is take away the football. The Bucs picked off Allen twice — Parrish recorded his first career interception in the first quarter, and linebacker Sirvocea Dennis grabbed his first career pick in the second. The Bucs have six games this season with multiple takeaways, the most in the NFL. On offense, the Bucs put together one of their best efforts of the season, surpassing 30 points for just the second time this year. The ground attack was the driving force. Tampa Bay rushed for a season-high 202 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry. It was the first time the Bucs surpassed 200 rushing yards in a game this season; they did it four times in 2024. Running back Sean Tucker posted a season-high 106 rushing yards and recorded his first career game with multiple rushing touchdowns. Tucker also hauled in a 28-yard touchdown catch from Mayfield in the fourth quarter. Mayfield completed 16 of 28 passes for a touchdown and added his first rushing score of the season in the first quarter. He finished with 39 rushing yards on five carries — notable considering he had zero rushing attempts over the previous three games. “Physically I was feeling better,” Mayfield said after the game. Veteran receiver Sterling Shepard had five catches for 54 yards. Rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka added five catches for 40 yards. Egbuka has been the Bucs’ only consistent go-to wideout due to injuries to Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan. Egbuka is the only Bucs receiver to surpass 100 yards in a game this season. The next-highest single-game output is 80 yards by Shepard in Week 3. The Bucs’ kick coverage unit was a problem. Tampa Bay allowed an average of 39 yards per return Sunday. The Bills’ average starting field position was their own 37-yard line. Tampa Bay is allowing 27.94 yards per kick return this season — the fifth worst in the NFL. “Our kickoff coverage and the field position really killed us,” Bowles said. Tampa Bay has now lost three of its last four games. The Bucs continue to struggle to play complementary football. Tampa Bay has not had a game in which it produced more than 300 yards on offense and held its opponent under 300 since a loss to Philadelphia on Sept. 28. Carolina beat Atlanta in an overtime thriller Sunday, tightening the Bucs’ NFC South lead to just half a game. Tampa Bay and Carolina will meet twice in the Bucs’ final seven games. The road doesn’t get easier next week as the Bucs travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams on Sunday Night Football. Tampa Bay has lost eight of its last 10 matchups against the Rams. The Bucs have had a three-game losing streak in every season since Bowles took over as head coach. If Tampa Bay wants to avoid that in 2025, it will have to do some real soul-searching before Sunday night. Thanks for reading The Bay Area Examiner ! This post is public so feel free to share it.