2024 Week 4: Eagles 16, Buccaneers 33
The Buccaneers smacked Philly around all game, and you can tell just by watching that the Eagles are defeated. The Eagles are (2-2) but are lucky that they aren’t (0-4). Philly has a good offense when they are fully healthy, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith both didn’t play, but their defense is very very bad. It has been and will be the downfall of this team, that and the coaching staff.
Tampa Bay easily won and they have two very important games coming up, facing Atlanta and then New Orleans in back-to-back weeks, both on the road. TB is a good team that Baker is carrying. Their defense is banged up and their O-line is one of the worst in the NFL.
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QB Report:
- It seems like the Bucs have found their offensive identity for the rest of the season. Let Baker Mayfield (30/47 for 347 yards, 2 TDs, 4 carries for 10 yards, 1 TD) throw the ball as often as they can. It’s been working and the run game can’t because of a lack of blocking.
RB Report:
- Saquon Barkley (10-84-0, 2 catches for 32 yards) is very boom-or-bust at this point. I was expecting more usage with Brown-Smith out but this game got so out of hand so quickly they had to move away from him.
- The Bucs backfield gets more and more complicated by the week. The offense is moving away from Rachaad White (10-49-0, 2 catches for 35 yards) who, from a data standpoint, is awful. In terms of the eye-test, I think he passes with flying colors. One of my favorite backs to watch play. It’s not like he is doing anything spectacular like Kamara/Henry do, I just always find myself dumbfounded by the amount of yards he doesn’t lose behind this awful O-line.
- Bucky Irving (10-49-1, 1 catch for 6 yards) is working his way into a split because he’s a rookie, the stat-heads hate White and so the media hates White, and that in turn puts pressure on the coaches. Watching the two of them work, Bucky couldn’t hold the flashlight so his dad (White) could see into the car engine.
- What I think of the two doesn’t matter in regards to what is actually happening, which is — Bucky is going to split snaps with Rachaad for the foreseeable future. This is the future of the NFL. Tyler Algeier is doing it to Bijan, Cordarelle was doing it to Najee Harris before he got hurt, Bucky is doing it to Rachaad.
WR/TE Report:
- Dallas Goedert (7-62-0) had another huge game thanks to Philly having literally no depth at WR after Brown-Smith. Once Brown is back Goedert takes a huge hit, and Smith’s return will be the final blow to his relevancy. Goedert doesn’t look special on tape, not a late career-revival. Philly wasted his prime trying to keep Zach Ertz relevant after his prime, the same thing is happening to Goedert now.
- Mike Evans (8-94-1/14) and Chris Godwin (6-69-0/9) will cycle between who gets the double coverage week-to-week or maybe even half-to-half. Both of them are so good and as long as Baker keeps firing the ball down field (he will) both will have great seasons. I can see both hitting 1k yards easily.
- Cade Otton (6-52-0/9) is once again the hot tight end of the week, especially after two solid games. Both with 6+ catches. I don’t know how any one can trust any tight end to perform well. This is not the year of the tight end.
D/ST Report:
- SirVocea Dennis was on a nice run filling in for Lavonte David but he was hurt and KJ Britt (6 tackles) is the likely fill-in.
- The TB defense should be getting stronger soon, Calijah Kancey and Antoine Winfield are expected to return soon and TB will be in a better place to go on a run.
image source: (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)