Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles: Tampa Bay Grades, Notes and Quotes

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their first winning streak in 31 games after going on the road and completely destroying the Philadelphia Eagles 45-17 on Sunday.

Led by dominant performances on both sides of the ball, red-zone proficiency and no small amount of big plays, the Bucs notched their third win in the last four weeks, bringing their record to .500 on the year and putting them just a game out of a wild-card spot with six games to go.

Tampa Bay outgained the Eagles 521-383 on offense, with equal doses on the ground and through the air. Jameis Winston threw five touchdown passes to five different receivers, while Doug Martin racked up 235 rushing yards to lead the Bucs' offensive onslaught.

On defense, the Bucs sacked Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez—who started in place of an injured Sam Bradford—three times and picked him off three times, the last of which was returned for a touchdown to put the final painful nail in the coffin late in the fourth quarter.

The Eagles looked to be in good shape after the first drive, taking advantage of a questionable review that gave them the ball back after a potential takeaway by the Bucs. Instead, their initial possession ended with a 39-yard catch-and-run by Josh Huff to help put the home team up 7-0.

That's as good as it would get for the Eagles all day.

The next three scores belonged to Winston, as he hit Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson and Russell Shepard each with a red-zone touchdown pass.

The Eagles would get one back on a 35-yard screen pass to Darren Sproles, cutting the Tampa Bay lead to just seven. But an acrobatic touchdown catch by Charles Sims would help give the Bucs a 28-14 lead just before the half.

Lavonte David's first of two interceptions on the day shut down the Eagles' attempt to steal a score before halftime deep in Tampa Bay territory.

The Eagles would only manage a field goal in the second half, as the Bucs kept them out of the red zone for the entire game. Cameron Brate would catch Winston's fifth scoring toss, and David returned his second interception for a score to seal the win.

Position Grades for Bucs

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Gerald McCoy

Quarterback: A

Winston had the best outing of his young career so far, tossing five touchdown passes and looking extremely comfortable in a hostile road environment. The rookie looked like a veteran all afternoon, going without a turnover for the fifth time in his last six games, and he has clearly established himself as the driving force behind Tampa Bay's turnaround.

Running Backs: A

Martin was unstoppable, racking up 235 yards and getting them in big chunks. He averaged 8.7 yards per carry and got plenty of yards after first contact. Sims had a solid performance in his own right, tallying 69 total yards on 13 touches while delivering on multiple key blocks in pass protection.

Wide Receivers: A

There weren't any gaudy numbers for this group, but the receivers made plenty of key grabs in clutch situations and cut down considerably on the drops that have plagued them in recent weeks. The return of Jackson from injury was clearly evident, bringing balance and consistency back to the unit.

Tight Ends: A

Even without Austin Seferian-Jenkins in the lineup yet again, Tampa Bay got key contributions from the tight end position. Brate hauled in three passes for 47 yards, including his second touchdown of the season and a key 3rd-and-long where he carried a defender past the sticks.

Offensive Line: B+

This unit was really the driving force behind the entire offensive performance. It got the job done in both phases, opening up holes in the run game and protecting Winston just enough. If not for a few costly penalties, the O-line would get an A along with the rest of the offense.

Defensive Line: B

The Bucs tallied three sacks for the second week in a row, but this week, they all came from the front four. Jacquies Smith's return from an ankle injury was a huge boost, as was William Gholston's forced fumble and Gerald McCoy's team-leading 1.5 sacks. There's still room for improvement, though, as the D-line let the Eagles average nearly five yards per carry.

Linebackers: B+

Consistency in coverage and tackling is still a work in progress for this group, but this week's performance was a step in the right direction. David made a huge statement with his two interceptions, while Kwon Alexander tied for the team lead with 10 tackles.

Secondary: B

The secondary accomplished the bend-don't-break objective of Lovie Smith's scheme, forcing one of the team's turnovers and keeping big plays to a minimum. Much like the linebackers, this group still needs improvement and consistency when it comes to tackling, angles and coverage, but it still got the job done.

Special Teams: B

Connor Barth made all of his kicks, but the punting game and coverage units were hit-or-miss all afternoon. Bobby Rainey didn't do much with his limited opportunities in the return game, but there weren't any glaring mistakes across the board, either.

Coaching: B

Head coach Lovie Smith clearly has this team moving in the right direction, as the defense is starting to catch up to where offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter has had the offense for much of the season. Smith's decision to punt early in the game from the Eagles 36-yard line was poor, and the penalties are still too plentiful, but this was a statement win for Smith's crew.

