11-6 is not far off the expectations people had for the Eagles this season. There was a lot of talk of 12-5, maybe 13-4. On paper, it does not seem like too much of a disappointment. But the way it happened, starting 10-1, only to lose 5 of the final 6 games, is what makes this season such a disaster so far. Even worse, is who they lost to. Back-to-back losses against two of the worst teams in the sport is certainly a huge blow to morale. But the season is not over yet. They head down to Tampa this weekend to take on the Bucs.
The good news, the Bucs are the worst team, at least on paper, in the playoffs. They are only here because they play in the NFC South, and someone from that division had to make the playoffs. They only just snuck in too, beating the lowly Panthers 9-0 in the final week to clinch their spot. The bad news is the Eagles have been maybe the worst team in football the past month. They lost to the Cardinals, they can certainly lose to the Bucs too. Especially now that they will be without AJ Brown.
In some ways, the Bucs are tailor-made to expose the Eagles’ biggest weaknesses. The Eagles can’t stop the blitz? Well the Bucs blitz at the 3rd highest rate in the NFL. The Eagles’ secondary has been swiss cheese? The Bucs have a talented WR group. Baker Mayfield has actually played well the past month, the Panthers game aside.
This will not be an easy game for the Eagles. Vegas may have them as favorites, but the Eagles team we have seen the past 6 games can easily lose to the Bucs team we have seen the last 6 games. They are both playing differently than they were back in week 3 when the Eagles beat them in Tampa.
These 6 Bucs Players Could Give the Eagles Trouble On Monday: