The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fun again.
Coming off Sunday's epic 45-17 romp of the Eagles, wideout Mike Evans couldn't help but gush over the play of Jameis Winston, the rookie quarterback who shredded Philadelphia with five touchdown passes to five different receivers.
"We are watching a young quarterback grow before our eyes," Evans said, per ESPN.com.
Tying a rookie record with his five scoring tosses, Winston acknowledged the win was all the more meaningful after growing up as an Eagles fan.
"I ain't going to cry, but this is a dream come true for me," Winston said. "I always wanted to play here, ever since I was a little boy. I always wanted to be an Eagle. I was even singing the fight song on the sideline. It was a special day for me."
Not for Eagles fans, though, as Winston picked apart a confused defense while Doug Martin did the rest. The revived running back ran over, around and right through Philly's once-fearsome front for 235 yards at 8.7 yards per carry. Lashing the Eagles for gains of 84 and 58 yards, Martin's output on the ground came just two yards shy of tying Barry Sanders for the most yards in a game without a touchdown.
Entering December, Martin and Charles Sims are in the conversation for the NFL's top duo of backs, while Winston and his flock of receivers are playing their best football of the year -- and the best football in many years for a Tampa club many wrote off before the season.
Having won two in a row for the first time since 2013, the Bucs (5-5) now find themselves in the thick of the NFC playoff race.
"We've talked a lot about being relevant again," Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith said. "Well, we're relevant again."
