Final Grades: Eagles vs. Buccaneers After a very surprising win against the : 0xbt
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Final Grades: Eagles vs. Buccaneers After a very surprising win against the

    liny
    By liny
     Saints White Ryan Fitzpatrick Jersey , the onus was on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to prove that their season-opening victory was no fluke. What better opportunity to prove a point against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles?The Bucs took full advantage of their opportunity, using big plays and key defensive stops to hold the Eagles at bay and start the season 2-0.Here are this week’s final grades.OffenseYou couldn’t have scripted a better start for Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Buccaneer offense. Fitzpatrick recognized a corner blitz and unloaded a deep pass to DeSean Jackson for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the game.But it didn’t take long for the Eagles’ defense to settle in to the game. The next four drives saw the Bucs punt three times and O.J. Howard couldn’t corral a pass from Fitzpatrick that led to an interception. The Bucs managed just 49 yards on 19 plays through four possessions. Three of those ended in a Bryan Anger punt while the other ended in the aforementioned interception. Howard made up for miscue soon after, however, as he rumbled 75 yards down the field for a touchdown to break up a 7-7 tie and give Tampa Bay some major momentum. What made the play even better was Chris Godwin finishing a block all the way downfield to ensure Howard made it into the end zone. Mike Evans and Godwin pitched in with a touchdown each themselves to push the Bucs’ total offensive output to 27 points for the game. They converted both of their redzone drives for touchdowns as well. But there were still a few areas where they struggled.After accumulating an efficient 112 rushing yards against the Saints, the Bucs only gained 43 yards against the Eagles. They also went 8/13 of third down in Week 1 compared to just 4/10 in Week 2. The running game was absolutely miserable, averaging 1.9 yards per carry. The offensive line also gave up two sacks on the day after giving up zero the week before. Evans also had a crucial drop in the first half that could’ve advanced the Bucs into Eagles’ territory and Ryan Jensen had a brain fart after a good run by Peyton Barber that resulted in an unnecessary roughing call that put Tampa Bay in a negative-yardage situation.Despite the miscues, it was a good day for the offense, but there was definitely room for improvement. Final Grade: 3.0 (B)DefenseThere is no doubt that defense had a much better game against the Eagles.Now they weren’t facing Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara, or Michael Thomas - but Nick Foles and co. did put up 41 points against the Patriots in the Super Bowl.They also have arguably the league’s best offensive mind in Doug Pederson. The defense got off to an amazing start. They forced a three-and-out on the Eagles first possession, but it didn’t stop there. The next three drives totaled 35 yards on 14 plays and one turnover. The Eagles had to convert two third downs and one fourth down on the next possession in order to get their first touchdown of the game. The defense held their own and was able to force a missed field goal right before halftime. Philly was faced with another fourth down decision coming out of halftime, but the Bucs were able to stall the drive. Gerald McCoy got his first sack of the season on the next offensive possession for the Eagles, and it looked like the defense was starting to take over.Gerald McCoy was all smiles after the gamePhoto by Michael Reaves/Getty ImagesBut the Eagles scored two touchdowns on the next three drives, going 185 yards on 25 plays and converting two fourth downs. The Bucs deserve major credit on the third touchdown, however, as they stuffed Jay Ajayi three times from inside the eight-yard line before Foles hit Nelson Agholor with a perfect pass on a fade route to the back-right corner of the endzone. If Tampa Bay were playing any other team than the Eagles http://www.authenticstampabaybuccaneers.com/cheap-chandler-catanzaro-jersey , it’s safe to assume the defense would have had a better day due to Philly’s inclinations to go for it on fourth down.Mike Smith’s defense did their job. Considering the fact that Beau Allen and Chris Conte both left with injuries and did not return, the rookies and depth-players that were left to step up did remarkably well in their place.Final Grade: 3.0 (B)Special TeamsBleh.That’s all I have to say. Chandler Catanzaro missed a kick for the second straight week. Whether it be an extra