Todd Bowles Throws Gio Bernard Under the Bus After Botched Fake Punt

Updated: Sep 10, 5:00pm UTC

Frustration levels are at an all-time high for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after imploding in Week 15. One of several mistakes the team made during their stunning loss was a fumble on a fake punt attempt to begin the third quarter that kick-started the Cincinnati Bengals' comeback.

After the game, head coach Todd Bowles didn't shy away when discussing went wrong on that play.

Bowles made it clear that running back Giovani Bernard was at fault on the fake punt attempt. The head coach said the play was something they practiced "all week" and they dialed it up in that situation because they only needed one yard. However, he said Bernard simply "missed the ball."

The RB responded to his coach's claims in the locker room after the loss. He took responsibility for the play, but he also said there was miscommunication on the play that led to the mishap. Bernard seemed to indicate he didn't know the team was attempting a fake punt in that situation, contradicting his coach's claim that everyone knew what was coming.

This disagreement just highlights the tension that's mounting in the locker room. The season hasn't gone as planned at all for the Bucs, who are just 6-8 on the year and look lost on both sides of the ball despite boasting plenty of talent.

Despite a sub-.500 record, Tampa is still in the driver's seat in the NFC South. The team will look to bounce back in Week 16 against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday Night Football.

Isaiah De Los Santos is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Isaiah De Los Santos also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username zayyy05328. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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