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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came out firing on all cylinders in Sunday's 33-16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The offense moved the ball down the field with ease while the defense shut down a struggling Eagles offense. Several players stepped up on both sides of the ball to make impact plays for the Bucs. Mike Evans led all receivers with 94 yards and a score on eight catches. Baker Mayfield threw two touchdowns and ran for another. Lavonte David had two sacks including a strip sack. Vita Vea made his presence felt early with stout run defense and a sack of his own and Yaya Diaby notched his first sack of the year on a strip-sack of Jalen Hurts.
There were many candidates to choose from for this week's MVP. Here are BucsGameday's MVPs from the team's Week 4 victory over the Eagles.
Caleb Skinner: LB Lavonte David
The Buccaneers needed something good after being embarrassed by the Denver Broncos just over a week ago and they got that on Sunday in a massive 33-16 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
While both sides of the ball played extremely well on the day, it is hard to pick exactly one MVP as I believe there could be one from each side, but without a timely strip sack, the Bucs' game against the Eagles could have looked completely different.
That is why I am choosing linebacker Lavonte David as my MVP in the win over the Eagles. When you need a play made you can always count David as one of the guys that will make it. With the Eagles driving, David was able to shoot a gap and come back around to find Hurts sitting in the pocket before dislodging the ball from his throwing arm allowing the Bucs to recover. David also became just the second Bucs player ever with 1,500 tackles, joining everyone's favorite player Mr. Derrick Brooks.
River Wells: LB Lavonte David
Man, I could pick a trillion people here in a complete 180 from last week. But the Eagles were down 14 and driving at will when Lavonte David got a strip sack on Jalen Hurts, and that changed the trajectory of the game and denied Philadelphia any hope of a comeback. David is an ageless wonder, and he really turned back the clock on Sunday.
Dustin Lewis: Buccaneers Defense
The work of Tampa Bay’s defense, especially in the first half, was impressive against an Eagles offense that has been explosive in the past. The Buccaneers held Philadelphia scoreless on five of its first six possessions, including -5 yards on the opening three drives. The unit left a lot to be desired last Sunday but bounced back in a big way.
Collin Haalboom: LB Lavonte David
The Bucs needed a win in Week 4 and they got one because of a well-balanced effort on both sides of the ball. Baker Mayfield, Vita Vea, Zyon McCollum — there were plenty of standout performances vs. the Eagles. But in my humble opinion, the MVP of this game was Lavonte David.
He led the team in tackles (8), sacks (2), and forced a key turnover with his strip-sack of Jalen Hurts. Not only that, but David also joined Derrick Brooks as the only players in Bucs history to join the 1500 tackle club and put himself in a tie for first among current NFL players with 30 forced fumbles in his career.
Lavonte David is already a Bucs legend, and he is also this week’s MVP.
Kade Kimble: QB Baker Mayfield
The Buccaneers quarterback threw the ball 47 converting on 30 of those passes for 347 yards. He scored three touchdowns, with two coming in the air and one with his feet. By distributing the ball around, Mayfield controlled the game against the Eagles.
JC Allen: NT Vita Vea
There are so many ways you can go with this award. The offense played lights out, led by Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans. The run game finally got going behind Rachaad White and Bucky Irving. The offensive play calling was brilliant at times by Liam Coen. The defense piled on the pressure and Lavonte David was his vintage self.
However, the return of Vita Vea was the catalyst to what was a dominant defensive performance by the Bucs. The Bucs looked lost last week with Vea out of the lineup. He set the tone early, shutting down the Eagles run game and sacking quarterback Jalen Hurts on their second drive of the game for a 10-yard loss to force a punt. Part of the reason David was able to be so effective was the return of Vea in the lineup clogging space. He finished with three tackles, three pressures, two hits, and a sack on the day making his presence felt from his first snap.
Fan Vote: QB Baker Mayfield
Once again Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield gets the nod from the fans for the fourth striaght week. Mayfield led the Bucs offense to three straight scoring drives in the first 16 minutes of the game, cashing in on a rushing touchdown himself on third score. Mayfield won with 49 % of the fan vote, beating out our consensus winner Lavonte David who garnered 35% of the vote. Vita Vea finished with 13%, while Mike Evans grabbed just three percent of the voting results.
Consensus Winner: LB Lavonte David
David unseats Baker Mayfield this week with a stellar defensive performance that included a team high eight tackles, two sacks, five pressures, three hurries, and a forced fumble.
More must-reads:
- Five best NFL offseason value signings on offense: Bills get great deal with RB extension
- How Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes prepared for 'revenge tour' after Super Bowl loss
- The '2023 NFL AP second-team All-Pro' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Dolphins humiliated by Lions at joint practice
Joint practices have revealed some problems for the Miami Dolphins with a few weeks to go before the regular season. Tua Tagovailoa started against the Chicago Bears in Sunday's preseason game, wanting to show improvement after having a bad showing during the Dolphins' joint practice in Chicago on Friday. Tagovailoa did play better, going 5-of-6 passing for 27 yards and led the Dolphins to the Chicago 1-yard line before the offense was stopped on downs. A few days later, Tagovailoa and the offense had another poor performance at their joint practice with the Detroit Lions. Per Colton Pouncy of The Athletic, Miami couldn't score in the red zone against a motivated Lions defense during Wednesday's practice. "Dolphins offense just ran 16 or so plays in the red zone vs. the Lions and didn’t score until the final play (between the second units)," Pouncy posted on X. "Miami’s first-team offense didn’t score in the 7-8 plays vs. Detroit’s first-team defense. It was ugly. Lions’ D is having a day." Pouncy's observation of the Lions manhandling the Dolphins was universal among beat reporters covering the Lions and Dolphins, with The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner calling it the most "lopsided" practice he'd witnessed covering the NFL. Last week, Omar Kelly of the Miami Sun Sentinel said Miami folded when the Bears defense began to whip on the offense. The accusations of the Dolphins being a soft team are going to continue until they decide to fight back in joint practices or against opponents in the regular season. When healthy, the Lions have a fierce defense. So Detroit having the edge isn't a surprise, though not being able to score during 16 plays in the red zone is a concern. Miami doesn't appear to have found an identity, and that could spell doom for the season if it doesn't get it figured out before Week 1.
