As I have talked about before, both the Eagles and Buccaneers’ fans are seeing this as an opportunity for their team to get right. That says more about both fanbases’ states of mind than the team. But the Eagles have struggled down the stretch and the Bucs have built some momentum. Kind of.
For the Buc’s defense, they have to stop the run this time around. The last time these teams played, they had 201 yards of rushing attack. Actually, I take it back, stopping anything on offense for the Eagles will do wonders. Eagles managed 471 yards of offense, which is a lot. The Bucs actually did a pretty decent job of keeping them out of the endzone, but those yards are unacceptable. With no A.J. Brown and very thin WR depth, the Eagles may want to lean on the run game more.
The other reason they may want to lean on the run game is Jalen Hurts 11 interceptions on the season, almost half as many TDs as he has. The Bucs did pick him off twice via Devin White and Dee Delaney. That was weird wasn’t it. Anyway, despite the weakened offensive line for the Eagles, it’s still pretty solid, so getting Hurts pressured will have to come off blitzing. But this is a game that takeaways will be absolutely crucial.
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On offense, the Bucs need to attack the secondary. Putting actual burnt toast out on the field might be better for them than James Bradberry in man coverage. If Mike Evans doesn’t have 200 yards and/or 2 tds, that will be a failure of a game script. But Baker Mayfield needs to play a cleaner game than he did last time. Too many mental errors and bad throws really hindered the Bucs last time. If Rachaad White is to get any kind of production, it will be in the passing game. Unfortunately, I think Dave Canales will be trying to run it a lot, especially considering this game will be played in a decent downpour.
This is a winnable game for the Buccaneers, which goes to show how much changes in the NFL. The Eagles are limping to the finish line quite literally. They are missing their best offensive player not on their line. The defense is Swiss cheese and they have no momentum. However, the Bucs haven’t looked like juggernauts the past couple weeks. It’s a game that either team could win or lose and I would not be shocked.
Make sure you check out Devin’s blog at cannoncrunch.wordpress.com.
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