The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are building a new identity without Tom Brady. Brady’s three-year run as the face of the franchise ended when the seven-time Super Bowl champion retired last winter, leaving the Bucs searching for a quarterback capable of helping them remain competitive. Four games into the season, Baker Mayfield looks like a good choice after he beat out third-year pro Kyle Trask for the starting job in training camp.
A 26-9 road victory at New Orleans left Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers (3-1) alone atop the division heading into a bye week that will give several key players, including star receiver Mike Evans, an opportunity to get healthier. Mayfield has been a big part of the early success, proving to be a good fit for a system installed by first-year offensive coordinator Dave Canales while avoiding the type of costly mistakes that hampered the No. 1 overall pick from the 2018 draft in three previous NFL stops.
Whether the Tampa Bay Buccaneers want to concede it or not, the team’s first loss of the season showed there’s a sizeable gap between them and the NFL’s elite teams. The offense sputtered and a normally reliable defense struggled, too, in falling to the unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles 25-11 on Monday night. A lot of it has to do with (the Eagles).
The Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers insist they aren't listening to “noise” outside their locker rooms. The unbeaten NFC rivals meet in prime time Monday night, each sporting 2-0 records that have spawned questions about realistic expectations for the season. Jalen Hurts and the Eagles have been less dominant than many felt they’d be coming off a Super Bowl appearance last winter.