Baker Mayfield, Bucs Embarrass Eagles 33-16 to Move to 3-1

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were looking to avoid losing two consecutive home games early in the 2024 season when the Philadelphia Eagles — a team they beat in last year’s NFC Wild Card Game — returned to Raymond James Stadium.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers avoided losing two consecutive home games early in the 2024 season when the Philadelphia Eagles, a team they beat in last year’s NFC Wild Card Game, returned to Raymond James Stadium.

Both teams were without several key players coming into this one. The Eagles were missing their two star receivers, A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, as well as several important offensive linemen. The Buccaneers were without their All Pro safety, Antoine Winfield Jr., as well as DT Calijah Kancey, RT Luke Goedeke, and rookie wide receiver, Jalen McMillan, to name a few.

It was a scorching hot day in Tampa on Sunday, with temperatures getting as hot as 110 degrees with high humidity on the field at Raymond James Stadium. Tom Brady was back in town covering his first Bucs game as a broadcaster for FOX, and the fans in attendance were fired up in hopes of their team getting back in the win column.

The Eagles won the opening coin toss and opted to defer to the second half, giving Baker Mayfield and the Bucs’ offense the first crack at putting points on the board.

Baker Mayfield wasted no time getting his favorite targets involved. Both Evans and Godwin caught multiple passes, with Rachaad White also delivering an impressive 22-yard catch and run, despite the ball being tipped at the line of scrimmage. Trey Palmer and Bucky Irving also got in on the fun, as a well balanced attack led by Mayfield allowed the team to generate an impressive 10 play, 79-yard drive that ended with a short touchdown completion to Mike Evans.

Buccaneers 7 Eagles 0

The opening TD drive for the Buccaneers snapped a 20-game streak without an opening drive TD, which was the worst streak in the NFL.

Not only that, but the TD reception by Evans moved him past Martin Gramatica for the all-time leader in points scored for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s no small feat, as Evans joins Jerry Rice (SF) and Emmitt Smith (DAL) as the only position players in history to lead an NFL franchise in points scored.

Todd Bowles’ defense seemed motivated by the team’s early success in offense, and did a great job getting in Jalen Hurts’ face to force incompletions on what was a quick 3 and out.

Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers’ offense picked up right where they left off on their next drive. Mayfield was masterful spreading the ball around. First, he delivered a pass to Chris Godwin who narrowly avoided being tackled after catching the ball at the line of scrimmage to run for 28 yards after the catch. Next was a completion to Mike Evans who ran a smooth out route before making the catch near the sideline for 17 yards, advancing the ball into the red zone. Just two plays later, Baker delivered an absolute missile to Trey Palmer, who hauled it in despite good coverage from the defender.

Mayfield was extremely dialed in early in this game, and after the TD strike to Palmer, he was already 12/13 for 138 yards and 2 passing TD’s, with roughly five minutes still remaining in the first quarter.

Buccaneers 14 Eagles 0

The Bucs’ defense continued to hold up. And although Dallas Goedert dropped what should have been an easy reception for a big gain, the Bucs’ trench play was strong early on. Vita Vea and YaYa Diaby both collapsed the pocket quickly, and the play resulted in Vea delivering a massive sack on Jalen Hurts which resulted in a 10-yard loss for Philly, and ultimately forced them to punt for a second consecutive possession.

Strong run for Rachaad. Short completion to Otton. Huge sack by Brandon Graham, who was left completely unblocked, resulted in a loss of 11 yards on the play. It was a decision that prompted Tom Brady to say on the broadcast, “maybe too cute of a call there by Liam Coen”.

After a 42-yard punt by Trenton Gill (who was replacing Jake Camarda who was a healthy scratch due to his struggles so far this season) rookie DB, Cooper DeJean, muffed the punt, and the ball was recovered by Tampa Bay. Reserve linebacker, J.J. Russell, was the player who pounced on it, giving the Buccaneers another possession starting from deep in Philadelphia territory.

After three failed attempts from inside the 10-yard line, Todd Bowles opted to take another stab at it on 4th down. In what looked like a read option, Mayfield decided to keep the ball himself, and despite a lot of moving bodies around him, he managed to navigate his surroundings and cross the goal line for another Bucs’ touchdown.

Buccaneers 21 Eagles 0

Another failed attempt to move the ball down the field by Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles offense resulted in yet another punt, and thus,