TAMPA, Fla. – With Tom Brady back at Raymond James Stadium for the first time since his retirement, all eyes were on his successor, Baker Mayfield, as he tried to get the Bucs back on track after a humiliating loss to the Broncos last week.

Mayfield stepped up from the very beginning, going 12-for-13 for 138 yards and touchdown passes on Tampa Bay’s first two drives, and the Bucs never looked back in a 33-16 rout of the Eagles. By the time he was done, Mayfield had 347 passing yards, two passing TDs and one rushing — and the Bucs were alone atop the NFC South standings with a strong 3-1 start.

In the last 30 years, there have only been four Bucs home wins where the quarterback had that many yards, multiple touchdowns and no interceptions. The list includes Mayfield’s Sunday performances and three games by Brady, who gave Mayfield LFG Player of the Game honors.

Four hours earlier, the two quarterbacks shared a moment in the end zone, speaking before the game.

“He’s obviously happy for me and he knows the guys,” Mayfield said of their conversation. “He knows how much I enjoy throwing to Mike (Evans) and Chris (Godwin) because he got to do the same thing. It’s nice to be able to talk to someone like that about the same experiences.”

Tom Brady talks to Bucs QB Baker Mayfield before Sunday’s game. Mayfield threw for 347 yards and two touchdowns, earning Brady’s LFG Player of the Game. (Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

(Related: As Tom Brady returns to Tampa, Mike Evans remembers their special bond)

Mayfield connected with Evans for a 2-yard touchdown on that opening drive, and nearly half of his passes went to his top two receivers, who finished with 14 catches for 163 yards and the touchdown. The strong start not only set the tone for the game, but also helped the Bucs forget all the problems they had on the same field a week earlier in the loss to Denver.

“We just wanted to get that taste out of our mouths for sure,” Mayfield said. “It started quickly because the guys were just locked in. We came out with a ‘hair on fire’ mentality. Everyone was locked into what the plan was, and so we executed that quickly, but that has to be the case every week .”

The last time the Bucs scored an opening drive touchdown, Brady was at QB in 2022. They went all season, winning a division title and even a playoff game, without finding the end zone once on an opening drive. And facing an Eagles defense that had shut down the Saints a week earlier, coming out and setting the tone for the game was crucial.

Last week, Evans was limited to two catches on three targets by the Broncos’ Patrick Surtain. So Mayfield went his way on the first play of the game, throwing the ball nine times in 10 plays, converting two third downs. At the 2-yard line he went for a staple of the Brady years, a corner lob to Evans, which he brought in for the opening score.

“Mike gets going, everything goes from there,” coach Todd Bowles said of the commitment to get him started early. “They’re starting to pay attention to Mike, which opens up a lot of other avenues.”

Most of these opportunities involved Mayfield on Sunday, and although the Bucs stormed out to a 24-0 lead, there were times when the game seemed to disappear. Saquon Barkley threw 59 yards on the first play of the second half to set up a touchdown and make it a 10-point game. A three-and-out by the Tampa Bay offense would have pushed the momentum more toward the Eagles.

But Mayfield responded with perhaps his best drive of the game. On third-and-7, he scrambled to his left and broke loose for a 10-yard gain to move the chains. Quickly faced with a third-and-11, he again avoided pressure and found Godwin for a 15-yard gain in Eagles territory. A throw to Evans got the Bucs to the 7, and rookie running back Bucky Irving capped the drive with his first career touchdown. The Eagles wouldn’t score again.

“That was a big drive that stopped the momentum they had and kept the lead where it was,” Mayfield said. “To go back out there and execute… I can’t say enough about the whole team. That was one of the most exciting games I’ve ever played, and with everyone being so locked in, we were really, really dialed in, And to answer like that is huge.”

It was a performance worthy of the LFG trophy. Mayfield’s secret insights on the hardware: It’s much heavier than you’d expect, and players aren’t allowed to take it off the field, as the name and date are etched onto the trophy and then emailed to the winner to preserve for posterity .

Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game: Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield | Week 4 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE

It was a special game for Brady’s old teammates, who saw him again and then came up with the kind of victory they had when he was their teammate. Linebacker Lavonte David, who had a crucial sack of Jalen Hurts to force a fumble and thwart another Eagles drive, said the chance to visit Brady before the game was simply a highlight on a memorable day.

“It was great to see Tom again,” said David. “It seemed like he was happy with what he was doing – I think that’s great for him. Of course, Tom is always welcome in Tampa, especially for what he brought to this city, what he brought to this organization and what he brought to me. A football player. Just to see him doing well, that was definitely great to see.”

Greg Auman is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. Previously, he spent ten years treating the Buccaneers for the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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