Extra Point: Top Takeaways From Buccaneers' Wildcard Win Over Eagles
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are advancing to the Divisional round after a stunning 32-9 blowout of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bucs were clicking in all three phases in front of a rocking home crowd. The win sets up another regular season rematch this Sunday against the Detroit Lions who beat the Buccaneers 20-6 in their Week 6 clash.
Tampa Bay picked the right time to play their most complete game of the season with head coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Dave Canales in their bags play calling. They will need the same kind of effort and output from the players next week to upset the Lions and move on to the NFC Championship. Here are my top takeaways from the the Bucs win over the Eagles.
Bucs Defense Dominates Eagles
The Eagles couldn't get anything going on offense thanks to a great game plan by coach Bowles. They were stymied in the run game allowing just 42 yards on the ground to a team they surrendered 201 to in Week 3. It started up front with Vita Vea and an outstanding performance by rookie Calijah Kancey but was a team effort.
The pressure was able to get to quarterback Jalen Hurts and Philadelphia had no answer for it. The Bucs blitzed Jalen Hurts on 69% of his dropbacks. They got pressure on 15 of 27 of those blitzes for an outstanding 56% pressure rate. They converted three of those into sacks but the pressure was more than enough to throw Hurts off his game.
While Devonta Brown was still able to get his, the Bucs secondary limited Hurts to just 250 yards passing. outside of a touchdown in the second quarter, tight end Dallas Godert was a nonfactor as the Bucs shut down Philadelphia's receivers.
Unlikely Contributors on Offense Step Up
Philadelphia's secondary has been bad all season finishing the year as the 31st-ranked unit against the pass. So naturally this was going to lead to big games by Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, right? Not so much. The Bucs tried to get them involved but a few misconnections to Evans wouldn't haunt the team.
Instead, they got significant contributions from their unsung receivers on the roster. Tight end Cade Otton led all receivers in yards and receptions posting up eight catches for 89 yards. While it was veteran David Moore and rookie Trey Palmer who made stand-out plays for the team.
On the Bucs' second drive of the game, it was all Moore. A huge 22-yard catch on first and 15 with an additional 15-yard penalty tacked on due to a face mask set the Bucs up at the 47-yard line. Two plays later on third and seven Moore showed the razzle-dazzle on a 44-yard touchdown catch and run making multiple defenders miss.
After forcing a safety, Palmer put the game out of reach in the third quarter. On second down, Plamer took a short pass to the house cutting in between three defenders and turning on the jets hitting over 20 mph on his way to the endzone.
Bucs Found Gold In Last Two Drafts
Monday's game featured 10 starters from general manager Jason Licht's last two draft classes. Six starters were found in 2022, and Licht added another four in 2023. The number jumps up to 11 if you include undrafted free agents as well. Licht and his front office class have put on a master class on finding young talent who fit the system and culture they have in place and can produce right away for the team.
On offense, right tackle Luke Goedeke and right guard Cody Mauch anchor the o-line. Rachaad White took a step forward this season as a feature back in the league. Trey Palmer took another step with a huge touchdown. While tight end Cade Otton had a career night posting career highs in receptions and receiving yards.
The defensive haul was just as rich. They found two starters along the defensive line in Logan Hall and Calijah Kancey. A pass rusher of the future in Yaya Diaby and a versatile defensive back who made his first start at safety in Zyon McCollum. Punter Jake Camarda had a great year and the Bucs found a starter at Nickle in Christian Izien in undrafted free agency.
Three Up, Three Down
UP
DL Calijah Kancey
Kancey was everywhere on Monday, even lining up at linebacker, and was wreaking havoc on the Philadelphia offensive line.
WR Trey Palmer
Palmer came in clutch with a huge 55-yard touchdown run that put the game out of reach in the third quarter.
TE Cade Otton
Otton had the best night of his career and put up his best numbers in receptions and receiving yards and it could've been even better if it weren't for two early drops.
DOWN
No down players this week after a game like that so here are three more players that performed well.
LB Lavonte David
David is still doing it at a high level and kept the short passing game in check all night while finishing with the second-most tackles on the team.
K Chase McLaughlin
Week after week, McLaughlin has provided clutch kicker after clutch kick. When the Bucs offense couldn't get going early on he hit all three of his field goals, including a 54-yarder.
QB Baker Mayfield
It wasn't always pretty but he got the job done eclipsing 330 yards passing and tossing up three touchdowns. Baker is the heartbeat of this team and as he goes so does the offense.
Bonus* WR David Moore
Moore came off the practice squad late in the season and has made two huge plays for the Bucs this season. His 44-yard touchdown catch and run was just another example of why he is so valuable to the team.
You can follow JC Allen on Twitter @JCAllenNFL.
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