The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a crucial division victory in their grasp, only to watch it completely unravel in a disastrous final 10 minutes against the Atlanta Falcons. A 14-point lead with only 10 minutes on the clock should have been a guaranteed win. However, for the Bucs, it was the prelude to an ‘insane’ collapse that left the entire locker room furious.

Buccaneers’ left tackle Tristan Wirfs was left seemingly shocked after the Falcons scored a win over them in week 15. Kicker Zane Gonzalez scored the winning 43-yard field goal that set up the victory, leaving Wirfs baffled during the post-game locker room interview.

“Insane that we lost to, I don’t even know what the winner’s record is, at home, up two scores,” he said. “I don’t know. That was fucking insane.”

The final 10 minutes turned out to be a game-changer for the Falcons as they executed four major plays that started with the team closing the lead.

A 1st & goal play at the 9:37 mark when quarterback Kirk Cousins handed over the ball to running back Bijan Robinson, who tucked it to his left chest, with his right arm free to block any incoming defender. The Falcons easily stopped the Bucs’ defense as Robinson ran to his left and successfully landed in the end zone to make the score 28-20.

At the 8:38 mark, on 2nd & 10 play, quarterback Baker Mayfield threw the ball down the left side to wide receiver Mike Evans. But the cornerback Dee Alford jumped and intercepted the pass, adding another scoring drive for the Falcons.

On the 3rd & goal play at the 3:34 mark, Cousins fired the ball straight to tight end Kyle Pitts, who caught it while landing on his hips in the end zone. It was a controversial score, but the referees withheld the touchdown. In a state of panic, the Bucs punted their next drive.

The Falcons only had 4.8% win probability, but they secured a 29-28 comeback win over the Buccaneers. Head coach Todd Bowles was visibly frustrated with the loss as he delivered some harsh words to the team during the post-game interview.

Todd Bowles sends a strong message to Tristan Wirfs & co.

The NFC South is in a tricky position right now. Only the Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers are eligible for playoff spots. With seven wins, Todd Bowles saw a path that led straight to the top of the division with a Week 15 victory. However, that didn’t happen.

“You gotta f—–‘ care enough where the shit hurts. It gotta f—–‘ mean something to you. It’s more than a job. It’s your f—–‘ livelihood,” Bowles said. “You can’t sugarcoat that shit. It was in the f—–‘ excusable, and there’s no f—–‘ answer for it. Look in the f—–‘ mirror.”

The head coach dropped the F-bomb almost seven times in 30 seconds. Looking at how they lost and what was at stake, his anger seems justified. The victory came as a bigger shock as the Falcons committed a franchise-record 19 penalties.

The Bucs would have had an 80% chance of qualifying for the playoffs with a win. But they couldn’t, and their playoff probability dropped to 53% after 15 weeks. They now have to win the remaining three games and hope that the Panthers also lose their matchups if they wish to reach the playoffs.