Bucs' Todd Bowles ridiculed on social media for not using final timeout in loss to Lions

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the chance to tie the game against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, but Baker Mayfield’s interception on the second play of the drive iced the game. 

But the Bucs might have had another chance – sure, a miracle would’ve been needed to score a touchdown that needed a successful two-point conversion – if head coach Todd Bowles used his final timeout as the Lions were trying to kneel out the game. 

When Derrick Barnes hauled in the interception for Detroit, Ford Field went ballistic knowing the Lions could just run out the clock. However, on third-and-12, quarterback Jared Goff snapped the ball with 36 seconds left. 

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Head coach Todd Bowles of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers leaves the field for halftime during the playoff game against the Lions at Ford Field on Jan. 21, 2024, in Detroit. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)

Goff didn’t need to snap it when he did, as there were still lots of seconds left on the play clock. If the Bucs used their final timeout, the Lions would’ve been forced to kick a long field goal. 

Who knows what would’ve happened with the field goal? It could’ve been made, but it also could’ve been missed or blocked to give the Bucs another chance to tie the game. 

In the playoffs, no matter how slim the chance, it needs to happen.

FROM OUTKICK: NFL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 EARLY LINES: LIONS-49ERS, CHIEFS-RAVENS
 

But we’ll never know what could’ve been because the Bucs walked on the field to shake hands, as the Lions went on to the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers. 

Bowles explained the decision not to call the timeout after the