There’s an uncomfortable truth lurking underneath the Bucs’ loss to the Eagles, and it could bite them again in Week 5
The Bucs still have a lot to prove after losing to the Eagles in Week 4.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were just one of six undefeated teams entering Week 4, but that’s no more after the Philadelphia Eagles handed Baker Mayfield and Co. their first loss of the season.
It was a wire-to-wire victory for the Eagles, and honestly, they controlled the whole game. Sure, the Bucs made it interesting at times with a couple of big plays to Emeka Egbuka and Bucky Irving, but the Eagles put the clamps on and made plays when needed to keep the matchup within arm’s reach.
Considering how the Bucs lost and their previous opponents, it’s opened up a question that’s worth discussing as the team prepares to take on a red-hot 3-1 Seattle Seahawks in Week 5.
Bucs have yet to beat a team with a winning record in 2025
Yes, it’s still early, but this is worth discussing. Coming into Week 4, the Bucs’ previous opponents had just one win under their belt – the Atlanta Falcons’ Week 2 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Collectively, the Falcons, Houston Texans, and New York Jets had a 1-8 record.
The Falcons boast the best record at 2-2, but they got demolished by the Carolina Panthers, who just suffered a 29-point drubbing at the hands of the New England Patriots, and their second win of the season came against a Jayden Daniels-less Washington Commanders team on Sunday.
The Texans finally got their first win against what’s likely to be a Tennessee Titans team picking No. 1 overall for the second-straight year, and then the New York Jets are still looking for their first win of the year when they play the Miami Dolphins on Monday night.
The Bucs have yet to beat a team with a winning record this year, and they just got defeated pretty handily by their first non-losing opponent. A slow start, combined with two crucial second-half turnovers, played a big role, but overall, the Bucs just weren’t up to the challenge. That says a lot in the big picture.
“We talked about starting fast, and we quite obviously did the opposite today,” Mayfield told reporters after the game. “So [we] have to fix that. You can’t expect to beat teams with that caliber when you start slow like that.”
It won’t take long to figure out if this is a one-off or a true trend for the Bucs. Two of their next three opponents are division leaders and have a combined record of 9-3. They have to travel to Seattle, then host the San Francisco 49ers before hitting the road again to take on the Detroit Lions in Motown.
We’ll know what the pulse of this team is around this time next month, and it’ll be interesting to see how things have played out at that point.
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