Exposed Eagles no match for Mayfield-led Buccaneers; now on to the Lions!!

[Fletch59]

Huge difference from the first game in week #3! The difference in the first and second meetings with the Eagles in 2023 was day and night. Mayfield had one of his worst games of the season in the first meeting, throwing 25 times for 15 completions for a grand total of 146 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The run game could do nothing either. Rachaad White, rushing 14 times for 38 yards with a 2.7-yard average, could do no damage. The Eagles had their way on offense as well in the first game at Ray-Jay. Take all of that and throw it out the window for the Eagles vs. Buccaneers at Ray-Jay, playoff edition. The Eagles fell behind early, and you never got the feeling at any point that they were going to turn it around and storm back, at least I didn’t. I couldn’t help wondering when they would shoot ourselves in the foot and leave the door open for an Eagles’ comeback run. Then the Bucs would drive down and score again, removing the doubt that sometimes is hard to shake when you have been a fan since 1979. When they are really good, they are very good. This, after all, by definition, is a team rebuilding towards being that good again one day. The Eagles came into our house as three-point favorites and left beaten by 23. Jalen Hurts and Devonta Smith racked up the stats but found the end zone a tough nut to crack, with the lone Eagle touchdown coming on a five-yard pass to Goedert. The Bucs again stopped the Tush-Push (the QB sneak play on the goal line) on a 2-point conversion (they stopped it in week #3 as well). Not many teams were able to do that at all in 2023. Hats off to the Bucs Defensive Front. Mayfield is beginning to win over doubters. Even with all the film footage of bad football from Baker Mayfield’s pre-Bucs days, it’s getting harder to deny that maybe Mr. Mayfield could be a very late bloomer. Don’t get me wrong; there will surely be games when he reverts to some of the old mistakes that did him in. It appears, though, that it’s possible he has learned from the past and is able to cut down on those types of mistakes. Most QBs are not able to do that (see Jameis Winston). It’s rare that QBs can shake the tendencies that cause their downfall, but it’s not impossible. For me, I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best outcome. I cannot blame Mayfield for the way that the team handled his ascension to the throne. That is not on him. That rests squarely on the shoulders of Bowles and Licht. Truly, it’s not hard to be a fan of a player like Mayfield. He has tons of heart, plays through injuries, and is a great leader; what’s not to like? Rest easy, Mayfield supporters; it is almost a sure thing, written in stone, that he will be signed for 2024 and probably beyond, which almost assures that Kyle Trask will be departing after next season, bringing my prediction in for a soft landing that he would never start a regular season game in Tampa. Unless Mayfield is hurt pretty badly, that’s the way it will shake out next season. I believe that Trask will find a team and eventually become a starter in the NFL. The way he showed out in camp and the pre-season this season was not a fluke. It was a sign of things to come. The Bucs should have beaten the Lions in week #5. The defense kept the score low enough for a Mayfield-led comeback that never materialized. He was barely at 50% on the day, going 19 of 37 for 206 yards with no touchdowns and an interception — the same type of game he had against the Eagles in week #3. Mayfield, and the rest, were able to change that recipe on Monday Night Football for a playoff win. It’s certainly possible that the Bucs could do the same in Detroit this weekend. The Lions, though, haven’t lost five out of their last six like the Eagles. They actually won four out of their last six regular season games. They lost by only one to the Cowboys and dropped one to the surprising Bears. The Lions just edged out the Rams by one point in the opening round last week. They will certainly be looking to put it on the Bucs in Detroit on Sunday. How bad do you want it? — that’s what separates these two former division rivals. If the defense can hold down Gibbs and Montgomery in the ground game and keep T.E. Laporta from making any big plays down the field, the Bucs will have a shot. I don’t think that they can shut down Amon-Ra St. Brown. He’s going to get his. That should be okay as long as they can stop the other aforementioned stars from going off. So here we go, folks! Round number two is here. Can they shock the world? I believe they have it in them. Go Bucs!! The post Exposed Eagles no match for Mayfield-led Buccaneers; now on to the Lions!! appeared first on Bucs Life.

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