TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are off to a 3-1 start with a lot of room for improvement. That was coach Todd Bowles' message in the aftermath of a 33-16 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles that left the Bucs in a familiar position — sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
With a short week to prepare for Thursday night's game at division rival Atlanta, the team's next challenge may be the toughest it's had so far. “Really just taking care of their bodies and staying healthy and making sure they’re ready to go,” Bowles said. "Getting treatment when you need to get treatment and getting rest when you need to get rest.
” That figures to leave players little time to pat themselves on the back for what they accomplished in September, and especially how they rebounded with perhaps their best all-around performance of the season against the Eagles after playing poorly in a 26-7 loss to Denver the previous week. The offense gained 445 yards and scored on four of six possessions in the red zone. The defense limited the Eagles to 227 yards and sacked Jalen Hurts six times after only getting opposing quarterbacks on the ground twice in the first three weeks of the season.
“(We've) taken ownership of what we put on tape (against the Broncos). ..
. Everybody owned it, and that's an accountable team," Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said. Bowles said overall, it's a nice start to the season.
Still, there's a lot of work left, beginning with back-to-back .