Though it was likely unintentional, Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles had an uncharacteristically humorous retort Monday night when asked what he saw from his running game.
“We didn’t have one,” the second-year Bucs coach replied.
Facing an imposing Philadelphia Eagles front, the Buccaneers running game mustered nary 41 net yards rushing and ran for one first down in the 25-11 loss. It was dismal.
Alas, the Bucs’ rushing ills extend beyond just Monday night’s travails. They’ve existed through the first three weeks with the Bucs posting just 234 rushing yards (27th in NFL) with a league-worst 2.8 yards per carry.
The morning after his team’s worst showing so far this season, Bowles held multiple parties accountable but didn’t hesitate to let it be known he’d like to see a different approach — and results — from Rachaad White, who had a season-low 38 rushing yards Monday.
“We’ve got to stay on our blocks a little longer. Obviously, it goes hand in hand. Rachaad has to hit it,” Bowles said Tuesday, via team transcript. “I think he tried to make too many big plays when it was a grind-it-out type of game. You’re not going to get big plays on these guys. You’ve got to start hitting it up in there, getting two, three, and four yards and hope you can break one later on.”