point or a field goal - it doesn’t matter. Every point in the NFL matters and the Bucs are already gun-shy when it comes to kickers.The coverage units were spectacular, but Catanzaro was not. Consecutive misses in as many weeks is not good.Final Grade: 2.0 (C)CoachingThis staff is on fire. All Todd Monken needs to do is find a way to incorporate an effective second half run game, but at the same time, he should continue to call plays according to game flow. That has been his strength so far and it’s a big reason why the Bucs are 2-0.The pass on 3rd-and-3 to Evans to ice the game took BAWLZ. Something tells me that Dirk Koetter would’ve called a run up the gut, forcing the Bucs to give the ball back and rely on their not-so-reliable defense to win the game.Smith on the other hand, had to give many Bucs fans hope. Despite the second half mistakes, the defense looked competent and even dominate at times. As the season progresses, the defense should as well - as long as they’re healthy.Final Grade: 4.0 (A)Overall Grade: 3.0 (B)Just like last week, the Bucs made plenty of plays to win, they just couldn’t ice the game when it mattered most. They must find a way to create a consistent running game and they need to become more consistent on third down. Call me impatient, but I’m ready to declare Catanzaro a mistake. Two missed kicks in as many games is worrisome and Tampa Bay fans don’t need to play this down as a minor issue.But as long as the offense continues to perform at this level, it’ll be hard for anyone to beat the Bucs.It’s on to a gigantic home matchup on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers.Overall Grade For The Season: 3.0 (B) Both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Chicago Bears head into their week four matchup at 2-1. Although both teams have the same record, they have arrived atthis point in almost completely different ways. We will look into some of the stats that make these two teams so different from one another . On the offensive side of the ball, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are currently averaging 473.3 YPG, which is good for first in the NFL. On the other hand http://www.authenticstampabaybuccaneers.com/cheap-donovan-smith-jersey , the Chicago Bears are averaging 293.7 YPG. Almost 200 yards per game separates these two offenses through three games. When you look at that differential, you’d probably assume that the Buccaneers are destroying them in both passing and rushing, but that’s far from the case. Currently, Tampa Bay is averaging 400.7 YPG through the air, which is again good for first in the NFL. The Bears passing game has been underwhelming at best. Mitchell Trubisky is averaging 5.7 yards per throw and the Bears are throwing for an average of 178.0 YPG, which is good for 28th in the league. On to the rushing differential between these two division leaders. The Bears currently sit at 12th in the NFL, with an average of 115.7 YPG. They are also averaging 4.1 YPC, which is good for 13th. On the other hand, Tampa Bay has been nothing short of abysmal in the ground game. The team is currently averaging 72.7 YPG, good for 30th in the NFL. The 3.0 YPC, is good for last. Of course, Tampa hasn’t needed to rely much on the ground game, but you can see why Chicago hasn’t had to throw for over 350 yards a game. They have a solid running game led by Jordan Howard. In terms of points per game, Tampa Bay is 4th in the league with 34.0 PPG, while Chicago ranks 19th with 21.0 PPG. On the defensive side of the ball, Tampa Bay is tied for last in the NFL against the pass. The Buccaneers are allowing an average of 362.6 YPG through the air. The Bears Youth Lavonte David Jersey , have the ninth best pass defense through three weeks, allowing an average of 223.7 YPG. Another big difference in both team’s passing defenses, Chicago has five interceptions on the year, while Tampa Bay only has one. It could be tough for both sides to run the ball in this game. The Buccaneers rank third in the NFL against the run, allowing an average of 70.7 YPG, while the Bears ranks second, allowing only 65.3 YPG. Some miscellaneous stats on the defensive side of the ball, Chicago has 14 sacks, which is good for 1st in the NFL, while Tampa Bay has seven, which is tied for 18th. This is the type of game where both teams strengths on one side of the ball, is the other team’s strength on the other side of the ball. It’s going to be fun seeing both teams try and attack the other. Do the Bears open up the playbook a little more and let Trubisky throw it down field? Will Ronald Jones get a chance to get a few carries with the ground game struggling? Time will tell, but this is going to be a fun one to watch on Sunday.