Tuesday, 4 a.m.
The fast start is history now. The rebuilt quarterback has fallen to earth. Only reality remains for the Tampa Bay Bucs.
And, yeah, it felt like a punch to the eye.
The Bucs were dominated on Monday night, losing 25-11 to an Eagles’ team in a game that wasn’t as close as the score. The Eagles had 474 yards rushing, and they reminded the world that the Bucs still aren’t a good running team and struggle on defense.
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It could have been worse. Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts threw two picks, and the team was one-for-five in the red zone.
But the Eagles dominated both lines of scrimmage, and once they took a 10-3 lead, the game was never in doubt.
Someday? Someday, maybe Rachaad White will hit the hole (if there is one) the way D’Andre Swift does. Swift ran for 130 yards; White had 38 on 14 carries.
Someday, maybe a Bucs’ receiver will measure up to A.J. Brown, who caught nine balls for 131 yards.
Someday, maybe the Bucs’ line will block as well, or the defensive line will swarm as well. Someday, maybe you could argue that the Bucs are as good as the Eagles. Not Monday night, however.
Mike Evans caught five passes for 60 yards, and he now has 700 catches for his career. But Evans had drops early in the game himself.
The Bucs are still ahead of where most critics thought they would be. Next week, they travel to New Orleans to play the Saints at 1 p.m.