As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head into their bye week there are more than a few questions that need to be answered. Just like this time last year the Bucs are dealing with a brutal slump, one that threatens to derail the entire season but might be tricker to bounce back from than what we saw a season ago.

Tampa Bay fell into a 1-6 slump but was able to rebound and not only save its season but end up going further than anyone imagined. Rather than the season ending during that losing streak, the Bucs played football deep into January and nearly reached the NFC Championship Game.

If that’s going to happen again, the Bucs are going to need to do a lot of work in the coming weeks.

Unlike last year injuries are chewing through the Bucs’ roster. Chris Godwin is out for the season, Mike Evans hasn’t played since early October, and Tristan Wirfs suffered an MCL sprain in Sunday’s loss to the 49ers.

Making matters worse is how poorly the depleted defense has played in contrast to an explosive offense. It’s left the Bucs questioning who can step up and how quickly they can do it. For fans, though, the only question on many minds is whether or not Todd Bowles will have a job when the team takes the field in Week 12.

That’s why Bowles mentioning he had a meeting with the Glazers this week stood out to so many Bucs fans. It’s not, however, what any of them are probably thinking.

Don’t read too much into Todd Bowles meeting with Buccaneers ownership this week

On Monday Bowles mentioned that he was meeting with ownership this week to go over how things have gone. To some this was interpreted as the moment many have been waiting for finally happening.

Don’t hold your breath though, Todd Bowles is not going to get fired — at least not yet.

Bowles meeting with ownership isn’t new, as it’s something that has been happening every week of the season. Not only does he meet with the Glazers but Jason Licht is involved too as the group regularly assesses how things are going.

Teams sometimes make coaching changes during the bye week, but any discussion about that happening in Tampa Bay will come after the season is over. The Glazers historically don’t fire coaches during the season, and that’s not going to change now, regardless of how worked up fans are over how things are going.

While it’s true that the defense being this bad isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for Bowles, there’s nuance to the situation. For starters, the Bucs are down some key defensive players which is hampering production, as Bowles is trying to run the same defense without certain key elements.

Also playing into Bowles’ favor is the fact that the team is about to enter a soft spot on the schedule and could easily be 7-6 in a few weeks. We watched the Bucs rebound from a 1-6 slump last season and Bowles has earned a shot to try and prove he can right the ship again.

If a coaching change happens, which is very much on the table if things don’t get better, it won’t happen now when the team can still turn things around. That’s pretty key, though, as the Glazers don’t typically tolerate regression.

There are three possible outcomes from this point of the season on:

• Bowles rights the ship despite all of the injuries that have set the team back and proves he deserves the job.
• The Bucs collapse and turn in a losing season, which might result in Bowles being fired.
• Tampa Bay ends up with a mediocre record, at which point the job Bowles did will be full assessed.

Some fans might not like it, but there’s a very real chance that Bowles is back in 2025 to run things back, if he is able to land the plane. One key factor in the offseason will be what happens with Liam Coen, as head coaching offers for him might force Tampa Bay’s hand. Then again, the Bucs tried that once with Lovie Smith and Dirk Koetter and it ended in total disaster, which the Glazers will try to avoid.

The point is, emotions are high right now with the team struggling so much in games they’re barely losing. This was the hardest stretch of the season, though, and while things lighten up from here on out what happens next will be critical for things beyond simply making or missing the playoffs in a few months.