The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have started the season at 3-1 but still have plenty of room to get better.
Coach Todd Bowles emphasized this message after the Bucs won 33-16 against the Philadelphia Eagles, which put them in first place in the NFC South. With a short week ahead for Thursday night’s game against their division rivals, Atlanta, the next challenge could be their toughest yet.
“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.”
This means players won’t have much time to celebrate their achievements in September, especially after bouncing back with a strong performance against the Eagles following a disappointing 26-7 loss to Denver the week before.
The offense totaled 445 yards and scored on four out of six red zone opportunities. Meanwhile, the defense held the Eagles to just 227 yards and sacked quarterback Jalen Hurts six times, a big improvement after only managing two sacks in the first three weeks.
“(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 acknowledged that while it’s a good start to the season, there is still a lot of work ahead, especially with back-to-back games against the Falcons and Saints.
“It’s definitely a huge opportunity for us, but we can only take it one game at a time, right?” receiver Chris Godwin said.