Former Oregon WR's career may have new life after transfer decision
Ryan Pellum's career with the Oregon Ducks was over before it even started, but it may have new life. The former four-star wideout from Long Beach, California, was ranked as the No. 26 wide receiver in the 2024 class, according to the 247Sports Composite. Pellum took a redshirt last season at Oregon before hitting the transfer portal in January. He was then arrested and charged with assault with use of a firearm after he allegedly pistol-whipped someone in his hometown on Christmas Day in 2024. In June, Pellum was sentenced to probation as part of a plea deal, and now he's trying to get his college football hopes back on track. As such, it's being reported that Pellum will transfer to Delaware State for the 2025 season. Notably, he'll be joining up with former NFL star and three-time Pro Bowler DeSean Jackson, who is heading into his first season as the Hornets' head coach. As a senior in high school, Pellum caught 66 passes for 991 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was at one time committed to USC, but he flipped to Dan Lanning and the Ducks on signing day. Delaware State, located in Dover, Delaware, is an FCS program that is a part of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Hornets went 2-21 over the past two seasons under head coach Lee Hull, who was fired less than two years after he took over the program.
Cowboys fans won't like Jerry Jones' update on Micah Parsons standoff
With the regular season approaching, the Dallas Cowboys should be aiming to extend EDGE Micah Parsons promptly. But they're still in no rush to do that. Parsons is set to play on the fifth-year option of his rookie contract in 2025 and has requested a trade. Dallas insists it has no plans to move the 26-year-old pass-rusher but hasn't clarified when it will extend him. Giving him a new deal before the regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 4 at 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC, Peacock) seems wise. Dallas owner Jerry Jones, however, said that's not the team's deadline, nor does it need one. "No, not at all," Jones said Wednesday, via Jonah Javad of WFAA-TV in Dallas. "You don't have deadlines when you're playing under contract." Parsons is under contract, but that doesn't mean he must suit up. The EDGE could hold out of regular-season games, like former Cowboys star running back Emmitt Smith did in 1993. The Pro Football Hall of Famer missed the first two games of the season before becoming the league's highest-paid RB at that time. Parsons hasn't said whether he would hold out of regular-season games, but it's apparent he's unhappy with where things stand. "My mouth is closed," Parsons said Wednesday while leaving the practice field in Oxnard, California, via Field Level Media. Jones didn't say if talks with Parsons would resume when the Cowboys return to Texas for their second preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. The matchup is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The owner still seems confident Parsons will play on the fifth-year option if Dallas doesn't sign him before the start of the regular season. "Again, all you've got to go on are contracts," Jones said. "We are negotiating for a contract. When you do a contract, you would hope that after a negotiation, that's what both the team and player look to see what our obligations are. I have a lot of respect for the contract." Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb played the last years of their rookie contracts. Perhaps Jones wants Parsons to do the same. Still, that would be silly. Paying the four-time Pro Bowler should be a no-brainer for the Cowboys, so they should stop wasting time and show him the money.
Taylor Swift went bonkers when Chiefs selected speedy WR in 2024
When Taylor Swift started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in 2023, she knew little about football. Now, the pop star is obsessed with the sport. She tracks who the Chiefs select in the NFL Draft. During her Wednesday debut on Kelce's podcast, "New Heights," Swift recalled going bonkers when Kansas City selected wide receiver Xavier Worthy with pick No. 28 in the 2024 draft. "Oh my god, I fell in love with [football]," Swift said. "I became obsessed with it. I became a person who was running through the halls of my house screaming, 'We drafted Xavier Worthy.' And my friends were like. 'Who's body snatched you? What do you mean we drafted Xavier Worthy?' I was screeching. I couldn't believe it." Kelce said Swift was the first person to tell him the Chiefs selected Worthy, who set a 40-yard dash record (4.21 seconds) at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "You were the first person to tell me that we drafted the fastest man in the draft," he said. "I couldn't believe it either. I was like, 'Is she right?' I'm gonna have to look this up. Did she get the wrong information here?' But, yeah, we traded up [from pick No. 32 with the Buffalo Bills]." Along with monitoring the Chiefs' drafts, Swift has learned more about the sport's various pass coverages and rules. The 14-time Grammy winner admitted she thought all offensive players played at the same time and didn't know what a first down was before she started dating Kelce. "We're talking about Cover 2, Cover 4, Cover 0, man coverage," she said. "I'm not ready to be an analyst right now, but give me 16 months." Perhaps one of the league's broadcast crews will let Swift make a brief appearance in the booth when she attends one of Kelce's games. Worthy, meanwhile, could continue to showcase why he made Swift ecstatic on draft night. In his rookie season, he had 59 receptions for 638 yards and six touchdown catches in 17 games. With the Chiefs expanding his role this season, he could be in for a more productive year.
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