Bowles with biggest coaching blunder in Week 9

C.J. Stroud threw a game-winning touchdown pass with 6 seconds remaining on a play the Houston Texans shouldn’t have had time to make.

They had an opportunity for another play because Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles elected to use his final timeout instead of allowing a 10-second runoff after Mike Evans recovered a fumble at the Texans 14 with 49 seconds left. Baker Mayfield threw a go-ahead TD pass on the next play to give Tampa Bay a 37-33 lead.

That left Stroud 46 seconds — instead of 36 — to go 75 yards with two timeouts. The sensational rookie quarterback needed every bit of it on Sunday.

After completing two passes to Dalton Schultz for 20 yards and using both timeouts, Stroud hit Noah Brown for a 14-yard gain and then spiked the ball to stop the clock. He connected with Tank Dell for 26 yards to set Houston up at the Buccaneers 15 with 10 seconds to go.

Stroud then found Dell in the back of the end zone to cap a record-setting day in which he threw for 470 yards and five TDs.

Bowles was not asked why he chose to waste his last timeout instead of burning 10 seconds off the clock before Tampa scored. He blamed the secondary for the loss.

“We didn’t play good fundamental (football) or technique and we busted something that’s everyday practice, and you can’t do that,” Bowles said. “If we did what we were supposed to do, we would have been fine playing zone (defense).”

Bowles is the same coach who played for overtime in a loss last year instead of letting Tom Brady attempt to drive for a win.

His poor decision in Tampa’s 39-37 loss to Houston was one of several questionable calls coaches made in Week 9.

The Chiefs faced a third-and-1 at their own 19 with a 21-14 lead over the Dolphins and just 2:42 remaining in the first NFL game ever played in Frankfurt, Germany.

Instead of a run, a “tush push” or any version of a quarterback sneak, Patrick Mahomes dropped back to pass and threw the ball away under pressure. That stopped the clock without forcing the Dolphins to use a timeout.

Miami then started at its 25 after the punt. Raheem Mostert ran 25 yards and 19 yards on consecutive plays to get the Dolphins to the Chiefs 31 with 1:17 and two timeouts left. Miami had plenty of time to run Mostert again. Instead, coach Mike McDaniel called three straight passes.

Tua Tagovailoa threw three incompletions and fumbled the snap on fourth down to seal Miami’s loss.