Entering Week 15, Raheem Morris was on the hot seat and some believed that a loss could be the final straw to end his time with the Atlanta Falcons. Fans could only tolerate so much ineptitude, but the Falcons enjoyed their best offensive performance of the season on Thursday Night Football.
Despite having nothing to play for, the Dirty Birds still came to play. Morris was able to rally his team down 14 points in the fourth quarter to stun the Buccaneers 29-28 on their home field. And there's a real chance that Atlanta managed to spoil the playoff hopes of their hated NFC South archrivals.
While Morris managed to silence the doubters on primetime and extend his leash a little longer, he was the only coach who was able to do so. It's still likely that Arthur Blank opts to fire him this offseason in favor of a new regime, but Bucs head coach Todd Bowles could now be the one fired.
Falcons could be the reason the Buccaneers move on from Todd Bowles
After a 6-1 start, Tampa Bay has lost five of their last six games, including back-to-back losses against division opponents. It's this generational stumble that has Bowles back on the hot seat and the Panthers in the driver's seat to win the NFC South, which was unheard of just a few weeks ago.
The Bucs fanbase has finally started to turn on their longtime head coach, and many believe such an infamous choke against the Falcons could be what prompts GM Jason Licht to cut ties. So instead of Morris landing a pink slip, he might have just forced the Bucs to face the music in regards to Bowles.
The Falcons had a win probability as low as 4.8% in the fourth quarter, but Kirk Cousins, Bijan Robinson, and Kyle Pitts carried the Atlanta offense to victory. It was an impressive display of resilience, but it also came with a pathetic display of complacency from Baker Mayfield and the Bucs.
The @AtlantaFalcons' win probability was as low as 4.8% with 13:29 left in the fourth quarter (trailing 28-14) in their 29-28 comeback win over the Buccaneers.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 12, 2025
The Buccaneers' chances of making the playoffs drop to 53%. It would have been 80% with a win.
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Had the Bucs held on, they would have more than likely won the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season and their playoff hopes would have elevated to 80%. But alternatively, the Bucs are staring down a reality that could see a serious coaching shake-up come to Tampa Bay this coming winter.
The worst part about retaining the Super Bowl-winning coordinator after last year is the fact that the Buccaneers had Liam Coen waiting in the wings to take over, but is now thriving in Jacksonville. And knowing that Dave Canales was on staff means another former Bowles' assistant could get him fired.