The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered Week 4 riding high at 3-0. They aimed to prove they belonged among the NFC’s elite. Instead, they walked away humbled on their home turf, undone by missed opportunities in all three phases. What was billed as a potential statement game against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles turned into a sobering reminder that Tampa Bay has significant flaws to fix this season.
Game recap
The Buccaneers fell 31-25 to the Eagles at Raymond James Stadium, suffering their first defeat of the 2025 season. Philadelphia set the tone immediately by blocking a Riley Dixon punt on Tampa Bay’s first drive and returning it for a touchdown. The Eagles extended their advantage to 24-3 before halftime. Philly star QB Jalen Hurts connected twice with tight end Dallas Goedert in the endzone.
Chase McLaughlin briefly swung momentum back with a franchise-record 65-yard field goal at the half. The Bucs also mounted a second-half rally behind a 77-yard touchdown strike from Baker Mayfield to Emeka Egbuka and another deep score to Bucky Irving. McLaughlin later added a 58-yarder to cut the deficit to one score. A costly Irving fumble and a Mayfield red-zone interception, though, sealed the outcome. Philadelphia improved to 4-0, while Tampa Bay slipped to 3-1.
Here we'll try to look at and discuss the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who are most to blame for blowout Week 4 loss to Eagles.
Special teams blunders set the tone
Special teams have been a glaring weak spot for the Buccaneers all season. Sunday’s loss put those issues on full display. On Dixon’s first punt, poor protection allowed Eagles defender Cameron Latu to burst through the A-gap untouched. He blocked the kick and set up Sydney Brown’s scoop-and-score. That early disaster immediately placed Tampa Bay in a hole and set the tone for a disastrous first half.
It didn’t stop there, too. Dixon’s second punt went only 40 yards. It flipped little field position. Next, his third was an 18-yard shank that drew boos from the home crowd. Though a defensive holding penalty mitigated the damage, the play underscored just how unreliable the unit has become. Recall that Dixon was brought in to stabilize the punting game after Jake Camarda’s struggles. However, at the season’s quarter mark, the Bucs’ special teams are as chaotic as ever.
Linebackers failed to contain
Veteran Lavonte David delivered flashes of his usual steadiness. Still, overall the linebacking corps had a poor outing. SirVocea Dennis, in particular, was repeatedly exposed. He looked slow in pursuit and was consistently a step late in coverage. Against a Philadelphia offense that thrives on exploiting mismatches, those deficiencies stood out.
The Eagles leaned heavily on Goedert in the first half, and Tampa Bay’s linebackers had no answer. Goedert’s two touchdown grabs highlighted how easily Philadelphia isolated defenders in space.
Receivers let opportunities slip
With Mike Evans sidelined due to injury, Tampa Bay needed the rest of its receiving corps to step up. Instead, they fell short. Chris Godwin and Emeka Egbuka were bottled up for much of the first half. They failed to create separation against tight coverage. When Mayfield did put the ball in contested catch windows, his targets too often came up empty.
To their credit, both Egbuka and Irving delivered explosive touchdowns in the second half. That said, those highlights don’t erase the costly drops and missed chances earlier in the game. The lack of consistency from Tampa Bay’s receivers was a major reason the comeback effort fell short.
Pass rush came up empty
The Buccaneers knew they had to pressure Hurts to have a chance. However, their defensive front simply couldn’t get the job done. Hurts was rarely hurried. When the Bucs did collapse the pocket, he calmly escaped to either pick up yards with his legs or find wide-open targets in the flat.
Yaya Diaby was fresh off the best game of his career in Week 3. Here, though, he was nearly invisible. Meanwhile, Shaquil Barrett and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka also struggled to generate meaningful pressure. Even Todd Bowles’ trademark blitz packages and stunts failed to confuse Philadelphia’s offensive line. Without a consistent pass rush, Hurts was able to carve up the Bucs’ coverage in the intermediate and deep ranges.
A deeper concern
The loss may only count once in the standings. Still, how they lost raises alarms. There were just too many issues that extend beyond one afternoon against a Super Bowl-caliber opponent. Tampa Bay has enough talent and coaching to respond. That said, the blueprint to beating them is now out there for other teams to follow.
