The Three phase plan: How the Eagles will beat the Buccaneers
15 September 2018 Uncategorized
The Eagles take on a high flying Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that put up 48 points last week versus the New Orleans Saints. If the Eagles are to win, here’s their three phase game plan.
- Defensive line must dominate (Defense)
The Buccaneers have an very underrated offensive line, who last week kept quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick protected. Because of their efforts, he threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns. Last week, the Eagles did a great job of keeping Atlanta Falcons quarterback busy. They kept him off his spot and denied him any clear throwing opportunities. Harassing a quarterback wins you games and the Eagles need to harass Fitzpatrick. Luckily for them, the Eagles defensive line is almost impossible to matchup against and they have some dogs ready to eat.
- Feed Zach Ertz (Offense)
In what was a bad game for Zach Ertz, he still caught five passes for 48 yards. The looks were there, but Ertz dropped a few and quarterback Nick Foles missed some himself. Without Alshon Jeffery, Ertz is by far the Eagles biggest weapon. He’s a matchup nightmare and a player who needs to have a big workload in Jeffery’s absence. Ertz can change a game and if he gets going early, the Buccaneers’ defense will adjust leaving down field shots to the Eagles’ deep threat receivers. Ertz opens up the offense and gives Foles a quick option if the Buccaneers pass rush heats up.
- Use the kick returning to set up the offense (Special Teams)
Shelton Gibson did a decent job last week returning the football. Out of the two chances he got, he averaged 21.5 per return. He’s shown flashes of being a lethal punt returner before, notably week two in the preseason where he returned four kicks for 121 yards, averaging 30 yards a return. A good return really sets the offense up for success. The Eagles could tighten up their return game and really set their offense up for better success versus the Buccaneers.
Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Neal Philadelphia Eagles, Shelton Gibson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Zach Ertz