Will Weir
The Eagles can beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The heat was a factor in this game, and the Eagles had to prepare by going down to Tampa Bay a day earlier. It felt like the temperature was over 100 degrees at times during the game. The Buccaneers have been the Eagles’ kryptonite over the Sirianni era. The Eagles are now 2-4 against the Buccaneers in the Sirianni era, with two of those Bucs wins eliminating the Birds from the playoffs.
The game started off the way last week ended: with a special teams touchdown for the Eagles. Cameron Latu was able to get through the line and block the punt, and the ball bounced into Sydney Brown’s hands, allowing him to run it into the endzone.
The Eagles started this game amazingly, with a score of 24-6 and a lead at halftime. Everything was going great for the Birds until it wasn’t. The second half was all Tampa Bay, with Tampa Bay scoring 19 points.
Jalen Hurts went 15/24 passing, 130 yards, and 2 touchdowns. All of the passing completions came from the first half. Hurts was sometimes inaccurate in the second, which is uncommon now in his career. A.J. Brown had nine targets, but many were off target. Brown could only catch 2 of those, and only for 7 yards. The Eagles’ offense in the second half was the worst it has been all season. The only reason the Eagles were able to score in the second half was because of a turnover that the defense was able to force, which then led to a short field where the birds were able to punch it in..
Saquon Barkley could only rush for 43 yards and 2.3 yards per attempt. The running game has not been a quarter of what it was last year. The running game last year was terrific and would have been an improbable task to do that again, but you do think you will be able to have at least some of the production from last year, but the birds are not getting it at all. The overall offensive production could be expedited to have more of it. The birds only had one new starter coming into the year. That is where the overall frustration from the players and the fans is with the team.
The defense was the reason that the birds were able to escape with a win. In the first half, the Buccaneers could not get anything going. The two touchdowns that the Eagles gave up in the second half were 70+ yards touchdown throws. Mayfield was able to buy time in the pocket and hit Bucky Irving on the sideline. The other one was a little bit of blown coverage by the Eagles, and Mayfield was able to hit Emeke Egbuka on a vertical route that turned into a touchdown.
The defense fought through the heat in the second half and made plays when the team needed them. The defense forced two turnovers: a fumble in the second half and an interception in the endzone by Jihaad Campbell. Linebackers Zach Baun and Campbell were both good in this game. Cooper DeJean had a good game with two passes defended and nine tackles.
Quionyon Mitchell followed Egbuka all over the field. Mitchell had nine plays targeted and only 2 receptions allowed for only 6 yards. Mitchell had a total of 5 passes defended in the game. Today, Mitchell showed why he should be considered one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL.
Moro Ojomo had a big sack coming out of the two-minute warning that stopped the Buccaneers’ momentum. Parry Nickerson had a key tackle on fourth down on the last drive. Nickerson just got signed to the active roster, and in his first game, he made a huge play.
I gave this week’s game ball to Quionyon Mitchell. His ability to make play after play was massive for the birds, making it challenging for Tampa Bay to establish a rhythm in the game.
The only defensive issue I see so far in the season is that the four-man rush is not getting home and affecting the passer. The pressure that they are putting on the quarterback is through a blitz. I don’t know if the four-man pressure is not working because the defense is having to stay out on the field for long periods of time, causing them to be fatigued, or if there is another reason.
With all the problems the Eagles are facing, they still found a way to be 4-0. Only the Buffalo Bills remain undefeated with the Birds. Winning is not easy in this league, and the fact that the Birds keep winning is amazing. The Birds have also had a hard schedule to start the season. Hopefully, the Eagles will be able to iron out the issues and play a good full game in the next few games.
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