By: Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Eagles opened the preseason with a bang, two quick scores to get some excitement stirring at Lincoln Financial Field. But after that, the growing pains of a preseason game were very apparent.
Winning a game in the preseason is more of a moral victory, a way of showing that more went right for your team than the opposition. In the preseason opener, enough things went right for the Eagles to give them a 17-9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.
Scoring Summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
| Buccaneers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| Eagles | 14 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
The Eagles won the coin toss and elected to defer, kicking off to start the game. But on the opening kickoff, Najee Goode forced a fumble that Chris Maragos recovered to give the Eagles the ball in good field position.
Three plays later, the Eagles scored their first touchdown, as Ryan Mathews ran into the endzone from five yards out. The three-play drive was Sam Bradford's only action of the game.
The Eagles defense got off to a strong start as well, forcing a three-and-out on the first drive and a fumble on the second, both forced and recovered by Fletcher Cox. Again, just three plays later, the Eagles scored a touchdown as Chase Daniel found the endzone on a three-yard run.
The Buccaneers responded on the next drive as Jameis Winston moved Tampa Bay's offense up the field quickly and capped a 79-yard drive with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Winston to Russell Shepard. Tampa Bay missed the extra point.
The Eagles defense was strong throughout the rest of the first half, forcing three straight punts, an interception of Mike Glennon by Maragos and a turnover on downs on a nice stop by rookie Joe Walker.
Early in the fourth, the Eagles defense would force their fourth turnover on the game on an interception by Quentin Gause on Ryan Griffin. On the ensuing drive, Caleb Sturgis kicked a 42-yard field goal to extend the Eagles lead to 17-6.
Midway through the fourth, the Buccaneers got three points back with a Roberto Aguayo field goal from 38 yards.
The Buccaneers were driving at the end of the game, but an interception in the endzone by C.J. Smith in the final minute sealed the win for the Eagles.
Team Leaders
Passing
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) | Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) | ||
| Jameis Winston | 7/9, 97 YD, TD | Sam Bradford | 1/1, 3 YD |
| Mike Glennon | 7/14, 83 YD, INT | Chase Daniel | 4/10, 15 YD |
| Ryan Griffin | 13/23, 148 YD, 2 INT | Carson Wentz | 12/24, 89 YD, INT |
Rushing
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) | Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) | ||
| Doug Martin | 5 Att, 13 YD | Kenjon Barner | 7 Att, 35 YD |
| Storm Johnson | 4 Att, 8 YD | Cedric O'Neal | 5 Att, 16 YD |
| Mike Glennon | 1 Att, 4 YD | Ryan Mathews | 2 Att, 15 YD, TD |
Receiving
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1) | Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) | ||
| Russell Shepard | 3 Rec, 62 YD, TD | Paul Turner | 6 Rec, 34 YD |
| Bernard Reedy | 2 Rec, 32 YD | Zach Ertz | 3 Rec, 26 YD |
| Storm Johnson | 2 Rec, 31 YD | M.J. McFarland | 1 Rec, 16 YD |
Team Stats
| Buccaneers | Eagles | |
| 1st Downs | 18 | 12 |
| Total Plays | 70 | 6 |
| Total Yards | 329 | 188 |
| Passing Yards | 298 | 95 |
| Rushing Yards | 31 | 93 |
| Red Zone (Made-Att) | 0-1 | 2-3 |
| Penalties | 10-92 | 11-70 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 1 |
| Time of Possession | 27:58 | 32:02 |
What's Next
The Eagles face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field next Thursday, Aug. 18, at 7 p.m.
