Bucs Nation
Well, it was bound to happen at some point. The Buccaneers fought hard against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, but a slow start doomed them, and they came up short, suffering their first loss of the season 31-25. Let’s what social media had to say about Tampa Bay’s first loss.
Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr made his 2025 season debut on Sunday after being out since last October with a dislocated ankle and it was a feel-good moment. When Godwin Jr went down last season, that very well could have been the final game in a Bucs uniform with him being a pending free agent, but Tampa Bay was able to get an extension done and Godwin worked hard to get back to the lineup as soon as possible.
The star receiver ended the day with just three catches and 26 yards, but his presence was noticeable and he will continue to get more and more acclimated with the offense each week.
Emeka Egbuka made yet another big impact on the game on Sunday. Tampa Bay’s offense was looking for a shot in the arm, just some life and Baker Mayfield and Emeka Egbuka made sure to give it to them.
That 77-yard touchdown is the longest catch by a Buccaneers rookie in team history. His four receiving touchdowns are also tied for the third most in the NFL so far this season. It’s early, but Egbuka is already making his mark and putting himself in the Bucs’ history books.
This class could be shaping up to be one of Jason Licht’s best and that is saying something. Not only is Egbuka been even better than advertised, but the Bucs are getting key contributions from multiple different rookies.
Jason Licht has consistently done a great job and drafting and filling out the roster with talent. Drafting well is one of the most important things in an organization. It is what separates the good organizations from the bad ones. Right now, Jason Licht and the Bucs are rolling on all cylinders. Rookie corner Jacob Parrish in particular has been very good early on.
Look, I’m not usually the “blame the refs” guy but they have been a problem all year and it just seems to never go the Buccaneers way. In this game, there were multiple calls that should have been made but weren’t for one reason or another.
These calls simply need to be made. The Eagles were being very handsy all day and I’m fine with not calling it every single time, but some of these are egregious. Did the refs lose the game for the Bucs? Absolutely not. The refs didn’t cause a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. They didn’t cause Baker Mayfield to throw an awful interception in the red zone, but they certainly didn’t help.
Tampa Bay...
