The only correct answer is Ronde Barber turning back time and playing in this game, but seriously…
This will certainly be a lot tougher for the Buccaneers than the Bears and Vikings were. The Eagles are 2-0 and while they haven’t looked quite as potent as they did last year, they are also no slouch. They have one of the most balanced teams in terms of offensive and defensive talent. Their offensive and defensive lines are arguably the best in the league. So, the Bucs need everything and the kitchen sink to pull out a win here. It will likely be a bitter struggle, but the Bucs can do it.
It starts with stopping the run. We cannot allow Jalen Hurts and D’andre Swift to trample us like they did the Vikings. More than any other team, this team thrives on the run. While keeping Hurts in the pocket won’t guarantee success, it will certainly help. It would really help if they were able to apply the pressure on Hurts. While he has grown leaps and bounds where he once was, Hurts is still prone to mistakes when pressured. The problem is he doesn’t often have to deal with that. Their o-line is truly amazing, but Todd Bowles needs to get to Hurts to win this game. If he sits back in coverage, AJ Brown and Devonta Smith will destroy them.
Now, on offense, Dave Canales needs to know when to give up on the run game. Bowles has reiterated over and over that he wants this time to commit to the run. And Canales did just that against the Vikings, despite Rachaad White not doing all that well. However, that will really not fly (get it?) against Philly. If White is averaging 2 yards a carry, that’s a sign from God to stop running. This Philly defense is too good against the run to waste valuable game time trying to get it to work.
Baker Mayfield also needs to look like Patrick Mahomes again. The Bears should’ve had four sacks, but he slipped right through them like butter. This time around, however, he will likely be looking at a lot more pressure and better tacklers than whatever the hell the Bears had. If he manages to get the ball away quickly and continue having no turnovers, the Buccaneers may be able to get the win. Oh, and the defense has to play the greatest game. No pressure.
This article was used with permission from cannoncrunch.wordpress.com.and was written by Devin Sanguinett.
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