The Bucs find solutions to all their problems by easily defeating the Eagles

TAMPA — A week ago, the Bucs couldn’t find Mike Evans.

Problem solved.

A week ago, they couldn’t rush the opposing quarterback.

Problem solved.

A week ago they fell behind early, played poorly and came away frustrated.

Not this time.

Tampa Bay defeated the Eagles 33-16 after a near-perfect first quarter on an insanely hot Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium. Evans caught eight passes for 94 yards and a touchdown while the defense sacked Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts six times.

The Bucs took a 24-0 lead, faltered in the third quarter, but held off the Eagles when Lavonte David forced a Hurts fumble in Tampa Bay territory, making the score 30-16.

Game of the day

Using the same formation that led to Evans’ touchdown reception in the first quarter, the Bucs completely confused the Eagles on fourth-and-goal early in the second quarter. Baker Mayfield faked a handoff to Bucky Irving and ran the ball up the middle to score.

game ball

As Tom What’s-His-Name watched from the Fox Sports booth, Mayfield looked like an old-school Bucs quarterback. He ran, he passed, he stumbled, he gestured to the crowd. And when it was all over, he had 347 yards through the air, two touchdown passes and a touchdown run. Tom Brady dutifully seemed impressed.

Keep an eye on it

The Bucky Irving/Rachaad White evolution continues.

Through the first two weeks of the season, White had 25 runs compared to 16 for Irving. In the last two games, the Oregon rookie has allowed 19 runs while White is down to 16. The difference in performance is obvious. Irving is averaging 5.8 yards per carry while White is averaging 2.8.

However, White continues to have a strong presence in the passing game. He has 14 receptions for 133 yards.

Additionally, Trenton Gill was brought in from the practice squad and took over punting and placeholder duties on Sunday. Gill punted four times for 37.5 yards, but an attempt at an extra point was blocked, leading to a two-point return for the Eagles. It will be interesting to see if the Bucs keep Gill and Jake Camarda on the roster this week.

NFC South update

After four weeks, the Bucs are at the top of the division. While the Bucs outran the Eagles, the Saints missed their fourth-quarter comeback in a 26-24 loss in Atlanta. After stunning the league by winning their first two games by a combined score of 91-29, the Saints have lost two games in a row. The Falcons and Saints are now tied at 2-2. Carolina looks better with Andy Dalton at quarterback, but the Panthers are still down at 1-3.

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Next

Todd Bowles often refers to a 24-hour rule in the days following games. Whether you win or lose, the team moves on 24 hours later. Well, this week the Bucs could consider a 24-minute rule. With a game coming up in Atlanta on Thursday night, they barely have time to celebrate a win.

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