HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On if there is an injury update for LT Tristan Wirfs)

"Yeah, he has a low-grade knee sprain and he'll be week-to-week. We'll see how he feels after the Bye."

(On what he and the team can do differently to improve the defense)

"We definitely have to tackle better. We have spurts where we play well. [In] the second half, I didn't think we tackled better at all. Again, coaches and players – we have our coaches, we have our players – we have to get out of this jam. We got ourselves in it, we have to get out of it. We show good spots and then we make an error and it comes up. These guys understand that. It's not like they're trying, we just have to be better at it [in] the second half of the season."

(On how he's addressing the separation receivers are getting from the defense)
"It depends on who's the weakness and who's the weak spot we're trying to protect – different guys we try to protect. Sometimes it's outside, sometimes it's inside, you try to protect them as you go. You're playing with [Tyrek] Funderburk, you're playing with Josh [Hayes], you're playing with a couple of guys that [are] getting their first taste of full-time action so you have to be careful with a lot of things, but we should still be dropping where we need to drop at and that's not getting across for four quarters."

(On why the receivers have been able to get separation against the zone defense)

"Part of it is because the quarterback has a little bit more time to throw than he normally has and part of it is that we're not in the right area on the play action."

(On if the cornerbacks were playing off the wide receivers more than he would have wanted on the final drive)

"Yes."

(On why the cornerbacks were playing off the wide receivers too much on the final drive)

"First time playing – a little nervous, I'm sure."

(On if he communicated that he wanted the cornerbacks to be closer on the wide receivers on the final drive)

"Everything is communicated."

(On if CB Jamel Dean will be healthy following the Bye Week)

"I'll see next week how he looks."

(On if the loud 49ers fans caused the early snap late in the fourth quarter)

"No, it didn't."

(On what the cause may have been for the early snap late in the fourth quarter)

"He just snapped it early. 'Bake' (Baker Mayfield) didn't have it. He wasn't ready."

(On what happened during the tackle for loss at second-and-goal in the fourth quarter)

"I mean, the guy made a good play. He stunted hard inside, Graham [Barton] stepped to him, he made a heck of a play, and you have to give him credit."

(On if he anticipates WR Mike Evans to be back following the Bye Week)

"Again, I'll have to see where he is next week. He's getting better and better. With the week off, hopefully he'll be able to do something next week."

(On why the passing game hasn't been as successful recently)

"It's a little bit of everything. Any time you lose two All-Pros and you have a guy that's playing for the first time, really – 'Shep' (Sterling Shepard) has played in this league but it's his first time in the system – 'J-Mac' (Jalen McMillan) is a rookie, Trey [Palmer] is [in his] second year, you have Ryan [Miller] coming off the practice squad, so there [are] going to be some chemistry things. There is going to be a change in the offense and it's going to look bit different. We've been throwing the ball pretty [well] lately and had some success – yesterday wasn't the case. They did a good job slanting down."

(On what his approach to the Bye Week is)

"[We're] trying to get everybody healthy, going to recalibrate, we need time off. They're off after Wednesday anyway, they're going to have four days off – practicing one day is not going to help that so they'll get the rest of the week off after Tuesday. We'll get some guys healthy, hopefully. Some guys that are playing are banged up, hopefully they get healthy, get to recalibrate, step back and look and everything. Coaches will self-scout, we'll come up with better plans and we'll do some things to get ready for the stretch run."

(On S Antoine Winfield Jr. and S Jordan Whitehead's play so far this season)

"They're smart and they understand the game very well. We missed a couple tackles the last few weeks that we could've made, but you know, that comes with it. They're playing hard [and] they're getting everybody else lined up."

(On what the strategy was last season to win the last six of seven games and how that can be replicated)

"We may have changed who we were. We [started] making less mistakes. If we [start] making less mistakes as the case is this time around…We have to make less mistakes, especially to finish ballgames. That's really all there is to it."

(On if he considered calling timeouts or running the clock on the final drive on offense)

"It's a fine line between it. You want to use the clock but you want to have positive plays and when they got the 'TFL' (tackle for loss) when they came to the back field, that kind of set everything back. You're really trying to score and they kind of stopped us on second and third down."

(On if things will be more positive and look better starting after the Bye Week because of the schedule)

"We don't have doom and gloom. We lost two tough games – three if you want to count them but the schedule doesn't get easier. This is the NFL, you're not playing anybody that's soft on the schedule. Everybody has first-round picks and athletes and everybody is well coached so if we come back from the break thinking the schedule is easier, we're going to lose every game. We're going to lose every last game. We have to come back and take care of us and do the things we need to do to win regardless of opponent and if we want to be one of the good teams, we have to beat the good teams and we knew that coming in. It's understandable how we feel but it's never doom and gloom."

(On how hard it is to put in players with little experience when starters get hurt)

"You don't anticipate those things, but they make the team for a reason. Everybody is in the same game plan meetings. You have to mentally prepare if you can't physically prepare so when you go out there and you get an opportunity, you have to make the best of it. That's in football, that's in life."

(On what makes him believe the losing streak can turn around and if they plan on getting any new players)

"We don't need any new players. No doubt about it. If we stop making mistakes that we're making, we're in every game at the end. We have to turn it around and turn those losses in to wins."

(On if LT Justin Skule will be playing left tackle if LT Tristan Wirfs has to miss time)

"Yes."

(On if he talked to the Glazer Family at all after yesterday's game)

"We'll chat later today and tomorrow."

-BUCCANEERS-