The Tampa Bay Buccaneers led the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-3 going into the fourth quarter on Sunday and lost 26-19 in overtime.

Pittsburgh scored 23 of the game’s final 26 points at Raymond James Stadium, and the collapse dropped the Bucs to 1-5 on the season and last place in the NFC South. Now, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles’ seat is scorching hot.

Buccaneers’ Collapse and 1-5 Start Lead to Calls for Tampa Bay to Fire Todd Bowles

For three quarters, Tampa Bay’s defense had Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers stuck in neutral. Pittsburgh’s only points came on a 52-yard Chris Boswell field goal as the first half ran out (which was gifted to the Steelers thanks to poor clock management by Bowles).

Rodgers hit Darnell Washington for a 5-yard touchdown early in the fourth. Then, Steelers rookie Daylen Everette intercepted Bucs QB Jalon Daniels, the undrafted rookie who was making his third NFL start for the injured Baker Mayfield (thumb), and that set up another Boswell field goal.

After a Bucs three-and-out, Boswell hit a 58-yarder to tie it at 16 with 1:55 left. Former Bucs CB Jamel Dean then picked off Daniels and returned it 40 yards.

Tampa Bay kept Pittsburgh out of the end zone, but Boswell’s 20-yard field goal put the Steelers ahead 19-16 with 1:21 to go. Daniels did answer, getting the Bucs into range for a 53-yard Chase McLaughlin field goal that tied it with eight seconds left.

Overtime went even worse for Tampa Bay. The Bucs won the toss and elected to defer. Rodgers then led a 12-play, 70-yard drive that used up 6:45 of the 10-minute period.

Along the way, he converted a 3rd-and-13 to DK Metcalf, and he finished it with a 6-yard touchdown pass to rookie wideout Germie Bernard. Tampa Bay’s last possession ended when Jalen Ramsey sacked Daniels on fourth down.

The Bucs have seen this before. According to Pewter Report, it was the second time this season that Tampa Bay blew a lead of 10 or more points in the second half at home and lost. It was also their fourth straight home loss.

In a video explaining why “the Todd Bowles era needs to end,” The Pewter Plank’s Josh Hill didn’t mince words about the state of the Bucs and why they need a coaching change.

“There’s no energy. And there’s no vigor. And there’s no grit. And there’s no killer instinct… That’s why this Todd Bowles thing is not working…” Hill said. “The lack of killer instinct in this team starts with Todd Bowles. They just kind of take their foot off the gas because that’s the style, that’s what we do, that’s the personality of this team. That’s why the coaching reset needs to happen…

“The Todd Bowles thing is not working. You completely turned me against Todd Bowles. Todd Bowles has turned me against Todd Bowles. I’m sick and tired of watching crap like this.”

NFL analyst Jon Ledyard added that there’s “no way Bowles comes back from this one.”

“Surrendering so many chunk plays in critical situations, just like last year in all these key end-of-game/4th quarter moments. It’s not all his fault, but enough of it is. Whole operation has so many errors,” Ledyard added.

RealGM’s Jeff Risdon replied to Ledyard with a bigger question about where the franchise is headed: “To quote Dream Theater, is it time to make a change, are we closer than before? Would anyone in Tampa believe they’re getting closer and not farther away from being good? Or that Bowles can be the agent of change to get them closer?”

The Bucs Wire writer Ashlie went on a multi-tweet rant about the loss.

“What a disgraceful, downright disgusting second half meltdown. 13 point lead dissolved. Unreal… Someone needs to be fired,” wroteThe Bucs Wire writer Ashlie, before adding: “The most frustrating thing of all is that the Bucs really are a competent staff away from being true competitors in this league lol. They ooze talent at every single position outside of Punter. It’s mind boggling that the Bucs brass doesn’t see that.”

NFL analyst Scott Kacsmar focused on how the game flipped.

“Steelers were awful for 3 quarters today. Still win. Bowles has to be on the hot seat too,” he wrote.

“This has got to get Todd Bowles finally fired as well, right?” one influencer added.

“Todd Bowles’ defense just let the Steelers match their largest second-half comeback in 34 years. 1-5 now,” added a fantasy football analyst. “Let me guess, though. He’ll still have a job tomorrow and say ‘we gotta coach better, gotta play better.'”

Bowles, for his part, said the Bucs now have no margin for error. They open NFC South play against the Carolina Panthers next Sunday, and it certainly seems he doesn’t have any margin for error in terms of his job security.