Todd Bowles had Buccaneers kneel down with 38 seconds left in a 44

When the Buccaneers got the ball at their own 20-yard line with 38 seconds remaining, trailing the Bills 44-32, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles sent backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater onto the field to kneel down, ending the game.

As improbable as a comeback win would have been with less than a minute left in a two-possession game, it was an interesting decision for Bowles not to at least try to win — and interesting especially because Bowles has found himself on both sides of criticism about whether or not to keep playing late in what looks like a losing cause.

The most prominent criticism of Bowles came after the Bucs’ playoff loss in Detroit two years ago, when the Lions faced a fourth down and the Bucs simply walked off the field and accepted a 31-23 loss to the Lions, rather than call