Bucs Coach Todd Bowles Explains Decision Not to Use Last Timeout
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles explains why his team did not use its final timeout in the divisional round playoff loss to the Detroit Lions.
Bowles: 'The Game Was Over'
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said his team not using its final timeout in the Bucs' 31-23 divisional round playoff loss to the Detroit Lions was not a matter of coaching etiquette.
Instead, he said, it was recognizing that 'the game was over.'
"It's not a gentlemen's agreement," Bowles said Monday. "They were in field goal range. We'd have had 12 seconds, calculated, after using that timeout to come back from it. Then we'd have been down 11 points, so it's kind of pointless. You kind of know when the game is over. The game was over."
Lions' Coach Acknowledges Mistake
With the Bucs trailing 31-23, quarterback Baker Mayfield was intercepted by Lions inside linebacker Derrick Barnes with 1:39 to go. Lions quarterback Jared Goff proceeded to take a knee on three consecutive snaps, with his final kneel-down at 37 seconds. Center Frank Ragnow snapped the ball with 14 seconds left on the play clock.
Lions coach Dan Campbell said he was aware that the Bucs had a final timeout left and could have gone down the field.
"Yeah, look, well, first of all, we didn't handle that whole thing well on our end. We should've bled it more than we did," Campbell said. "Look, I'll be the first to admit that. And that's on me. But yeah, we knew they had a timeout left, and I could tell he wasn't going to call it. And so, that's just -- that's how it ended."
Bowles Defends Decision
Had Bowles used his final timeout, the Lions could have attempted a long field goal or punted. Bowles assumed the field goal would have been made, but there were no guarantees that Lions kicker Michael Badgley would have made the kick from 49 yards out.
A missed field goal would have resulted in a turnover on downs and could have put the Bucs within striking distance at their own 39-yard line with 30 seconds left. A punt would have pinned the Bucs deep and still afforded them a shot at a Hail Mary, although they would have needed a successful 2-point conversion to go into overtime.
Bowles said, "I don't know what good using a timeout is if you can't take advantage of it."
