Fail, Eagles, Fail

The Bucs absolutely obliterated the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday afternoon, never giving quarterback Jalen Hurts a chance and dominating in all four quarters.

The final score ended up being 31-15, with the Eagles committing three turnovers and Hurts looking exactly how you’d expect considering this was his first playoff game.
Philadelphia played exactly like a no. seven seed, too. Defensively the Eagles were able to get pressure on Brady, coming away with 4 sacks, but never forced any turnovers, and still allowed TB12 to throw for 271 yards and a pair of TDs.

It was a typical Brady playoff game. He took care of the ball, not taking any unnecessary chances and coasting to an easy wild card victory.

While the Bucs’ opponent in the Divisional Round is still yet to be determined (they’ll face the winner of Monday night’s Rams-Cardinals game), there are reasons for concern going into next week.

Offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs went down in the first half, and while it looked like one of those ugly leg injuries you never want to see, the former first rounder tried to return, which could be seen as a good sign, but was unable to stay in the game. Center Ryan Jensen was also forced to come off the field with an injury or his own, but was able to return for the rest of the game after spending some time on the sidelines.

The Eagles were able to get after Brady after Wirfs went down, and with the rest of the playoff field having dominant defensive lines, that’s a tough sign.
The Rams—who beat the Bucs early this season—of course have arguably the best defensive player in football Aaron Donald playing defensive tackle and a veteran pass rusher in Von Miller coming off the edge. The Cardinals have Chandler Jones, plus JJ Watt coming off the injured list.

All of that to say, the Bucs might be in some trouble next week if Wirfs isn’t able to go or is limited, ditto that for Jensen.

Brady is obviously very much dependent on that dominant offensive line, and obviously when they’re healthy this offense can be unstoppable. But if they’re not… well, let’s just hope this Bucs defense continues its hot play.

Speaking of that defense, the unit shut these Eagles out through two-and-a-half quarters, an impressive feat regardless of the opponent, but especially in the playoffs.

The special teams play was solid as well, with the Eagles fumbling a punt and Ryan Succop nailing all of his field goal attempts.

While there’s reason to be concerned going into next week, a win’s a win, and the other NFC teams (with the exception of the Packers) look just as flawed as the Bucs.

Fire those cannons.

Follow @ctbrantley12 on Twitter. Support, free-to-read local Bucs coverage, and please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps. Subscribe to our newsletter and follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter.