Buccaneers have reached a point of ineptitude that winning one game is a challenge

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Forget playoff aspirations. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to win a game first.

The Bucs are 0-4 after a 17-14 loss to Green Bay and have a quick turnaround with a trip to Dallas for a game on Thursday night.

Even with undrafted rookie Jalon Daniels at quarterback, Tampa Bay had a chance against the Packers but couldn’t make a play when needed. There’s no time to dwell on mistakes with the Cowboys coming up.

Dak Prescott leads a prolific passing attack and offense that beat Houston 34-30. It’ll be a challenge for a team that’s struggling on offense and defense.

“We know what the problem is — it’s on us,” coach Todd Bowles said. “We can’t keep getting close and not winning, that’s not good enough. Our record says what we are, we’re 0-4, and until we acknowledge that and we correct our own mistakes, it’s going to keep happening. We talked about it as a team, we’re going to be a team, and we play gotta play tough around the end, we gotta execute then, and that’s the only way you can win the ball game.”

The Bucs have lost 11 of 13 games since a 6-2 start last season. They had won four straight division titles before finishing 8-9 and losing a three-way tiebreaker to Carolina in a weak NFC South.

The rest of the teams in the division have improved while the Bucs have regressed this season.

“No one is coming to save us,” two-time All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs said. “We aren’t going to magically get a superhero in here. We can’t snap our fingers and be 4-0. We can’t snap our fingers and be 2-2. We are 0-4. It’s the guys in this locker room that are going to get us out of it.”

Only the 1992 Chargers overcame an 0-4 start and made the playoffs. These Bucs are more likely to make a push for the No. 1 overall draft pick than get back into playoff contention.

“Coach Bowles can tell us all he wants, but at the end of the day we’re the players getting on the field,” cornerback Jacob Parrish said. “Coach Bowles is putting us in the position; we just have to go make the plays. It is one day at a time, and we have got to find an edge in our details, so that is what we are going to focus on this week.”

What’s working

The defense created turnovers in the fourth quarter to keep the game within reach. Safety Tykee Smith forced a fumble inside the 5. Parrish made an excellent read to pick Jordan Love inside the red zone.

What needs help

Everything. The pass rush put no pressure on Love, who took 31 hits in the first three games. He was only touched twice and didn’t get sacked.

Stock up

Daniels. Despite two interceptions that led to 10 points, he wasn’t overwhelmed in his first career start. Daniels saw 10 quarterbacks drafted ahead of him and had to sign as a free agent. But he was the first in his draft class to start and was a play or two away from winning.

“I was seeing everything right, (saw) everything that they were doing and was able to come back to the sideline and able to communicate that with the rest of the team and my coaching staff,” he said. “They get paid to go out there and make plays, too, and they made a few plays.”

Stock down

Emeka Egbuka, a first-round pick in 2025, had just two catches for 13 yards and one drop. He has only 15 receptions for 154 yards and one TD.

Injuries

Edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. (groin), CB Benjamin Morrison (quadriceps), TE Ko Kieft (elbow) didn’t play against Green Bay. ... S Antoine Winfield Jr. hurt his abdomen and a rib late in the fourth quarter. ... LB SirVocea Dennis injured his ankle.

Key number

100%: The Bucs allowed the Packers to go 3 for 3 on fourth down. All three were on a series that ended with a fourth down TD pass.

Next steps

After three straight home losses, the Buccaneers are on the road against Dallas (2-2) before returning home to play Pittsburgh (2-2) on Oct. 18. They play their first division game at Carolina on Oct. 25.

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