Todd Bowles blames expensive INT on miscommunication

Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans are usually on the same page, but not in the biggest game of their Week 16 loss. Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles discovered that his two stars were not on the same wavelength on their own the final offensive play of their loss to the Carolina Pantherswhich Mayfield confirmed.

The play initially appeared to be an errant pass by Mayfield, which bounced directly into the hands of Panthers safety Lathan Ransom. However, both Bowles and Mayfield admitted after the game that Evans stopped going his own way when he believed Mayfield was okay.

Mayfield had just managed to rip off a 26-yarder a few plays earlier, the most on the Buccaneers’ final drive. Bowles told reporters he only wanted a a few more yards to get within range of kicker Chase McLaughlin before the turnover, according to team writer Scott Smith.

Mayfield broke down the game some more, saying he wanted to win ball in hand from “the Buccaneers’ best player.” The veteran quarterback didn’t necessarily accept blame, saying he would “never trust (Evans’) instincts.”

“Stepping into the pocket, the guy’s going to overplay him — it’s going to be a play, but I trust Mike in those situations,” Mayfield said, via ESPN’s Jenna Lane . “That would have really put us in scoring range. We still had a timeout. … I’m never going to question his instincts. You can look at it and say, ‘I should have done this, I should have done that,’ but it’s just game time, and it happens in a millisecond. Unfortunately, it wasn’t on the right side for us today.”

Baker Mayfield on Mike Evans on that interception: “I’m never going to question his instincts. That’s the thing. You can look at it and say, ‘I should have done this. He should have done that.’ But that’s just the timing of the play and it happens in a millisecond.” pic.tvitter.com/hjUnviLDDc

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) December 21, 2025

The game was just Evans’ second return after a two-month layoff due to a shoulder injury. After leading Tampa Bay with 132 receiving yards in Week 15, Evans had a team-high five catches against the Panthers.

The loss drops the Buccaneers to 7-8 and gives the Panthers control of the NFC South. Tampa Bay is now on the outside looking at the playoff picture, likely going to have to win the division to make it.