The Buccaneers Secondary Must Lead the Way Against the Eagles
Credit: Junfu Han - Imagn Images
It wouldn’t be an over-exaggeration to say that nobody outside of the Denver Broncos organization thought they would prevail over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday. Tampa Bay was coming off a big-time win on the road against the Detroit Lions, while the Broncos had yet to win a game with rookie quarterback Bo Nix under center. So who’s to blame for last Sunday’s no-show? Look no further than the Bucs’ underwhelming pass rush, which registered 0 sacks despite generating 8 pressures.
One of the biggest glaring holes on the Bucs roster is the lack of a true #1 pass rusher, and that has been the case ever since Shaq Barrett left town for Miami, only to retire before the start of training camp. Yaya Diaby and Joe Tyron-Shoyinka are the two starting edge rushers, but neither has proven to be anything more than rotational pieces forced into starting by default. Vita Vea is really the heart of the Bucs’ defensive line, as he makes everything easier for these pass rushers. Unfortunately, he’ll likely continue to be sidelined for the next couple of weeks while he recovers from a sprained MCL he suffered against the Lions in Week 2.
If the Buccaneers’ defense wasn’t able to get any sacks against the Broncos offensive line, that’s a huge problem. Denver ranks 22nd in the league in pass block win-rate and has allowed the highest percentage of pressures (44.9%). It’s hard to imagine they’d fare any better against the Philadelphia Eagles. Philly’s offensive line are among the league’s best, and has been for several years now.
So if the defensive line can’t get to the quarterbacks, Tampa will have to stop the ball elsewhere on the field. The key to victory for the Bucs this week will be centered around their secondary, who must lead the way against the Eagles in order for this team to bounce back from last week’s stunning defeat.
Tampa’s secondary has been the defense’s biggest strength as of late, despite the unit being without their best player in Antonie Winfield Jr. (who is still with an ankle sprain that will keep him out of commission for a few more weeks). Filling in for the injured Winfield is second-year safety Christian Izien, who has performed admirably the past two games. Izien forced a fumble against the Washington Commanders in Week 1, but his real coming-out party came against the Lions. His fourth-quarter interception helped seal the game, and Izien added two passes defended and 10 tackles.
Gene Deckerhoff calls Christian Izien's massive interception as Goff gets blown the fuck up pic.twitter.com/uyOfWbr2Ha
— Bucs Rays Bolts (@BucsRaysBoltsYT) September 15, 2024
As good as Izien and the safeties have been, these Bucs wield their biggest advantage over the Birds at cornerback. The national media sleeps on Jamel Dean, a highly underrated corner who has established himself as one of the better players in the league at his position. Still, the bigger story right now is Zyon McCollum who has been playing lights-out football to start the season. Although PFF grades aren’t necessarily the end-all-be-all when it comes to analyzing cornerback play, McCollum’s overall grade is an astounding 89.8, which is incredibly difficult to attain as a defensive back.
Meanwhile, the Eagles are dealing with mounting injuries at wide receiver with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith both missing practice on Thursday. Brown has been out the last two weeks after suffering a hamstring injury, and Smith is currently in concussion protocol after Saints defensive tackle Khristian Boyd attempted to decapitate the defenseless receiver on a very late helmet-to-helmet hit. Eagles defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson called it “The dirtiest s*** I ever saw in football.”
This perhaps shouldn’t be surprising, considering that Saints head coach Dennis Allen was on the Saints’ coaching staff during the Bountygate scandal, where players were paid bounties to intentionally injure opposing players.
“We will find out later in the week if that will be reviewed for a potential fine.”
— @RapSheet on Khristian Boyd’s hit on DeVonta Smith
pic.twitter.com/I0qqAOHhVv https://t.co/8sLjcptRHv
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) September 23, 2024
To make matters worse for Philly, Jalen Hurts has looked rather suspect as of late. Hurts has thrown more interceptions (4) than touchdowns (3) through the first three weeks of the season and his 85.9 passer rating would be the lowest he’s posted since his rookie year. The Eagles have been running their offense through Saquon Barkley, who leads the league in rushing yards, and we can expect them to lean on him again to compensate for their injuries at wide receiver. Barkley is a tough assignment for any defense, and he’ll be even harder for Tampa to contain without Vea and Calijah Kancey on the interior.
Even so, the Eagles can’t just hand the ball off to Barkley every single snap without the play-calling becoming predictable. Although the Bucs’ run defense has been banged up, they’re still respectable enough to stop one-dimensional offenses. It is an inevitability that Hurts will throw the football in Kellen Moore’s offense, and he will be doing so without his top two receivers. Tampa’s most favorable positional matchups lie in the secondary, and they must pounce on that advantage if they want to maintain their winning record on Sunday.
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