NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) will battle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) on Monday Night Football with both teams coming into the matchup undefeated. Many expected the Eagles to be in this position but to see the Buccaneers here as well, that’s been one of the surprises early on. Can they continue their winning ways and knock off the reigning NFC Champs at home?
The Eagles still boast one of the best offenses in the NFL despite their early season struggles. The Bucs are having issues on the ground but that’s been masked by the stellar play of QB Baker Mayfield. Can the Eagles secondary find their 2022 mojo and keep Mayfield from becoming the 3rd straight opposing QB to each 300+ against them?
Here are 3 keys to victory for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Philadelphia Eagles Must Ignore The Outside
Despite starting the season 2-0, some are still waiting for the Philadelphia Eagles to hit their Super Bowl stride. It’s Week 3 and analysts are already talking Super Bowl. There is still more than 2 handful of games and they’re expecting the Eagles to run the table and score 30 points every game. Anything under that is considered a failure and they will be labeled a one-year wonder.
Nick Sirianni must keep his team focused on that week’s game and nothing else. Yes, the pressure is still on this team but most of it is ridiculous. With the sideline disagreement between Jalen Hurts and AJ Brown, the Eagles block out the whispers.
For fans of Philly, they do not want to see another Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens fiasco. I mean, Irving’s really came to a head after their Super Avila loss. This team has a veteran presence but their main stars are still young.
Find Some Consistency In The Secondary
Two games in and both opposing QBs have played as if the Pro Bowl selection was already delivered to them. While Baker Mayfield has been stellar for the 2-0 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles’ secondary cannot allow him to gain any confidence early on. The defense will have to get after him early and often.
With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as primary targets, Darius Slay and James Braderry must return to their 2022 form. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ground game has been non-existent pretty much this season, it’s up to Mayfield to pull this game out.
Pressure, pressure, and more pressure is the main key to this game for Philadelphia. If they can rattle Mayfield early, he’s known to have shaky confidence when things aren’t going his way. It’s also up to the defensive line to help the secondary out as much as possible.
Wear The Defense Down
Hats off to DeAndre Swift for his breakout game last week against the Minnesota Vikings. However, the Eagles need more balance in their ground game. They are not the Raiders or Titans who rely on one back. They have a good crop of RBs and they will need to wear down the Bucs’ defense with more than Swift.
In 2 games so far, the Eagles have gained 356 yards on 73 carries. With the return of Kenneth Gainwell this week, will that cut into Swift carries? Boston Scott was productive in his short stints and then there is still Rashaad Penny. Oh, and how can we forget Jalen Hurts?
Running the ball has always been a staple of the Eagles’ offense and going on the road against a tough run-stopping defense like the Bucs could cause issues for the Eagles’ offense. It takes a village to win and the Eagles must rely on what they have and use all their weapons.
