Keys To Cannon Fire: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. It's the last game of Super Wild Card Weekend and all eyes will be on the NFC South champs. There's about a 50/50 split amongst pundits on who will win the game after two polarizing ends of the seasons for the two teams.
The Buccaneers finished on a hot streak winning five of their last six. The Eagles lost five of their final six games. Both teams are dealing with injuries to their quarterbacks, though the Bucs are much healthier everywhere else. At home, Tampa Bay has the opportunity to move on to the Divisional round with a victory and they can do so if they follow these keys to cannon fire.
Stop The Run
Jalen Hurts has an injured finger on his throwing hand. DeVonta Smith is battling through an Injured ankle. And A.J. Brown is out with a knee injury. Translation; the passing game won't be as dangerous as it usually is. Add in the potential for inclement weather and the Eagles will likely try to lean on their run game early and often.
When these two teams met in Week 3 the Eagles gashed the Bucs defense to the tune of 201 yards. Swift led all backs with 130 yards and the Eagles cruised to a 25-11 win. If Tampa Bay wants to be in this ball game shutting down the run is going to be of utmost importance. If they can do that, they will make the Eagles one-dimensional in an area they are hurting right now.
Get Off To A Fast Start
The Buccaneers went the entire season without scoring a touchdown on their opening drive. That needs to change this week. Even down a top playmaker in Brown, the Eagles' offense is still potent and can score quickly. The last thing the Bucs offense can do is get down early and start playing catch-up all game. Putting quick points on the board allows Tampa Bay’s defense to play their game.
Offensive coordinator Dave Canales needs to find his groove play calling early. Baker Mayfield needs to be on point with his reads and execution and push the ball down the field. Canales is going to try and get the ground game going but can’t put the team in situations where the team is deep behind the sticks. It all starts up front and the offensive line has their hands full with a formidable Philadelphia front seven and relentless rotation along the defensive line.
Stay Disciplined
This applies to so many things for this Bucs team. First and foremost they cannot beat themselves. Penalties and communication errors will kill the team's chances of moving on in the playoffs. The Eagles front seven is a real problem and will try to lure the Buccaneers offensive line to move early. Staying disciplined to the snap count and not grabbing when they get beat will be crucial in not stalling drives by picking up penalties to back them up.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bucs need to maintain contain on Jalen Hurts. His finger hurts but his legs are just fine and he’s one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the league with the ball in his hands. He ran for 28 yards and a touchdown the last time these two teams played. Communication in the back end is paramount. Too many times has this defense been hurt by coverage breakdowns. If the Bucs are going to keep the Eagles offense in check they will need to stay disciplined.
You can follow JC Allen on Twitter @JCAllenNFL.
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage, news, and analysis throughout the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2023 season.
