Buccaneers Week 4 Top Performers vs. Philadelphia Eagles

With both teams battered and bruised in extreme heat, the Buccaneers proved superior in nearly every facet as they secured a convincing 33-16 victory Sunday.

A vital win to pick up following a massive blunder against the Denver Broncos last week and a preceding divisional opener on a short week, Tampa looked focused and motivated as it dashed out to a massive 24-0 lead early in the game.

Baker Mayfield looked locked in from start to finish, while Todd Bowles's dominance over Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts continued with a generally excellent defensive game plan. The pass rush finally showed up with 7 sacks, several of which came in crunch time to slam the door.

Let's do some shootouts!

Offensive Top Performer: QB Baker Mayfield Mayfield looked out of sorts and jittery against Denver, but he completely cured those ills by dissecting Philadelphia all game long.

Mayfield opened by completing 12 of his 13 passes, firing several impressive darts around the field as he finished 30 of 47 for 347 yards, two passing touchdowns (should've been three) and one rushing score. It marked Mayfield's highest career single-game passing total in a regular season contest.

Mike Evans finally got re-emphasized with 8 catches for 97 yards and a score, while Godwin continued to feast with 6 grabs for 69 yards. We also have to shout out Sterling Shepard, the veteran practice-squad insurance policy who stepped up big time with Jalen McMillan a late scratch and Trey Palmer an in-game loss. Shepard made 3 catches for 51 yards, including a spectacular 30-yarder over esteemed rookie Quinyon Mitchell.

Also, I predicted Bucky Irving's first career score last week but it came Sunday, as he powered in while also carrying 10 times for 49 yards.

Defensive Top Performer: LB Lavonte David Put this man in the Hall of Fame.

David broke out his vintage self, disrupting the Eagles during almost every one of their drives in some way.

On top of 9 total tackles, 2 for loss, he also notched 2 sacks and his 30th career forced fumble — which is tied for first among active players, the other being Khalil Mack (an edge rusher). A truly sterling performance in every way, and on top of it all he recorded his 1,500th career tackle. The only other player in Bucs history to do that? Derrick Brooks.

Vita Vea made, well, a Vita Vea-sized impact — profoundly large. The run defense was fearsome outside of one explosive Saquon Barkley burst, which feels inevitable these days, and Vea largely influenced that. He finished with 4 total tackles (2 for loss), 1 sack, and 1 QB hit. Oh and he did it with a brace after spraining his knee two weeks ago.

The entire secondary did its job against a depleted Eagles receiving corps, with no actual receiver recording more than 20 yards through the air.

Special Teams Top Performer: K Chase McLaughlin Despite missing his first extra point since arriving in Tampa (not his fault at all), McLaughlin continued to be money. He went 2-for-2 on field goals, including a massive 52-yarder to effectively put the game on ice, and still made 3 extra points.

A reliable placekicker felt like such a luxury in Tampa for so long, but now it should be expected with McLaughlin consistently being a weapon for the Bucs.