Eagles' Defensive Woes Against Buccaneers Appear Fixable

It's still a mystery how the Eagles' defense can look so good in New Orleans and then a week later look so bad in Tampa.

Sep 29, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis (90) blocks during an extra point attempt at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The question about the defense that kept popping into my head watching the Eagles lay an egg in Tampa was, how could the defense look so good one week in shutting down the previously high-flying New Orleans Saints to looking like it hadn’t ever played together a week later in Tampa?

So, Eagles on SI asked the question to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

“Well, that's a good question,” he said. “You know, they came out throwing real fast, real quick, and we weren't tight enough. We fell behind the chains because of that. And it just kind of snowballed. We never got – couldn't make the play to get them to 2nd-and-10 or 3rd-and-10. It just never happened.”

That’s not really an answer, but really what could he say? The DC is searching for that answer just like the rest of us and has the bye week to find it.

The Eagles defense held the Saints to 219 yards of offense and 12 first downs. Quarterback Derek Carr was just 14-for-25 for 142 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception.

Against the Buccaneers, the Eagles defense allowed 445 yards of offense and 29 first downs. Quarterback Baker Mayfield completed 30-of-47 passes for 347 yards, two passing touchdowns, and one rushing score.

Here are some reasons why, and why they happened is the mystery:

-Soft coverage.

The Eagles cornerbacks played eight to 10 yards off the line of scrimmage allowing some easy pitch-and-catches on the Bucs; first two possessions that led to easy touchdowns.

They eventually adjusted and made things more difficult. The Bucs scored just nine points in the second half, but the damage had already been done.

“Our guys, particularly the corners, have the ability to press based on formation,” said Fangio. “If they're stacking receivers and stuff, it's hard to press then, but on normal splits, they have the ability to press in almost all our calls.

“We tried to communicate that early, that we had to get tighter. But credit to them (the Bucs). They threw it and caught it better than we defended it.”

Sep 29, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni walks off the field after a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

-Missed tackles.

Fangio counted 15 of them. “A lot of times, we left our feet too early,” he said. “Sometimes, we didn't wrap up well enough.”

Fangio said it is fixed through film study, practice drills, and better technique. Better tacking would have helped the coverage aspect of the game plan, too.

“To a degree,” said the DC. “A lot of their bigger gains came after missed tackles, so that would've had a major plus for us it we could have tackled better. But still, we’ve got to be tighter, too.”

-Heat.

The 108-degree humidity and 94-plus-degree temperatures took their toll, and to say that both teams played in it is true, it’s also true that the Bucs live and practice in it. The Eagles do not. When was the last time the Eagles practiced in, played in, or even woke up to that draining heat?

The good news is that all three areas of concern coming out of Tampa are fixable.

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