The Tampa Bay Buccaneers moved to 3-1 on the season with a commanding 33-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4, positioning themselves to chase a fourth consecutive NFC South title. Quarterback Baker Mayfield bounced back from a lackluster performance in a loss to the Denver Broncos last week, throwing for 347 yards and three total touchdowns—two through the air and one on the ground.
Mayfield was sharp from the start, completing 30 of 47 passes without a turnover. His opening drive set the tone for Tampa Bay, leading the offense to its first touchdown on an opening possession in 21 games. A 10-play, 79-yard drive culminated with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans, who became the Buccaneers’ all-time scoring leader, surpassing kicker Martin Gramatica with 596 career points.
Evans, who caught eight passes for 94 yards, was instrumental in helping the Bucs build a 24-0 first-half lead. Mayfield also connected with rookie wide receiver Trey Palmer for a first-quarter touchdown, and later plunged into the end zone on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal early in the second quarter. Tampa Bay outgained Philadelphia 254 yards to zero during that stretch, completely dominating both sides of the ball.
Philadelphia struggled offensively for most of the first half. Their only points came late in the second quarter when quarterback Jalen Hurts capped off a 14-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Parris Campbell, cutting into Tampa Bay’s 24-7 halftime advantage.
The Eagles appeared to gain momentum after Saquon Barkley opened the second half with a 59-yard run that led to a 1-yard Hurts rushing touchdown. This made it 24-14, but the Buccaneers immediately responded with another touchdown. Despite Kelee Ringo’s defensive two-point conversion on a blocked extra-point kick, which trimmed the deficit to 30-16, the Eagles couldn’t mount a complete comeback.
Hurts attempted to rally Philadelphia late, driving them deep into Bucs territory, but Lavonte David’s timely sack and forced fumble at Tampa Bay’s 19-yard line effectively sealed the game.
With this victory, the Buccaneers look like contenders once again, rebounding in a big way after their Week 3 stumble. Mayfield’s chemistry with Evans and the overall balance on both sides of the ball put them in prime position to continue their quest for another division title. For the Eagles, who now sit at 2-2, the road ahead looks more difficult as they try to regroup from another disappointing loss to a Tampa Bay team that ousted them from last season’s NFC wild-card round.
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