5 Keys To Victory For Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Philadelphia Eagles had a huge win last Sunday as they went into MetLife Stadium and beat down the New York Giants, 36-21. The Giants were left stunned. They are now fresh off another loss at 0-6 and their season looks totally lost. The Eagles are going in the other direction. After a crucial divisional win, despite struggling the past few weeks, they now sit at 2-3 and tied atop the division.
Granted, it is a weak division, but the Eagles in year one of the Chip Kelly era have a huge opportunity in front of them with the most difficult part of their schedule over to build up a lead in the NFC East. Nick Foles came on in replacement of Michael Vick and shined throwing for 200 yards and two touchdowns in a victory. You can't ask for much more than that from your backup quarterback.
The defense also finally showed signs of life. They forced four total turnovers, including three crucial interceptions of Eli Manning that turned the game on its head. The defense bounced back from adversity well and finally showed some positive things after they had major struggles the past few weeks. The pass rush, while not generating a ton of sacks, bothered Manning all game long, which led to quite a few mistakes for the veteran quarterback.
The Eagles now go on the road to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite being 0-4, all four of their losses have been of the nail-biting variety (except for a 20-point loss to New England). They have a tough, tenacious defense that is stingy in the run and passing game. This may be Kelly and the Eagles' offense biggest test of the young season.
Let's take a look at five keys to victory for the Eagles vs. the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Nick Foles Needs To Repeat His Success From Week 5
Nick Foles needs to be sharp again this week for the Eagles' offense to run at peak performance. Foles won't have as easy a task this Sunday. The Bucs bring a stingy secondary to the table,including one of the best corners in the game in Darrelle Revis and hard-hitting safety Dashon Goldson. Foles will have to be on his A-game for the Eagles to pull out a road victory.
LeSean McCoy and the ground game need to get going to keep the Bucs defense honest
It is crucial that LeSean McCoy and the Eagles' running game get going. The pass defense needs to be kept honest for the Eagles to throw the ball downfield Sunday. To do that, the running game needs to be working. McCoy and the other backs will have to be productive for the Eagles to be victorious.
Riley Cooper Needs To Take The Attention Off Of DeSean Jackson
Riley Cooper has to snap out of his season-long funk on Sunday. The Bucs will be paying extra attention to dynamic speedster DeSean Jackson including matching him up with one of the games top corners in Darrelle Revis. It may be a long day for Jackson. Coop needs to take advantage of the Bucs lesser corners in one-on-one matchups for the Eagles' offense to have any sort of success.
The Eagles Pass Rush Needs To Disrupt Bucs Rookie Quarterback Mike Glennon
The Eagles' pass rush must be more productive than it has been. The defense goes up against rookie quarterback Mike Glennon. He is a deer in the headlights right now when it comes to analyzing pro defenses. The Eagles need to take advantage of this and rattle the young signal caller to be successful on defense and come away with a win.
The Eagles corners need to shut down the big receivers of the Bucs
The Eagles' cornerbacks face a stiff test on Sunday going up against two big receivers in Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams. Jackson, in particular, is as dangerous as they come with his size and speed combination. Guys like Bradley Fletcher, Cary Williams and Brandon Boykin will need to be at the top of their game Sunday.
