‘Outright Lies,’ ‘Come On, Man’ — NFL World Calls Out Mike Tomlin’s Hypocrisy Over Criticism of Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles

Maliha Akter Mon, November 9, 2026 at 8:07 AM UTC

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‘Outright Lies,’ ‘Come On, Man’ — NFL World Calls Out Mike Tomlin’s Hypocrisy Over Criticism of Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers let a chance to build momentum slip away in a 27-24 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. The defeat dropped Tampa Bay to 3-6, leaving it third in the NFC South with its playoff hopes hanging by a thread.

One decision from the first half became a talking point during NBC’s halftime coverage, when former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin questioned Todd Bowles’ conservative approach. After the Buccaneers’ loss, fans circled back to Tomlin’s comments and were quick to point out what they perceived as irony.

NFL Fans Call Out Mike Tomlin for Criticizing Todd Bowles’ Conservative Call

Bowles’ decision came with three seconds left in the first half. Tampa Bay had a chance to make a bigger push before heading into the locker room, but the coach passed on a touchdown attempt and sent Chase McLaughlin out for a 21-yard field goal instead.

McLaughlin made the kick, but the Buccaneers still went into halftime trailing 17-6.

During NBC’s halftime show, Tomlin was asked whether he would have made the same call in Bowles’ position.

“You got to do something unconventional if you’re trying to win a football game,” Tomlin responded. “They’re playing really good defense. When they put pressure on Caleb, he turns the ball over.

“They got three takeaways in the first half, but the score is 17 to 6, so they got to do some things unconventionally if they want to win the game… They’re going to have to take calculated risks associated with pursuing victory.”

Tomlin’s comments didn’t go unnoticed. Several fans took issue with his criticism, arguing that he had been just as conservative during his own time on the sidelines.

“I really enjoy Mike Tomlin on TV, but he outright lies, lol. He is always criticizing coaches for not being hyper-aggressive when he himself was ridiculously conservative and risk-averse,” WFAN Sports Radio’s Nick Kostos wrote.

“Mike Tomlin criticizing coaches for not going for it is rich. He was the most conservative coach in the league, and he’d have kicked every [expletive] one of those decisions,” one X user remarked.

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“Every week, I hear Mike Tomlin talk about things that he didn’t do as a head coach for 100 years. Come on, man,” NFL draft analyst Connor Livesay piled on.

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“Mike Tomlin just said the Buccaneers need to do something ‘unconventional’ and take ‘calculated risks’ to come back and beat the Bears. In other words, two things Tomlin never did as head coach,” analyst Alex Brasky quipped.

However, some fans also appreciated Tomlin’s willingness to question Bowles’ decision-making.

“Mike Tomlin just killed Todd Bowles basically for kicking that field goal there. And he was right,” Kris Zellner, host of “Center Stage Chronicles,” wrote.

“Mike Tomlin cooked Todd Bowles on the NBC halftime show, saying you can’t play it close and need to take calculated risks if you want to win the game,” a Tampa Bay fan page wrote.

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“And I loved every second of it! I hope that [Tomlin] is the next head coach of the Bucs,” one added.

The Buccaneers, who rank No. 29 with a PFN Offense Impact Score of 68.6, showed more urgency after halftime. They chipped away at the deficit and eventually pulled even at 24-24 with about three minutes left.

Alas, Tampa Bay couldn’t finish the comeback. As time expired, Cairo Santos drilled a 38-yard field goal to give Chicago the 27-24 win.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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Source: “AOL Sports”