The Buccaneers get to face off against the reigning NFC Champions on Monday Night Football in Week 3. After Tom Brady elected to retire, there were not many who had the Bucs succeeding in 2023. Alas, through two weeks, Tampa Bay is 2-0 and Baker Mayfield is looking brand new.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Keys to Win Over The Eagles
Limit Hurts on the Ground
Jalen Hurts is one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL, there is no getting around that. He’s electric on the ground and can sling with with the best of them. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers odds for victory will skyrocket if they can make Hurts one-dimensional.
This is easier said than done, of course. That Eagle offensive line is the best in the NFL and Philadelphia can assert themselves on any defense. The Bucs have to remain aggressive and be sure to finish.
Hurts is a slippery runner and will make Tampa Bay pay if they miss tackles. However, if Philly wants to establish the run, it plays into the defense’s strengths. Tampa Bay has allowed the second–fewest yards on the ground through two weeks. They’ll have to continue that dominance against Jalen Hurts.
Get Baker Cooking
Baker Mayfield has been playing like a new man. There were some projections that had the Buccaneers actually entering their names into the Caleb Williams sweepstakes. Mayfield says not so fast.
He’s coming off of an incredibly impressive outing in a win over the Chicago Bears where he completed 76.5% of his passes for 317 yards and a score. He has yet to throw an interception as a member of the Buccaneers and he’s led this team to a 2-0 start.
Mayfield has plenty of weapons to play with but Mike Evans and Chris Godwin just continue to be a fantastic duo. The pair is on pace for just shy of 3,000 receiving yards combined. Evans is on pace to, yet again, surpass 1,000 yards which would mean he’d reach that mark in each of his 10 years. He and Mayfield have already established a connection and more of that will be needed against a very good defense.
Mayfield is great when he’s up against the wall. This Philadelphia defense is going to try and get after him. If the offense lets him get going, this Buccaneer team can upend a Super Bowl hopeful.
Win in the Trenches
As with the first point, winning in the trenches is significantly easier said than done. Philadelphia is incredibly stout on both sides of the ball on the line.
However, the key to any game is to take away the opponent’s best attribute. On offense, dealing with the likes of Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Fletcher Cox, and so forth is difficult. The playcalling will have to keep that defensive line on its heels by mixing up passes and runs and breaking tendencies.
Defensively, it goes along with keeping Hurts in check. That Philadelphia offensive line is as close to a sure thing as one could get in the NFL, making the Eagles offense a sure thing. Vita Vea will have to have a strong game in the interior and take away anything between the guards. Kenneth Gainwell is set to return for the Eagles and they’ll want to get him going. By winning their assignments on the line and gumming up anything and everything on the ground, Tampa Bay can control the narrative and move to 3-0.
