The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have three questions to answer before facing the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the NFC South Champions for the third consecutive year after defeating the Carolina Panthers 9-0 to seal the deal and punch their ticket to the playoffs. On Monday Night Football, the fourth-seeded Buccaneers will host the fifth-seeded Philadelphia Eagles in a Wild Card Round matchup.
Can the Buccaneers replicate the Eagles’ success in running games?
The Eagles’ run game proved to be the most significant factor in the Bucs’ Week 3 defeat. On 16 carries, D’Andre Swift amassed 130 yards of rush yardage; on 14 carries, Kenneth Gainwell gained 43 yards; and on 28 carries, quarterback Jalen Hurts scored a touchdown. The Buccaneers’ running offense managed just 41 yards, while Philadelphia’s offense amassed 201 yards overall.
The Buccaneers offense seemed uninteresting and one-dimensional without a run game. Fortunately for Tampa Bay, running back Rachaad White has now established himself and contributed significantly to the offense’s change. White is dependable in the receiving game as well since he reacts effectively to Baker Mayfield’s check-downs.
White will be counted on to have a big day, but Tampa Bay’s defense has to limit Swift to little yardage.
Can Tampa Bay take advantage of Philadelphia’s flaws?
The Eagles, who are now ranked second in the Super Bowl, have the talent to be one of the strongest teams, but recently they have made some strange decisions. The Eagles had a dismal 1-5 run after beginning the season with an outstanding 10-1 record. The squad thus dropped to fifth position in the NFC playoff standings, out of the second seed.
One aspect of the challenges has been the decline in output from Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown. Early on, the quarterback and receiver clicked well, as seen by Brown’s NFL record-setting six straight games with at least 125 receiving yards. He hasn’t had any in the nine games that have followed, and he has just once over 100 receiving yards.
Turnovers have gone up, frustrations have mounted, and touchdown receptions have decreased as the season has gone on.
Due to knee injuries sustained in the middle of the game, Swift, Devonta Smith, and Brown—all key players for the Eagles offense—were out of commission last week. Hurts hurt his finger and was eventually benched in favor of backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. It is anticipated that all four guys will play in the Monday Night Football game.
Can Baker Mayfield guide an offense worthy of the playoffs?
Throughout the season, the Buccaneers’ offense has had highs and lows. Baker Mayfield and Co. showed they clicked as the season went on with a 5-1 finish. The offense of Tampa Bay is most effective when it has a large number of targets. Even while Mayfield prefers WR1 Mike Evans, other players have recently shown promise in creating an attack that is more unpredictable and adaptable.
Mayfield finished with 1,010 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and one interception during a four-game winning run. During a lackluster game against the New Orleans Saints and a low-scoring Week 18 meeting against the Panthers, production declined.
The former first-round choice will be expected to perform well against the Eagles since he has the ability to make or break the game for Tampa Bay.