NFL Studs and Duds from Tampa Bay’s 25-11 loss to the Eagles
It wasn’t the best of outings for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on prime time TV Monday night.
The Bucs faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles, and although both teams were 2-0 heading into the matchup, it wasn’t a very competitive game. The Eagles controlled the game most of the way through and ended up beating Tampa Bay soundly 25-11 on a slew of offensive yards and run stuffs. It’ll be a big reset during practice to try and get things right, but until then, the Bucs will have a bit to think about.
While there was plenty wrong with Tampa Bay’s overall outing, there were still some solid performers across the day. Here are Bucs Wire’s Studs and Duds for Week 3 against the Eagles:
Stud: Chris Godwin
The Bucs offense couldn’t get anything going on Monday, but Chris Godwin remained a reliable target during the course of Tampa Bay’s regrettable offensive showing. Godwin may not have been the Bucs’ leading receiver, but he was a reliable target early in the game, caught a two-point conversion at the end of it and was likely the best offensive player of the night.
Dud: Rachaad White
It was a brutal, brutal day on the ground for the Bucs.
Rachaad White had 14 carries for 28 yards on the day, averaging just 2.7 yards per carry. The offensive line didn’t necessarily do him any favors, but when he caught the ball, he didn’t do much better — he fumbled on one of his receptions to give the ball over to the Eagles, which resulted in points for them.
Stud: Devin White
White not only had an interception during Monday’s game, but he also had seven combined tackles. Coverage was a skill White had to improve on during the offseason, and between his pick and ensuing work bringing players down on Monday, it’s safe to say he’s been having the season he hoped for so far in 2023.
Dud: Baker Mayfield
Mayfield’s streak of solid play from the second half of the Vikings game to the Chicago game ended against Philadelphia on Monday.
Mayfield went a middling 15/25 for 146 yards in the loss and was generally unable to get anything going through the air until it didn’t matter. He also threw his first pick of the year on a late ball intended for Chris Godwin and was unable to be as elusive against Philly’s talented defensive line as he was in weeks past. He’ll need to try and tap in to the game he had against the Bears later on this season if the Bucs mean to contend for the NFC South.
Stud: Dee Delaney
Delaney shouldn’t have gotten as much action as he did due to a Jamel Dean injury, but he did make it count. He had a nice interception off of Jalen Hurts in the third quarter, but he unfortunately went out of bounds at the one-yard line. That resulted in a safety, but the play was still an admirable one given the circumstances so he gets the moniker of “stud” here.
Dud: The entire defensive front
To say D’Andre Swift and the Eagles had a great rushing attack would honestly be underselling it.
The Bucs were supposed to be one of the league’s best rushing defenses, but the Eagles ran for an obscene 201 yards against the Bucs on Monday. On top of the absolute drubbing from the ground game, Jalen Hurts had quite a long time to throw in the pocket and was able to use that to his advantage on multiple occasions to get big chunk gains. It’ll be back to the drawing board for the Bucs defensive line during practice next week.
