NFC Notes: Todd Bowles, Spencer Rattler, Buccaneers, Panthers, Saints

Buccaneers

Tampa Bay fell to Dallas in Week 16, losing control of their playoff chances with two games to go. Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles is keeping their focus on winning out despite the help they need to make the playoffs.

“It won’t be difficult,” Bowles said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “We’ve got to win a ballgame. If we don’t win a ballgame, we don’t give ourselves a chance. We’ve got to focus on ourselves like we’ve been doing and we’ve got to correct our mistakes and we’ve got to go out and win Sunday and we’ve got to win the next week and we’ll what happens after that.”

• Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan was fined $5,720 for unsportsmanlike conduct (taunting), and LB J.J. Russell was fined $5,472 for unnecessary roughness (horse-collar tackle) in Week 15.

Panthers 

Panthers OLB D.J. Wonnum suffered a torn quad on Christmas Eve of last year as a member of the Vikings and wound up having two additional surgeries on his injury. He’s glad to be back in Carolina’s lineup. 

“It’s definitely been a journey since that day. But it’s crazy because once everything happened, I did not expect the journey to be like that,” Wonnum said, via Joseph Person of The Athletic. “So it’s kind of like bittersweet just seeing, dang, I went through all that but we’re back out here. I’m back doing what I love.”

Panthers S Sam Franklin said Wonnum’s return has provided a big boost to their defensive line and their ability to generate turnovers. 

“He just brought a different level of intensity, leveling out the D-line and putting more pressure on the quarterback,” Franklin said. “We’ve had a lot of turnovers over the last couple of weeks. That’s just due to our D-line playing fast, being in the right spaces and not giving quarterbacks time. D.J. brings that, so you can’t really double Clowney. And you can’t really double D.J. so you have to block everybody one-on-one. That gives them a lot better chance.”

Wonnum reflected on suffering his injury last year. 

“As soon as it happened, as I was laying down, I felt something I never felt ever in my life and I knew it wasn’t right,” Wonnum said. “It wasn’t really super painful. It was like, pop pop. … Like a whole bunch of clutter and nothing stable in there. I guess the adrenaline took away the pain.”

Saints

Saints QB Spencer Rattler reflected on their recent 34-0 loss to the Packers and took responsibility for their “embarrassing loss.” 

“Just embarrassing,” Rattler said, via Rashad Milligan of Nola.com. “Embarrassing loss. I put it on myself. I did not play good at all, in my opinion. I just didn’t have any answers, I have to go to make more plays, protect the ball and I’ve just got to be better.”

Rattler is now 0-4 as a starter, reducing New Orleans’ record to 5-10. He remains confident the team isn’t calling it quits on the season. 

“I know these guys in this locker room, this team, is not just going to lay down and quit,” Rattler said. “We’re going to come back to work, grind and just finish this season out, but it’s tough.”

Rattler praised Green Bay for their one-sided win. 

“It’s a really good team that we just played, and they had a great scheme,” Rattler said.