Winston Ties Franchise Record with 5 TD Passes

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Winston turned in the best performance of his rookie season so far, tying a franchise record with five touchdown passes—four of which came in the first half.

Winston dissected the Eagles secondary with relative ease for most of the afternoon, going without a turnover for the fifth time in his last six games. Winston's five scoring tosses also tied the NFL rookie record for a single game.

He's had plenty of ups and downs this year, but this performance could mark a turning point in Winston's young career. He bounced back from a two-pick outing last week to engineer one of the most explosive offensive outputs in Bucs history, and he is proving with each week he was well worth the No. 1 overall pick.

Martin Shreds Eagles Defense for over 200 Rushing Yards

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Martin had already proved himself to be one of the NFL's best comeback stories so far this season, but Sunday's performance was his best yet.

Martin torched the Eagles to the tune of 235 yards on 27 carries, averaging 8.7 yards per carry and helping set the tone for one of the most dominant offensive performances in Tampa Bay franchise history. Martin seemed to get into the Eagles secondary nearly every time he touched the ball, breaking tackles and showing the same explosion and quickness he's put on display all year long.

Martin's resurgence hit fever pitch on Sunday, as the 2012 Pro Bowler is now just 59 rushing yards away from topping 1,000 on the year, and he's on pace for over 1,800 total yards. The 26-year-old seems to be kicking his play into another gear as the Bucs try to make a push for a wild-card spot down the stretch.

Defensive Captains Come Up with Big Plays

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Nov 22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Lavonte David (54) celebrates his 20-yard interception return with strong safety Major Wright (31) and middle linebacker Kwon Alexander (58) for a touchdown during the fourth qu

After long periods of lackluster play, the Bucs have needed their defensive captains to step up their levels of play. McCoy and David made a much-needed statement during Sunday's win over the Eagles, each coming up with some big plays in key moments.

David grabbed a pair of interceptions—one at the end of each half. The All-Pro linebacker halted the Eagles' attempt to put up points just before the half with a pick deep in Bucs territory, then he put the exclamation point on the blowout with a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown in the game's final minutes.

McCoy led the team with 1.5 sacks, one of which came on a key third down early in the game.

The entire team seemed to turn a corner on Sunday, and the performance from its veteran leaders on defense was a welcome sight.

QB Jameis Winston on His Historic Performance

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Winston tied the NFL single-game record for touchdown passes by a rookie, tossing five scores to five different receivers on his way to a career day.

This year's No. 1 overall pick was thrilled with his performance, but he said days like this should be the norm for the Bucs, per Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com:

"

Every day I step on the field I think it’s going to be a special day. We just stepped up today and the offensive line took control of the line of scrimmage.

It’s a special day, but it is just one day. You can’t get complacent. Two wins in a row are good, but that should be expected.

"

Winston has now accounted for 19 touchdowns on the year—15 passing, four rushing—while only turning the ball over 10 times. He's already looking like a much more experienced player, despite being just 21 years of age and having just 10 NFL starts under his belt.

Head Coach Lovie Smith on Doug Martin's Big Day

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Martin took his resurgence to another level on Sunday, rushing for a season-high 235 yards on 27 carries to help spearhead Tampa Bay's dominant offensive performance.

Head coach Lovie Smith heaped plenty of praise on his bell-cow back after the game, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

"I just know Doug Martin has been outstanding from training camp on," Smith said. "He's been trending that way, and he's running with a purpose, and the offensive line sees that and they want to give him an opportunity. It's not just like big holes. He's breaking tackles, doing everything you want from a franchise running back."

Martin was unstoppable all afternoon, gashing the Eagles for big gains nearly every time he touched the ball. He's on pace for nearly 1,800 total yards this season, putting him back in the Pro Bowl conversation after two frustrating, injury-riddled seasons.

LB Lavonte David on Defense Bouncing Back from Opening Score

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After the Bucs fumbled away a potential takeaway on the game's first possession, the Eagles quickly took advantage with a surgical scoring drive.

Linebacker Lavonte David said the team was scrambling early but was able to settle down and have success the rest of the way, per Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune:

"

We just had to calm down. That first series, we had a couple guys scrambling around and everybody was trying to get the calls real fast. There were just a couple of missed communication calls here and there. But once we settled down everybody started communicating better and we were able to play our style of defense.

"

David finished with six tackles and two of the Bucs' three interceptions, one of which he returned 20 yards for the game's final score. The defense bounced back from a rough start to put together arguably its best overall performance of the season to date.