Everything went right for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Sunday’s win over the New York Giants, especially on offense. Liam Coen continues to be everything the Bucs needed him to be after losing Dave Canales this past offseason, but the job he’s done might push him down a similar path as his predecessor.

Coen has turned the Bucs into a top offense in the NFL, which has naturally attracted some head coaching attention. His stock is on the rise and is only getting more valuable the better Tampa Bay looks.

It’s creating a bit of a fork-in-the-road situation for the team, as Coen’s rise is juxtaposed against the struggles of Todd Bowles’ defense. It’s a contrast that has some fans begging for the latter to be replaced by his offensive coordinator both for the quality of the team but also to ensure that Coen isn’t poached after the season.

A four game losing streak added even more pressure to the situation but Bowles was in a joking mood when asked about the recent coaching rumors around Coen this week.

Todd Bowles jokes about Liam Coen popping up in head coaching rumors

Bowles was asked about Coen’s name coming up in coaching searches and has a pretty hilarious — and correct — comeback.

“At least I’m picking the right guys,” Bowles said. “I need to play the lotto.”

It’s nice to see Bowles’ deadpan humor make a return, if for no other reason than to remind everyone that the vibes in the building are still good. It also doesn’t sound like he’s too worried about the possibility of losing Coen, although that’s a bridge that’s still a little far down the road to cross now.

Eventually the Bucs will need to cross it, as Coen’s name isn’t going anywhere. The Chicago Bears already look like a great landing spot for him to work with Caleb Williams and the New Orleans Saints poaching him would be a double whammy move for them if they can make it happen.

Coen remaining in Tampa Bay isn’t impossible, either. It was a pretty big surprise to see Canales get a head coaching job after just one year with the Bucs and there’s a chance that Coen ends up getting passed over this round in favor of guys like Ben Johnson, Bobby Slowik, and Jesse Minter. Mike Vrabel is also available and expected to be a top candidate and there’s always a surprise firing that could throw another good candidate into the mix.

Bowles still needs to coach well down the stretch to save his job, which sounds more dramatic than it probably is. However, if the Bucs take a step back and miss the playoffs with a losing record, that’s a regression that could end up costing Bowles his job, and the pressure to keep Coen in charge of the offense could lead the team to promote him.

We’re also missing the truth in Bowles’ clever comeback — he’s nailed the hiring process twice before. If Coen ends up getting poached, there’s a lot of evidence to suggest Bowles and Jason Licht will pick the right guy to replace him.

All of this is getting a little too far ahead of ourselves. The coaching rumors will remain, but all that matters is how the Bucs play over the course of the last six games. What happens next will be dictated by how things go the rest of the way.