TAMPA, Fla. — A 2-0 start for the Buccaneers might seem ahead of schedule to people outside the locker room, but the players say they've seen success building since the start of training camp.
"We installed this in the beginning of camp. We had pretty much everyone there the whole time," quarterback Baker Mayfield explained when asked about the team's offense. "Everybody's on the same page, and now it's how guys react when the games get going. We haven't been perfect, by any means, but definitely played well enough, taking care of the ball to put us in position to win games."
Mayfield is 2-0 for the first time in his NFL career, and he leads the league with a 3rd down completion percentage of 87%.
"Just giving guys an opportunity," he said after Thursday's practice. "Like I’ve mentioned before, we have a great skill group. Really talented guys. My job is to distribute the ball to those guys and let them do all the work."
"I know he got some third and longs, but if we can get in third and manageable, that gives us a good chance to succeed," added Bucs head coach Todd Bowles. "We’ve been running it good enough to get in some third and manageable positions. So we’re going to try and continue that."
Tampa Bay's offense will face their biggest test of the young season when they try to corral the Philadelphia Eagles defense on Monday night.
"They’re a great defensive front. I think that’s the heart of their defense. Guys up front, their [defensive line]," left tackle Tristan Wirfs said Thursday. "There’ll be some great match-ups. I think we’re all looking forward to it. We're all excited about it. Us being able to go out and handle them, with how good they are, is going to be great."
Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin knows it will be a big match-up for this Bucs team, but he says they won't judge themselves based on one game.
"If we allow this one game to define our season, I think we’re gonna be wrong," Godwin said in the locker room. "Whether we win or lose, I think we gotta go out there and just give it our best, right? Put our best foot forward. I think if we continue to improve on our communication, on our execution, I think we’ll like where we’re at as we get further into the season."
The Bucs (2-0) host the Eagles (2-0) for Monday Night Football at 7:15 P.M. Tampa Bay has won four of the last five games between the two teams. The Bucs are searching for their first 3-0 start since 2005.
