Bucs show moxie, resilience, but their record now shows a loss Give them credit for showing heart. Give them bonus points for creating big plays without Mike Evans. But, in the end, you have to give the Bucs their first loss of the season. They could not overcome a blocked punt and their first two turnovers of the season and lost 31-25 to the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles on Sunday afternoon. Playing without Evans and two offensive linemen, the Tampa Bay offense struggled to move the ball in the first half before Baker Mayfield hit two long touchdown passes during a furious comeback attempt in the second half. Tampa Bay was in position to potentially tie the game midway through the fourth quarter with a first down from the Philadelphia 11, but Mayfield threw his first interception of the year while scrambling to avoid a heavy pass rush. The Bucs got one more shot later in the quarter, but a sack put them in a hole and the drive ended at the Eagles 35. Play of the day It's not often your team gets two touchdown passes of 70 yards or more in the same game the only other time the Bucs pulled it off was 2018, with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback against the Eagles but it still wasn't enough. The true play of the game was when the Eagles blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown barely two minutes into the afternoon. The Eagles never trailed after that. Game ball If you showed up or tuned in, you got to experience a bit of Tampa Bay history. As time expired at the end of the first half, Chase McLaughlin kicked a 65-yard field goal. It was the longest kick either attempted or made in franchise history and tied for the second-longest field goal in NFL history. McLaughlin's kick was 1 yard off the record set by Baltimore's Justin Tucker (2021) and matched Brandon Aubrey of the Cowboys (2024). McLaughlin also had a 58-yarder, which is tied for third longest in team history. Keep an eye on The inability to consistently run the ball is becoming a factor for the Bucs offense. Through four weeks, Bucky Irving and Rachaad White have combined for an average of about 86 yards rushing per game. The injuries on the offensive line would seem to be an obvious cause. With right guard Cody Mauch and right tackle Luke Goedeke both sidelined on Sunday, the Bucs seemed to target the left side for most of their running plays. NFC South update Quarterback Jayden Daniels was unavailable for the Commanders on Sunday, and that made things a little tighter in the NFC South. The Falcons beat Washington 34-27 to move within one game of the Bucs in the division. After a big win last week, Carolina came back to earth with a thud against the Patriots, and the Saints remained winless. Up next It's not getting any easier for the Bucs. They travel to Seattle next week to face a Seahawks team that has won three in a row by an average margin of 16 points. Also, the Seahawks played on Thursday night, so they have a few extra days to prepare. John Romano, Tampa Bay Times, published 29 September 2025