Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost some of the rhythm from their hot start but were able to ride an early lead to a 28-22 win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football.
Brady finished with two passing touchdowns and 297 yards, while Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts finished with three scores and 130 yards of total offense.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback
Tom Brady took what the defense gave him, mostly because Philadelphia refused to give up anything over the top. One of Brady’s few downfield heaves resulted in an interception, but he completed almost everything else he threw.
Tampa Bay couldn’t do much to push the ball down the field, but Brady’s wide receivers did their part, picking up 199 yards after the catch.
Brady: Passing by depth
Target depth | Attempts | Completion Rate | Passer Rating |
Behind L.O.S. | 11 | 100% | 85.6 |
0-9 Yards | 19 | 95% | 115.8 |
10-19 Yards | 9 | 56% | 133.1 |
20+ Yards | 2 | 0% | 0.0 |
Running back
Leonard Fournette didn’t provide much in the way of explosive runs, but his frame and knee-drive exposed some of the tackling issues Philadelphia has at the linebacker position. Fournette capped off a couple of long drives with touchdowns and gained 65 of his 83 yards after contact.
Wide receivers/tight ends
Antonio Brown is the perfect receiver to have against a defense committed to playing deep zone coverage. The veteran caught 69% of his 13 targets for over 90 yards and a touchdown, with almost half of his yardage coming after the catch.
Player | Targets | Avg. depth of target | Yards after the Catch | Yards per route run |
Antonio Brown | 13 | 10.2 | 45 | 3.1 |
Offensive line
Alex Cappa had a long night opposite Fletcher Cox, allowing four pressures and a QB hit. The rest of the offensive line allowed just four pressures total, with none resulting in contact on Brady.
Defensive line
The depth of the Buccaneers' pass-rush unit puts a talented player such as Joe Tryon-Shoyinka on ice for much of the game, but the rookie was able to turn one of his five pass-rush opportunities into a pressure.
Shaquil Barrett continues to show how dangerous he is when healthy, with eight pressures on the night. Barrett was a terror on the edge and inside on third down tonight.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers pass rush by No. of rushers
No. of rushers | Pass-rush snaps | Total pressures |
3 | 4 | 2 |
4 | 21 | 15 |
5 | 7 | 6 |
6 | 1 | 0 |
Linebackers
Devin White’s versatility was put on full display against a spread offense looking to work the ball into the short areas of the field. He tallied a couple of pressures as a blitzer and a defensive stop fitting the run. He allowed only 23 yards on four targets in coverage, as well.
Secondary
Richard Sherman was brought in to be an emergency replacement for a banged-up Bucs secondary, but he left the game early with what’s reported as a hamstring tweak.
On the positive side, Jamel Dean intercepted a Hurts pass off a deflection coming across the field, and no defensive back gave up more than 30 yards in coverage.
Philadelphia Eagles
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles' offense simply hasn’t been able to do much vertically since Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons.
The screen-heavy passing game struggled to find any space tonight. Hurts only scraped ahead of the 100-yard passing mark after a drive in the fourth quarter.
Running back
Eagles fans wanted to see more rushing opportunities given to Miles Sanders, and the Fox broadcasters noted how vocal the attendees were about it. Sanders’ three explosive gains on the ground buoyed the offense in the second half when it was clear the passing game couldn’t find a rhythm.
Wide receivers/tight ends
Zach Ertz scored the Eagles’ only passing touchdown on the night, and he was one of only three receivers or tight ends to touch the ball in the passing game.
The inability to get the ball down the field is evidenced by the fact that no player gained more than 50 yards total, and the Bucs allowed only 24 yards after the catch to wide receivers and tight ends combined.
Offensive line
No center in the NFL has been able to deal with a healthy Vita Vea at nose tackle, and Jason Kelce was no exception. While he allowed only two pressures on first review, the push on the interior regularly flushed Hurts out of the pocket and ended potential downfield chances.
Defensive line
The style of defense Philadelphia wants to play requires the defensive line to add a layer to coverage by rushing the passer and forcing checkdowns or quick throws. Fletcher Cox is still as productive as he’s always been, but his three interior pressures weren’t enough to affect Tom Brady tonight.
Linebackers
Alex Singleton played the most snaps at the second level of Philadelphia’s defense, but his performance left something to be desired. The Buccaneers were content to dump the ball off and force him to tackle, and he failed to record a single defensive stop or tackle for loss. Often, he was finishing his tackles going in the wrong direction, landing on his back.
Singleton allowed 56 yards in coverage on first review.
Secondary
The Eagles' secondary allowed 11 first downs on 17 receptions, Darius Slay responsible for four. Tampa Bay doubled up Philadelphia in its gains of fifteen or more yards (4) against the Eagles’ forced incompletions (2).