Next man up in Eagles offense is ultimate wild card vs. Bucs
With A.J. Brown ruled out for the Philadelphia Eagles' wild-card game, the team hopes its future Hall of Fame receiver can turn back the clock against Tampa Bay.
After three unremarkable seasons with the Titans, Buccaneers and now the Eagles, it’s easy to forget that Julio Jones is still the NFL’s active leader in receiving yards (13,703). His 914 receptions trail only DeAndre Hopkins (928) among current players, and his 82.5 yards-per-game average ranks third.
Those numbers aside, Jones remained unsigned to begin the 2023 regular season. If not for early hamstring injuries to wide receiver Quez Watkins, the former Falcon and seven-time Pro Bowler could still be on the couch.
Jones has 11 catches for 74 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games as an Eagle. Modest numbers to say the least but expected for anyone playing behind dynamic wide receivers like Brown and DeVonta Smith.
But two of Jones’ three scores came in Week 17 against the Cardinals, making him the first Eagles wide receiver with multiple touchdowns in a game since Brown caught two scores against Washington in Week 8.
While that may not inspire confidence in many Eagles fans, Jones’ career playoff numbers certainly could. In 10 career playoff games, the 34-year-old receiver has 74 catches for 970 yards and seven touchdowns, per Statmuse.
All things considered, the Bucs could be the perfect team to offer Jones a breakout game. They may have pitched a shutout to end the regular season against the Panthers, but the team still finished the regular season with the fourth-worst passing defense in the NFL.
More importantly, as a member of Tampa Bay’s 2022 roster, Jones should be very familiar with the Buccaneers defense. He played only 10 games, but with practice he likely understands the unit’s tendencies.
With Brown on the sideline and the Eagles looking to silence their critics, Jones could be the ultimate wild card for the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend.
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