Back in the third game of the season, the Bucs were undefeated (2-0). That didn’t last long as the defending NFC champion Eagles put a hurting on them at The Licht House.
Nothing worked for the Bucs on offense that night. Baker Mayfield only threw for 146 yards, his longest being a 13-yard pass.
The run game, the Bucs’ bread and butter (well, they act like it is), did nothing that night. Rachaad White had just 38 yards rushing as the Bucs totaled 41. It was brutal.
Yeah, hard to beat a team that way.
Never mind that game now, Bucs stud safety Antoine Winfield said yesterday.
“I feel like a lot has changed,” Winfield said.
He isn’t wrong.
The Bucs were just learning offensive coordinator Dave Canales’ offense, who was learning on the fly himself a a first-time playcaller.
Since, the Bucs have put together a really nice passing game when the team decides to use it. Unfortunately, the Bucs want to flaunt their weak link in the offense — a between-the-tackles, ground-and-pound attack.
That would be nice if the Bucs were built for that. But the Bucs are built to pass. But yeah, let’s run it anyway, just because. Who needs points to start a game, for example?
Since that Week 3 loss, Philadelphia has collapsed, specifically the last six games. The Eagles have lost five of those six. A big reason is the Eagles cannot stop any passing attack, not even the sorry Giants.
Shoot, Giants’ No. 3? quarterback Tyrod Taylor — Tyrod Taylor! — (Remember him? Mike Smith’s buddy) roasted the Eagles for nearly 300 yards to finish the season on Sunday.
Yikes!
Currently, the Eagles are 31st in the league defending the pass, 252 yards a game. Against the run, the Eagles are still pretty good. They are 10th in the NFL allowing 103 yards a game.
So with the Eagles struggling terribly against the pass, and the Bucs having three of the best weapons in the passing game, one would think the Bucs certainly will try to slice and dice the Eagles through the air Monday night, right?
Only those who haven’t watched the Bucs much this season would come to that conclusion.