Bucs dominate Eagles in Wild Card game

By Lily Belcher

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said his team’s hard work paid off in their dominating Monday nightWild Card 32-9 victory over the Eagles.

“We worked extremely hard to get a chance to be in the playoffs,” Mayfield said after the game. “And we just wanted an opportunity and our guys came out and played really, really well.”

The Bucs were firing on all cylinders, making key catches for touchdown drives on the offensive side with the defense holding the reigning NFC champions to just one touchdown.

The defense shut down all 11 third and fourth down plays attempted by Philadelphia, putting pressure on the struggling Eagles offense. After losing to the Eagles in week three, the Bucs prioritized squashing Philadelphia’s running game, holding them to just 42 rushing yards.

Head coach Todd Bowles, who celebrated his first playoff victory, called the win “very enjoyable” and spoke to the creativity of his defense.

“We make sure we put some calls in and try to scheme up some things and get them out of it a little bit,” Bowles said.

Bowles said Mayfield was sharp during the game, despite a few dropped passes early on. He managed to complete 22 of 36 pass attempts for a total of 337 yards. Mayfield was actively trying to encourage his team on the sidelines and turned to the stands to bring out more energy from the fans.

“I thought all of those guys were upbeat,” Bowles said. “…Everybody on the sideline was upbeat...Everybody was helping each other out. Good team win.”

Mayfield, fighting through injured ribs and a hurt ankle, had a strong start, scoring on four of their five first half drives. The quarterback showed his ankle wouldn’t be a concern for Tampa Bay, running his way out of trouble with a 7-yard scramble.

“It’s a long season. Everybody is fighting some sort of injury and everybody did the best they could to prepare,” Mayfield, who is rehabbing and treating his own injuries, said.

Mayfield connected with David Moore for a 44-yard reception after blown man-to-man coverage by the Eagles. Philadelphia corner backs Avonte Maddox and Eli Ricks collided as Moore crossed the field, making room for the Bucs’ receiver to invade the Eagles’ endzone.

Leading 18-9, Trey Palmer ran in a 56-yard reception to give the Bucs some insurance points late in the third-quarter. Under pressure with six minutes to go in the game, Mayfield completed a deep pass down the middle to Chris Godwin for a 23-yard touchdown.

“We should have had a lot more points on offense, but we did just enough to get the win tonight,” Mayfield said.

The quarterback said he was proud of his team’s performance to spur them into the next round of the playoffs. The Bucs came into the playoffs with the lowest regular season record, just one game over .500, but it was enough to put them on the path to the Superbowl.

Heading into Sunday’s NFC Divisional battle against the Lions, Mayfield called for his team to “stick together” as they did in the back half of the regular season, where they won five of their last six.

“Just to keep fighting, to stick together and don’t listen to the outside noise,” he said. “Just trust the people next to you.”

The Bucs lost 20-6 against the Lions in week five, but Mayfield said the Bucs are a different team than they were back in October.

“We haven’t reinvented the wheel. We’ve just stuck with it and gotten better at the little things,” he said.