Studs and duds from the Buccaneers' Week 5 win over the Seattle Seahawks

STUD: Emeka Egbuka

Would it be a hot take to say Emeka Egbuka is already one of the best wide receivers in the NFL? His performance against the Seahawks would indicate he belongs in the conversation, as he caught seven passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. Egbuka was responsible for nearly half of Tampa Bay’s offense, including five of their 10 longest plays.

How do you turn 3rd-and-13 into a 57-yard gain? Emeka Egbuka.

TBvsSEA on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/VV935v5Awd

— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025

The Bucs would not be near the top of the NFC if not for Egbuka. His ability to play like a veteran in his rookie season has given the Bucs a major boost while their offense continues to play through an onslaught of injuries.

DUD: Tampa Bay’s pass rush

The Bucs had their worst defensive performance of the year against Sam Darnold and the Seahawks, rooted largely in their inability to affect Sam Darnold for the majority of the game. Tampa recorded no sacks for the first time this season and just two quarterback hits. With no pressure in his face, Darnold picked apart the Bucs defense, completing 82.4% of his passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns.

Head coach Todd Bowles deserves a fair share of the blame as his blitzes were largely ineffective until the end of the game, when an Antoine Winfield Jr. pressure led to Darnold’s last-minute interception. The Bucs’ main concern is the inefficacy of their four-man rush, which was consistently and routinely stonewalled by the Seattle offensive line. Tampa Bay’s reliance on the blitz last year was a major reason for many of its struggles against the pass, and it appears those problems are not yet resolved.

STUD: Baker Mayfield

Tampa Bay’s quarterback continues to be the driving force behind their winning season, playing arguably his best game of the season. Mayfield carved up Seattle’s vaunted defense, completing 87.9% of his passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns. His fast chemistry with Emeka Egbuka continues to power the offense and fill highlight reels every week.

Baker with a DART to Emeka 🎯

📺: #TBvsSEA on CBS pic.twitter.com/dp2oTrsIXK

— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 5, 2025

DUD: Tampa Bay’s run defense

There probably could have been just one entry for the entirety of the Bucs’ defense, but the run defense was anomalous enough to warrant its own consideration. Until this week, Tampa Bay had not allowed more than 100 yards on the ground in any game. Seattle, which averaged 3.6 yards per carry coming into this week, ran for 122 yards and averaged 6.1 yards per rush.

There was no one thing to explain what went wrong for the Bucs’ typically stout run defense because it all went wrong. The Seahawks were more physical in the trenches, and Tampa Bay’s second-level defenders made poor run fits, missing too many tackles. The Bucs also struggled to make plays against the run, recording just one tackle for a loss. History would suggest that this was an outlier performance, but it rounded out a fairly poor performance by the Bucs defense overall.

STUD: Lavonte David

After 14 seasons in the NFL, Lavonte David is not the player he once was in many ways, but in at least one, he remains a franchise legend. When the Bucs most needed a play, David came up big, intercepting a Sam Darnold pass in the final minute of the game. The turnover set up the Bucs’ game-winning field goal.

David was far from perfect, missing a tackle on TE AJ Barner to allow a touchdown and getting beaten by rookie TE Elijah Arroyo to set up another trip to the end zone. Ultimately, these miscues are overshadowed by his game-changing interception.