Bird defense is dominated by privateers

TAMPA, Fla. – Eight months later, back in Tampa, the Eagles still couldn’t beat the heat.

Months after seeing their season end with a whimper on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles lost again in ugly fashion on Sunday, 33-16 at Raymond James Stadium.

A nightmarish start gave way to a dull afternoon that saw the Eagles fall to 2-2 heading into the upcoming bye week.

Here is our instant analysis:

Respectful defense

After showing some encouraging signs the week before against the New Orleans Saints, the Eagles’ defense turned in their worst performance of the season in the first half against the Buccaneers.

Tampa Bay put up 24 unanswered points to start the game and finished three of its first four drives with touchdowns. The Eagles’ only stop in that sequence was negated by a botched punt by Cooper DeJean that took the Bucs deep into Eagles territory and led to a one-yard touchdown run by Baker Mayfield on a zone read.

Against a Buccaneers team that frequently uses three-receiver sets, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio reverted to the four-man defensive fronts that had seen the group struggle with shaky results earlier on Sunday in an attempt to control the run- to stop out. Tampa Bay averaged 6.1 yards per rushing attempt in the first half, including a 17-yard rush by Bucs running back Rachaad White on the second play of the team’s first drive.

Tampa also had plenty of success in the air. Mayfield finished the first half 22 of 33 for 237 passing yards and two touchdown throws, with the Bucs consistently taking advantage of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin’s matchups by lining up the two receivers in the slot. Evans scored the game’s first touchdown from a slot alignment against CJ Gardner-Johnson, breaking free from the Eagles’ safety in the back of the end zone for a two-yard score.

The following series ended with a poor tackling performance from Avonte Maddox, who was hoping for a poor finish against Godwin in space. Godwin gained 28 yards on the play, bringing the Bucs into Eagles territory.

With the temperature hovering above 90 degrees all afternoon and the humidity making it feel even hotter, the Eagles’ performance got worse and worse as the game went on. The Bucs finished the game with 445 rushing yards and timely scoring drives, which killed any potential for an Eagles comeback at various points in the game.

Slow start

In addition to a disastrous first half for the defense, the Eagles’ offense also got off to a slow start. Failing to gain positive yardage on the game’s first three drives, the Eagles quickly conceded a sizable possession advantage to the Bucs on the sultry afternoon that left the defense noticeably out of breath for most of the second quarter.

Entering the game without Lane Johnson, AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith, the offense struggled to cope without three of its most important pieces. There were several errors on the opening series, with Jalen Hurts launching a missed throw to Saquon Barkley downfield on the first play of the game and being flushed out of the pocket on third-and-long two plays later. On the next series, tight end Dallas Goedert had a costly drop on first down that led to Bucs defensive tackle Vita Vea sacking Hurts on third-and-long to end the drive. Vea also ended the Eagles’ third drive with a crucial pressure, forcing Hurts to throw out of bounds on another third-and-long situation.

Sparked by a series of positive plays and an 18-yard completion to Dallas Goedert in the second quarter, the Eagles’ offense showed signs of life late in the first half, but the group still failed to capitalize on it to close the deficit To close the end of the second quarter if the opportunity arises.

The Eagles finished the first half with just 69 net yards, an average of 2.6 yards per play, compared to the Bucs’ 287 yards, and just nine minutes and 45 seconds of possession compared to the Bucs’ 20:15 .

Untimely turnover

After Barkley’s 59-yard run breathed new life into the Eagles’ offense in the third quarter, the Hurts’ turnover woes reared their ugly head again on Sunday.

On first-and-10 from Tampa’s 19-yard line, the Bucs sent linebacker Lavonte David on a blitz through the middle of the Eagles’ offensive line. Barkley made initial contact with David and blocked him behind Hurts, but the former All-Pro linebacker broke free in time to knock the ball away from Hurts as he stepped into the pocket and began his throwing motion.

The loss of possession in the red zone led to a field goal drive for the Bucs, but cost the Eagles a chance to make it a one-possession game until the fourth quarter. Sunday was the ninth game in a row in the regular season in which Hurts scored a turnover, which is anything but a recipe for success.

The 26-year-old had his second fumble of the day in a similar situation a few drives later when Tampa Bay edge rusher Yaya Diaby knocked the ball away from him on a third-and-long. Fred Johnson, who received the initial pressure in the first place, was able to recover the fumble.

Against Todd Bowles’ blitz-heavy defense, Hurts also struggled with pressure at times. He was sacked six times and finished the game 18-for-30 for just 158 ​​yards.

Not that special

The Eagles’ list of mistakes fittingly spanned all three phases on Sunday, with a costly error by Isaiah Rodgers on the punt return leading to a Bucs touchdown in the second quarter.

Rodgers blocked Buccaneers defensive back Josh Hayes on DeJean and replaced the injured Britain Covey as the team’s punt returner, resulting in the rookie parrying the punt. The Bucs recovered the fumble at the Eagles’ 22-yard line and took a 21-0 lead five plays later. Kelee Ringo also faced DeJean later in the game, although DeJean still managed to catch the punt.

Rodgers and Ringo were able to recover a bit later in the game when Rodgers blocked an extra point attempt that Ringo was able to capitalize on for a two-pointer for the defense.