Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles had an interesting soundbite when he spoke to NBC’s Melissa Stark before the third quarter of Sunday’s playoff game against the Washington Commanders.
Bowles appeared confused by Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and his ability to escape pressure.
“He keeps getting out of the pocket to his left. To his, our left. His left. I mean, our left, his right.”
Todd Bowles on containing Jayden Daniels. pic.twitter.com/QAqYJeDbJh
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) January 13, 2025
Bowles wouldn’t be the first coach to be frustrated with trying to stop Daniels.
Daniels would do most of his damage from the pocket, though, completing 24 of 35 passes for 268 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Commanders to a 23-20 win over the Buccaneers. Daniels also destroyed Tampa’s chance to win his third-down scramble to set up the game-winning field goal.
After the game, Bowles heaped praise on Daniels.
“He’s done it all year,” Bowles said. “He has no conscience. I’m not surprised because we’ve seen him do it all year.”
That’s some big-time praise from one of the NFL’s top defensive minds. In Week 1, Bowles’ Buccaneers dominated Washington in a 37-20 win. It was a different result on Sunday because Daniels was a far different player than he was back in September.