Is Bucs’ Bowles The NFC South’s Worst Head Coach?

Is Bucs head coach Todd Bowles the worst head coach in the NFC South? No, but he’s close, according to the website 33rd Team.

The 33rd Team graded all 32 NFL head coaches at the end of the regular season and gave Bowles and New Orleans’ Dennis Allen a “D” grade. Here’s what 33rd Team said about Allen and Bowles.

“In the feeble NFC South, New Orleans couldn’t ride its decent defense that Allen oversees. His resume as a head coach (15-38 over parts of four seasons) doesn’t compare to his success as a coordinator.”

“Also in that weak division, the Bucs struggled and Tom Brady got his first losing record as a starter. Few decisions Bowles made worked out, though the playoffs could bring redemption.”

The fact is that Bowles is the only current head coach in the NFC South that has won a division title with the Bucs winning back-to-back titles under former Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians last year and Bowles this season.

Chicago’s Matt Eberflus and Cleveland’s Kevin Stefanski also received “D” grades.

Bowles Wasn’t The NFC South’s Worst Head Coach

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

A bit surprisingly, the combination of Matt Rhule and Steve Wilks got an “F” grade from 33rd Team despite Wilks going 6-6 as an interim head coach and Carolina finishing with the same 7-10 record that New Orleans and Atlanta did.

“Separately, Wilks deserves a higher mark because he made the Panthers competitive after they sank to the bottom of Lake Norman under Rhule. The failed Baker Mayfield experiment falls on Rhule.”

The combination of Rhule and Wilks joined the likes of Houston’s Lovie Smith, Denver’s Nathaniel Hackett, Las Vegas’ Josh McDaniels, Arizona’s Kliff Kingsbury and the combination of Frank Reich and Jeff Saturday in Indianapolis.

Despite a 7-10 finish for the second straight season, Atlanta’s Arthur Blank somehow earned a “B” grade from 33rd Team, which was the best showing of any NFC South head coach.

“Another team with uncertainty at quarterback and lots of youth that somehow won seven games. Atlanta’s run game (159.9 yards per game, third in the league) was particularly strong under Smith.”