The Eagles season to this point has been a disappointment. There is no getting around that. You don’t start 10-1, finish with only 11 wins, and act like things are okay. The Eagles have been a disaster since the calendar turned to December. 1-5, with one of the worst defenses in the league. And even the offense has underperformed in that time.

That said, they are still in the playoffs. And as they have told us 100 times, their record is 0-0 now. It is a new season, a fresh start, and every other cliche they have thrown at us. As annoying as them spamming that message is, they are partly correct. They could still turn things around and go on a run. In which case, all would be forgiven. No one will remember them losing to the Cardinals if they win a Super Bowl.

But first, they have to get through the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Probably the most favorable matchup they could have gotten. The Bucs snuck in because they play in the NFC South. Their 9 wins are the fewest among the playoff teams. But they did go 5-1 over their final 6 games. And their defense gave up the 2nd fewest points. The polar opposite of the Eagles since December.

They also offer up some disadvantages for the Eagles. They love to Blitz, and the Eagles have proven they can’t handle the blitz. They have two 1000-yard WRs, and the Eagles have one of the worst secondaries in the league. Even with the Bucs being the worst team on paper in the playoffs, the Eagles will have their hands full trying to get past them. And now they will be without AJ Brown. So these 7 Eagles players will need to step up on Monday Night.

Here are the 7 most important Eagles players for Monday Night:

• Jalen Hurts

  After the Bills game, people were talking about Jalen Hurts as the MVP favorite. Since then, he has removed himself from the conversation altogether. The Eagles’ issues go far beyond Hurts. And his coaching staff has not done nearly enough to help him out. But at a certain point, he just needs to step up and get the job done. You are an elite QB, play like it. Forget all the other stuff, forget how bad the defense has been, put the team on your back, and go win. We have seen Hurts is capable of it. But he has not being doing it of late.

  Unfortunately, it seems like he will be limited by a finger injury he sustained playing in a game that didn’t matter.

  John Clark on Twitter: ""I know that he's tough and he'll do everything that he can do to play through it. He went back in the game on Sunday after he had done it. I imagine it hurt pretty good. He's not going to tell me that, though. Jalen's tough and he's not going to tell me how bad he's hurting. But... pic.twitter.com/GhfuDxJyjz / Twitter"

  "I know that he's tough and he'll do everything that he can do to play through it. He went back in the game on Sunday after he had done it. I imagine it hurt pretty good. He's not going to tell me that, though.

• D'Andre Swift

  Swift was fantastic in week 3 against the Bucs. Not just 130 yards, but over 8 yards per carry. And they need that guy back for Monday Night. The Bucs are going to go into attack mode on the Eagles pass game, and the best way to take some of the pressure off Hurts for Swift to have another big game. Him running well also has the bonus effect of keeping the Eagles defense off the field.

  NFL on Twitter: "Swifties will love this run.📺: #PHIvsTB on ABC📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/NkpBC1YFYJ pic.twitter.com/jLOLxddeU1 / Twitter"

  Swifties will love this run.📺: #PHIvsTB on ABC📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/NkpBC1YFYJ pic.twitter.com/jLOLxddeU1

• The Entire O-Line

  Swift can’t do it alone though. Part of the reason he put up such big numbers early in the year was the massive holes the Eagles o-line were opening up for him. The O-line has been one of the few things that still work well on this team. There is only so much they can do about the blitz. That falls on the Eagles RBs to pick up their assignment, and also on the coaching staff and Hurts to just handle the blitz better. But what the O-Line can do is take care of their assignment, and make sure Swift has massive holes to run through.

  NFL on ESPN on Twitter: "D'Andre Swift had 133 rushing yards BEFORE contact tonight 🦅 The Eagles O-Line is the real deal 😳 pic.twitter.com/u1jeuCAxij / Twitter"

  D'Andre Swift had 133 rushing yards BEFORE contact tonight 🦅 The Eagles O-Line is the real deal 😳 pic.twitter.com/u1jeuCAxij

• Darius Slay

  After missing the final 4 games, Darius Slay is finally back. Will he fix all of the problems in the Eagles secondary. No. They were playing poorly even with him healthy. But he can bring a bit of stability back. He will likely be on either Mike Evans or Chris Godwin all game long. Two 1000 yard receivers. If he can get his job done, that is at least one part of the field they dont have to worry about. The rest of the defense may still get shredded though.

  Word On The Birds on Twitter: "Darius Slay vs. top WRs this year:- Evans: 6 yards- Kupp: 39 yards- Waddle: 5 yards- Hill: 3 yards- Diggs: 22 yards- Aiyuk: 32 yards - Lamb: 62 yards (2 games)Lockdown! 🔒 pic.twitter.com/rlgQXJEEiS / Twitter"

  Darius Slay vs. top WRs this year:- Evans: 6 yards- Kupp: 39 yards- Waddle: 5 yards- Hill: 3 yards- Diggs: 22 yards- Aiyuk: 32 yards - Lamb: 62 yards (2 games)Lockdown! 🔒 pic.twitter.com/rlgQXJEEiS

• Haason Reddick

  The best way to keep the Bucs from tearing the defense apart if to get to Baker Mayfield before he has the chance. The Eagles have not done that enough this season. Part of that is because the secondary gets beat so fast, the pass rush doesn’t have time to win. but the pass rush just also isn’t playing well enough. If there was any time to wake up though, it is now. Baker is injured, he likely wont be able to evade the pass rush. get after him. It starts with Reddick.

  JAKIB Sports on Twitter: "Haason Reddick and Myles Garrett are the only NFL players with 11 or more sacks in each of the last four seasons.(Via @JeffKerrCBS) pic.twitter.com/B488xdkIZH / Twitter"

  Haason Reddick and Myles Garrett are the only NFL players with 11 or more sacks in each of the last four seasons.(Via @JeffKerrCBS) pic.twitter.com/B488xdkIZH

• Jordan Davis & Jalen Carter

  Early in the year, Davis and Carter were a dynamic duo. But they hit a wall. They have been m.i.a. ever since the Bills game. Davis ate up double teams and still won the first 10 weeks. Since then, we see him getting pushed back by one man. Carter is the same way. They have both played more snaps than they ever have in their career. So fatigue is 100% a factor. But if this defense is going to get back to being functional, it requires the tow of them playing at a high level again. Find your second wind, and have a big game. If they don’t, it will be another long day for the defense. Just look at what they did the last time they played the Bucs if you need to be remembered about the impact they were having. Carter also forced a fumble in that game.

  Sam Monson on Twitter: "Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter both absolutely reset the line of scrimmage for the safety play.Both guys drove the Bucs OL 2 yards deep pic.twitter.com/0opfvmRdJf / Twitter"

  Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter both absolutely reset the line of scrimmage for the safety play.Both guys drove the Bucs OL 2 yards deep pic.twitter.com/0opfvmRdJf

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