When you’re playing the best of the best, you cannot give them freebies.
Sadly, the Buccaneers did just that against the Philadelphia Eagles, as multiple miscues led to opponent points even though it’s very arguable the Bucs outplayed them overall in a 31-25 loss Sunday.
Continued special teams blunders and the first offensive turnovers of the season highlighted the defeat, as Tampa’s unbeaten bubble got burst despite valiant efforts on both offense and defense.
As frustrating as it was, the Bucs will
need to turn around quickly as they travel to the other side of the country to face a daunting Seattle Seahawks squad. Let’s quickly recap some top performers and focus ahead.
Offensive Top Performer: RB Bucky Irving
It’s been a rough go of it for the offense in large part to a never-ending stream of injuries, primarily on the offensive line but at receiver as well.
Well, Bucky Irving has still produced at a strong clip and contributed hugely to the team’s near comeback attempt, leading all players in rushing yards (63), receiving yards (102), and overall yards from scrimmage (165) to along with a 72-yard touchdown reception. This marked the first time the Bucs ever had a player record at least 50 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in a single game.
Yes, he did “fumble” — if the officiating higher-ups still have the backbone to call it that. That was not ideal, but I really struggle with faulting Bucky when it seemed so far from a sure thing. Eventually, some of these calls need to go Tampa’s way this season, right?
Emeka Egbuka continued to flash, and he did so this time operating as the team’s de facto No. 1 receiver. He responded to the challenge with 4 catches for 101 yards and another touchdown, bringing his season total up to 4 already (tied for third in the league). He faced a stiff test on 1-on-1 assignments with Quinyon Mitchell, who’s a stud, but the fact that he could free himself up on other coverages continues to show his advanced development. His 77-yard score was the longest by any Buccaneers rookie ever.
Otherwise, we need to salute two returning pillars: Tristan Wirfs and Chris Godwin.
If the Bucs want to be seriously competitive and complete their quest for a fifth straight division crown, they need their stalwarts back, and Sunday marked a huge step in the right direction. Wirfs, in particular, desperately needed to return to stabilize a broken offensive line, and while the unit still struggled, Wirfs played well and should be back to his dominant self sooner rather than later.
Godwin also needed to shake off the rust after breaking his leg almost a year ago, and that showed, as he got 10 targets but reeled in only 3 catches for 26 yards. But still, getting him back ahead of schedule and conditioning him into football shape will pay huge dividends — he’s simply too good of a player and too much of a hard worker not to find his groove.
Defensive Top Performer: CB Jacob Parrish
I strongly considered just writing “all the cornerbacks” because of how incredible the entire secondary played.
It might not be as easily perceptible based on box scores, but this Buccaneers cornerback room is the best we’ve seen in at least five years. Everyone is playing very well, and that showed up in a big way by completely clamping the Eagles’ passing attack.
Jalen Hurts did not complete a pass in the second half…literally zero. And the Eagles were trying to hold Tampa off. Star receiver A.J. Brown caught 2 passes for 7 yards, while running mate DeVonta Smith caught 2 for 29. The only other receiver to catch a pass was John Metchie, who hauled in 2 passes as well for 10 yards.
The tally for Bucs corners:
- Parrish: 3 targets, 2 catches for 0 yards, pass breakup
- Zyon McCollum: 2 targets, 1 catch for 3 yards
- Jamel Dean: 1 target, 1 catch for 7 yards
- Benjamin Morrison: 4 targets, 1 catch for 9 yards, pass breakup
We’ll highlight Parrish specifically because he has an argument for not only best rookie cornerback, but best nickel cornerback in the league right now. He is playing out of his mind.
After being Tampa’s top-graded defensive starter from Sunday by Pro Football Focus (89.7), Parrish is now the third highest-graded corner in the entire league per PFF (85.6 overall). By their other metrics, he’s top 3 in coverage grade, top 3 in pass rush grade, and top 15 in run defense grade. It’s been 4 weeks, so it’s not a mirage: the kid has a bright future.
Special Teams Top Performer: K Chase McLaughlin
McLaughlin seems to be all the way back after a shaky start to the season, and that’s a huge relief in what’s been a total s**tshow on special teams for the 2025 Buccaneers.
McLaughlin reset the Buccaneers’ franchise record for longest field goal when he nailed a massive 65-yarder before halftime, and that also marked the longest outdoor field goal in NFL history. He nailed his other two attempts as well, one from 58 yards, and both his extra points to contribute as much as possible to the comeback effort.
You know who worked completely against all of that? Punter Riley Dixon and ST coordinator Thomas McGaughey.
After the Eagles’ block and score Sunday, we have now seen two blocked punts in the last three weeks, along with a blocked field goal. This is a massive issue that needs to be corrected now. The Bucs actively got put in perilous situations twice because of it, and their most recent game certainly would’ve gone differently without gifting the best team in the league 6 free points.
Aside from that, Dixon has been plain not good. It’s clear he’s feeling rattled now, as he shanked another punt and averaged just 36.7 yards overall with no kicks inside the Philly 20.
At least Kameron Johnson continues to stand out as a punt returner. He broke out for another big return, 46 yards, and logged 100 yards total on 6 attempts. He’s now top 5 in average per return (15.9), so that’s a valuable asset to have.
