TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are off to a 3-1 start with a lot of room for improvement.
That was coach Todd Bowles’ message in the aftermath of a 33-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles that left the Bucs in a familiar position — sole possession of first place in the NFC South. With a short week to prepare for Thursday night’s game at division rival Atlanta, the team’s next challenge may be the toughest it’s had so far.
“Really just taking care of their bodies and staying healthy and making sure they’re ready to go,” Bowles said. “Getting treatment when you need to get treatment and getting rest when you need to get rest.”
That figures to leave players little time to pat themselves on the back for what they accomplished in September, and especially how they rebounded with perhaps their best all-around performance of the season against the Eagles after playing poorly in a 26-7 loss to Denver the previous week.
The offense gained 445 yards and scored on four of six possessions in the red zone. The defense limited the Eagles to 227 yards and sacked Jalen Hurts six times after only getting opposing quarterbacks on the ground twice in the first three weeks of the season.
“(We’ve) taken ownership of what we put on tape (against the Broncos). … Everybody owned it, and that’s an accountable team,” Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said.
Bowles said overall, it’s a nice start to the season. Still, there’s a lot of work left, beginning with back-to-back games against the Falcons and Saints.
“It’s definitely a huge opportunity for us, but we can only take it one game at a time, right?” receiver Chris Godwin said.
“We for sure cannot be looking past anybody, let alone one of our division rivals that presents a really big challenge for us,” Godwin added. “. It’s going to be a big game for us, especially on a short week. We’ve got to make sure that we’re on our P’s and Q’s in the film room and in our game plan to be able to go in there into a hostile environment. I’m sure their stadium will be rocking. It’s going to be a tough challenge for us, but I think we’re up to the task.”
What’s working
Mayfield passed for two touchdowns and ran for a third against the Eagles. The offense scored touchdowns on its first two possessions — a rarity for Tampa Bay. In fact, the Bucs had gone 20 consecutive games without getting into the end zone on their opening drive.
What needs help
The running game is not nearly as productive as it needs to be if the Bucs are going to be as good as they think they can be. Rookie Bucky Irving scored his first pro TD and finished with 49 yards on 10 carries. Starter Rachaad White also rushed for 49 yards on 10 attempts, but the ground game has been inconsistent at best.
Stock up
Sterling Shepard had three receptions for 51 yards in his Bucs debut. The former New York Giants receiver was signed during the training camp, but got injured and never really had an opportunity to compete for a job. The Bucs brought him back on the practice squad and promoted to the active roster for Sunday’s game.
“He’s very smart, he brings a lot of experience, he can still play … he’s very fast, he’s very sure-handed,” Bowles said. “If he’s healthy, he’s a heck of a football player.”
Stock down
Punter Jake Camarda was a healthy scratch after Trenton Gill was signed earlier in the week.
Injuries
A total of 15 players were listed on the injury report Monday, but Bowles said it was too soon to speculate on who might not play this week. All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield (foot), DL Calijah Kancey (calf) and RT Luke Goedeke were all inactive against the Eagles.
Key number
596. WR Mike Evans became the Bucs’ career scoring leader, surpassing Martin Gramatica (592) and becoming only the third non-kicker to lead a franchise in scoring. The others are Hall of Famers Jerry Rice (49ers) and Emmitt Smith (Cowboys).
Next up
Thursday night begins a two-game stretch against NFC South rivals. After facing the Falcons, the Bucs travel to New Orleans on Oct. 13.
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