TAMPA, Fla. – As much as the Eagles accomplished an all-phases victory a week earlier in New Orleans, all three phases of the team struggled on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium as Philadelphia lost to the Buccaneers 33-16 to fall to 2-2 for the season.

“It wasn’t the best showing for us, but what I do like is we’re going to be healthy coming off this bye. We’re 2-2 and it’s like, ‘What do you do?’ It’s how you respond and as long as we’re not pointing fingers and are trying to get better, by the end of the season, we should be getting stronger,” Brandon Graham said after the game.

In very fast order the Eagles were in a hole that got deeper and deeper throughout much of the first half, and when they had a chance to narrow the gap and maybe climb back in things, a key giveaway and the defense’s inability to get off the field stunted the potential comeback.

Injuries certainly played a factor for a struggling offense that missed three key starters (wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and right tackle Lane Johnson), and Philadelphia’s defense could not get off the field enough against a Tampa Bay offense that moved the ball with a quick-passing game and an efficient running attack.

Some observations from a game that sends the Eagles into the bye week with some real questions to answer when they start the season again in two weeks against Cleveland at Lincoln Financial Field …

1. Slow start for defense … and it continued

Tampa Bay’s game plan was obvious from the very start: The Bucs drove 79 yards on 10 plays to score a first-drive touchdown and quarterback Baker Mayfield led the way with 8 completions in 9 attempts for 62 yards and he got the ball out so fast the Eagles just couldn’t react to the three-step drops and short passing game that Mayfield executed so perfectly. The Eagles couldn’t generate a pass rush, gave up four first downs, and were unable to stop the Bucs on two third downs. Missed tackles hurt the Eagles early and, unfortunately, continued throughout the game.

Then Tampa Bay drove 80 yards on 5 plays on its next possession and Mayfield completed all four of his passes for 76 yards and just like that it was 14-0. Mayfield completed 13 of his first 14 passes for 144 yards.

After such a terrific outing in New Orleans, the Eagles allowed Tampa Bay to gain 445 total net yards and 29 first downs and possess the football for 36 minutes, 19 seconds.