Bucs HC Bowles, RB Bernard Dispute Botched Fake Punt

The Bucs suffered five straight turnovers in a nightmarish second half of their 34-23 loss to the Bengals in Week 15. After taking a 17-3 lead into halftime, everything unraveled for Tampa Bay in a third quarter in which the offense had four turnovers – all on their side of the field. Those came after a botched fake punt that led to a turnover on downs at the Tampa Bay 16-yard line.

That turnover on downs began the Bucs’ undoing at 13:34 in the third quarter when head coach Todd Bowles called for a fake punt on fourth-and-1 from the Tampa Bay 26. The only problem was that upback Giovani Bernard apparently didn’t know the Bucs were going to fake it and admitted that after the game. Yet, the other 10 players on the punt team did know it was a fake punt, including long snapper Zach Triner, who snapped the ball directly to Bernard.

The ball bounced off Bernard’s hands and he fell on the loose ball for a 2-yard loss at the Tampa Bay 16. The Bucs defense held the Bengals to a field goal, and Tampa Bay still led 17-6 after that gaffe. But that botched fake punt started an avalanche of errors that allowed the Bengals to outscore the Bucs 17-0 in third quarter to take a 20-17 lead. Cincinnati would go on to outscore Tampa Bay 31-6 in the second half.

“He missed the ball,” Bowles said. “We needed one yard and we had it. We practiced it all week. We just didn’t handle the football.”

When asked if Bernard was aware that the fake punt was called Bowles said,” Yes. … He knew it was coming.”

Bowles, Bernard Have Differing Takes On Bucs’ Botched Fake Punt

In the locker room after Bowles addressed the media, Bernard tried to dodge the media, not wanting to answer any questions, but finally relented.

“Miscommunication, that’s all it was on my part,” Bernard said. “I take complete fault for that.”

When asked by the media if a fake punt was called, Bernard said, “I don’t know. It was a complete fault – my fault – that’s it. It’s on me. It’s all me. That’s something I did wrong.”

Bernard saying that he didn’t know a fake punt was called was in direct contradiction to what Bowles said moments prior.

The media kept pressing Bernard about more details, to which the veteran running back repeatedly said, “I messed up.”

Following the turnover on downs, the Bucs’ next two drives ended with an interception at the Tampa Bay 31-yard line and a fumble by Tom Brady at the Tampa Bay 13 in the third quarter. At the start of the fourth quarter, Brady threw another interception at the Cincinnati 47 and the rout was on.

“We’re pissed off,” Bowles said. “We can’t have, you know … it’s the same old song – Bucs vs. Bucs. We play a good first half and we come out in the second half and shoot ourselves in the foot – either by turnovers or by penalties or field position on special teams. It was the tale of two halves, and the half we played in the second half was Bucs vs. Bucs.”

The offense didn’t generate any points in the second half until a last-minute garbage time touchdown pass from Brady to Russell Gage that made the final score 34-23.

“We turned it over, in six possessions we probably played them all on the plus-50 going in in the second half,” Bowles said. “Field position from that standpoint, turnovers, not getting red zone stops with some penalties had a lot to do with it.”

Despite Sunday’s loss, the 6-8 Bucs still lead the downtrodden NFC South division, as both the Panthers and the Falcons lost on Sunday. Both Carolina and Atlanta are tied with New Orleans at 5-9 – one game back from Tampa Bay.

Bowles said his team has to be smart enough not to lose the turnover battle 4-1.

“We play hard and we play tough,” Bowles said. “We’ve got to play smart for four quarters.”

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