Tampa Bay’s slow start and costly turnovers—including a blocked punt, three fumbles, and a late interception—prove too much to overcome against the undefeated Eagles, despite a spirited second-half rally.
TAMPA, Fla. – Bucs QB Baker Mayfield puts a lot of the 31-25 loss to the Eagles on himself. Mayfield led Tampa Bay on a second-half comeback, but an interception, a sack, and a fourth-down pass that only went for two yards was the difference.
“Take care of the ball,” Mayfield said. “When we didn’t, we lost the game. When we took care of the ball, we were undefeated, and that goes for special teams as well.”
On the Bucs’ 1st series, Riley Dixon’s punt was blocked by the Eagles’ Cameron Latu, recovered by Spencer Brown, and returned 36 yards for the Eagles’ first score. Philly came right back on an 8-play, 73-yard drive capped off by a Jalen Hurts underhanded 2-yard pass to Dallas Goedert, and the Eagles went up 14-0.
“We were kind of lifeless in the first half,” Mayfield said. “We got punched in the mouth. We went in and looked at the scoreboard and, ‘Ok, what are we gonna do now?'”
In the 2nd quarter, Hurts used that underhand toss to Goedert again for another score to go up 21-3.
“We were kind of lifeless in the first half,” Mayfield said. “We got punched in the mouth. We went in and looked at the scoreboard, and, ‘Ok, what are we gonna do now?’ We are too damn good to wait and get hit in the mouth.”
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles had said during the week that the Eagles are Super Bowl Champs and are coming in undefeated, so mistakes and a slow start can’t be tolerated.
“They (Eagles) started out fast today and you’re not gonna catch a team like that when you start out like that,” Bowles said.
The 3rd quarter gave Bucs fans something to cheer about. Mayfield rolled out and hit WR Emeka Egbuka for a 77-yard touchdown. The Bucs were to within 9. But just when the Bucs started to get momentum, Bucky Irving fumbled, and the Eagles recovered it. Philly converted with a 6-yard Saquon Barkley TD run to go up 31-13.
But hold on. Mayfield connected with Bucky Irving for a 72-yard score, and the Bucs were back to within 9 again. Chase McLaughlin added a 57-yard field goal, and the Eagles led 31-23.
“We don’t stop fighting until the game is over,” Mayfield said. “That’s the positive take out of it. But the negative is, and we talked about it, it is starting fast. You can’t expect to beat teams of that caliber when you start slow like that.”
In the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers were driving, but Mayfield threw an ill-advised pass into the end zone that was picked off by rookie linebacker Jihad Campbell, and the Bucs could not get any closer.
“Red zone, we’ve got to be careful with the ball,” Mayfield said. “Extra precaution when it’s a one-score game.”
“We are always going to have fight,” Bowles said. “We just have to clean up mistakes now. It is getting to that point where we have to cut them down.”
The Bucs will have that opportunity next Sunday in Seattle against the Seahawks.
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