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TAMPA, Florida: With a devastating 32-9 defeat to the Bucs on Monday night in the Super Wild Card Playoff conclusion of the weekend, the Eagles' 2023 season came to an end in Tampa Bay. With six straight losses, Philadelphia entered the summer with a lot of unanswered concerns.
The offense managed one touchdown drive with two huge plays, but that was about it for the evening, with wide receiver A.J. Brown missing. The Bucs produced huge gain after big gain, especially in the passing game, and the defense had obvious gaps throughout the contest, missing safety Sydney Brown and Reed Blankenship.
It was a terribly depressing way to close the season. From the 2023 season finale, the following lessons may be learned:.
1. The offense and defense both had faults as a two-possession run late in the third quarter extended Tampa Bay's advantage, which at 16-9 suggested the Eagles were still in the game, however slimly, to 25-9. Following an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone that resulted in a Tampa Bay safety, quarterback Jalen Hurts, under pressure for much of the game from Tampa Bay's blitzing (18 of his first 25 dropbacks), couldn't escape pressure with the offense backed up near its goal line. The defense then gave up a 56-yard touchdown pass to Trey Palmer, who caught a 6-yard out pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield at the 50-yard line, eluded a tackle attempt from cornerback James Bradberry, and broke clear with a sprint to the end zone, putting Philadelphia in a commanding lead going into the fourth quarter.
2. Philadelphia's offense has produced only 218 net yards through three quarters of play, with 11 first downs, 0 for 7 on third downs, and 36 rushing yards on 12 runs. In their triumph in Week 3, the Eagles hammered the defense for 201 running yards and almost 500 total yards. The Eagles were unable to maintain any meaningful offensive pressure and lacked any counters for Tampa Bay's blitz strategy. During the game, Philadelphia was 0 for 9 on third downs.
3. In this league, scoring is mostly dependent on gaining yards in huge chunks, and the Eagles' offense recovered from its early-game slump on Monday night by getting the ball up top to wide receiver DeVonta Smith. Smith was knocked down at the Tampa Bay 5-yard line after Hurts connected with him for 55 yards down the left slot. After one play, the Eagles trailed 16-9, but Hurts found tight end Dallas Goedert with an easy pitch and catch. Goedert moved from left to right across the formation and was clear at the snap of the ball. The Eagles scored their first touchdown to tie the score. The Eagles attempted a two-point conversion from the 1-yard line after Tampa Bay was called for offsides, but Philadelphia had already converted the point-after kick. Surprisingly, the Bucs halted the Brotherly Shove, and at the end of the second quarter, the score was still 16-9.
4. Tampa Bay scored a touchdown and three field goals in its opening four drives. With 15 rushing plays for 68 yards and 10 of 20 passing for 155 yards and a score, the Bucs showed solid balance. Until Tampa Bay caused damage, the Eagles had a few stops. On their first drive, they scored three points with 12 plays and 65 yards; on their second drive, they scored seven points with 4 plays; on their third drive, they scored three points with 10 plays; and on their fourth drive, they scored three points with 13 plays and 45 yards. In the last minute of the first half, Tampa Bay was up 16-3. Although Tampa Bay missed six passes in the first half, it might have been worse.
5. David Moore, Tampa Bay wide receiver. Who was David Moore listed as the Bucs' biggest threat during their pregame scouting? After being promoted from the practice squad, he participated in seven games during the season and had five catches for 94 yards and a score. Prior to Monday night, he had 83 career catches in 57 career games since joining the NFL in 2017. But there he was, making a major play in the first quarter, receiving a ball and breaking tackles to reach the end zone and complete a 44-yard scoring play, racing away in the middle of the field on a crossing route after Eli Ricks collided with Avonte Maddox and collapsed in the center of the field. After the PAT, Tampa Bay had a 10-0 lead.
It's win-or-go-home as the Eagles are in Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers on Monday night, but it's no typical prime-time showdown. These two teams clashed back in Week 3, but this time around, the winner advances to play Detroit in the Divisional Rou
6. Obviously, the Eagles wanted to get off to a quick start. After five defeats in six games, they felt it was time to take a stand. It did not happen. Moore made two receptions for 66 yards on three possessions in the first quarter alone (Tampa Bay held the ball and was in Eagles territory to begin the second quarter). Tampa Bay had 178 net yards overall after gaining 10 first downs, converting two of three third downs, and Mayfield passing for 137 yards in the first quarter. On the other hand, the Eagles offense managed only one first down and 26 total net yards.
7. The Eagles took points off the board twice and attempted to score more; they trailed 25-9 after the two-point conversion attempt failed in the first half and early in the fourth quarter. On fourth and 10, the Bucs were offsides, but Jake Elliott made a field goal. On fourth-and-five, Nick Sirianni decided to try to get the offense back on the field. However, a Hurts ball intended for Smith in the right corner of the end zone was intercepted by a leaping Carlton Davis, thus the fourth-down effort was unsuccessful.
8. Baker Mayfield passed for 337 yards and 3 touchdowns and averaged a remarkable 9.4 yards per pass attempt, most of it in the middle of the field. Towards the end of the season, the Eagles consistently missed a lot of tackles. Not much more can be said about the defense, which gave up 119 yards of total offense on the ground. Tampa Bay led 32-9 after scoring on six of its first nine possessions.
9. Jalen Hurts in the season's last game: A.J. Brown was obviously absent as he completed 25 of 35 throws for 250 yards and one score while being harried by the blitz. He gained five yards on a single run. Throughout the whole season, teams were effective in reducing ground damage and applying pressure with blitzes. For the most part of the season, the Eagles' rushing game suffered greatly, and Monday night was no different as the offense mustered only 41 yards on 15 runs.
10. DeVonta Smith caught eight catches for 148 yards on twelve targets, demonstrating his customary brilliance. But offensively, teams need a variety of weapons, and on a night when the Eagles trailed from the opening kickoff, Goedert only caught four passes, meaning there was just not enough firepower.
