Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a happy start to the season for two weeks. But then the best team in the NFC, the champions, came to play against them.
Thanks to Jalen Carter, who is becoming a star in the middle of the defense, the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense was very strong. They played so well that the Buccaneers were able to get only 174 yards in the whole game, and the Eagles won 25-11 on Monday night.
“This defense is great,” Carter said in his team record. “I love defense. Everybody trusts each other. Everybody does their part and does what they’re supposed to do. And when one guy goes down, it’s the next guy up, so the next one. I don’t worry about who people are.” We trust him as much as we trust a starting pitcher in a game. I love this defense.
Carter, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, was a beast for the Eagles, filling the stat sheet with two tackles for loss, half a sack, one quarterback hit, and two forced fumbles.
Philadelphia accomplished two things on Monday. The Eagles have forced eight turnovers so far this season, forcing several turnovers in each game, the only NFL team to do so. They provided safety as Carter and Nicholas Morrow broke through the line and wiped out Rashard White on a carry that only went backward.
What was most impressive was the Philadelphia front’s ability to completely suppress the Buccaneers’ running game, which was already struggling. Tampa Bay had just 41 yards, as well as one first down on the ground after 17 carries.
When Bucs head coach Todd Bowles was asked to comment on the running game, he summed up his team’s struggles with his usual candor. “We didn’t have that,” he said. “I mean, it’s just… we’re not going to sit here and let anything surface. We own what we have.”
We Hired Coach Sean Because We Believed in Him Too
Mayfield followed up his 317-yard performance in Week 2 with 146 yards and his first interception of the season, his first 300-yard game since Week 5 of 2021, and his passing was no mean feat. “I mean, they’re really good defensively,” Mayfield said. “They’re on the front lines. I mean, they’re incredible.”
The Eagles have not allowed more than 76 rushing yards in a game this season. They still cause a lot of variation and confusion. After a season in which they played in the Super Bowl, they replaced Jonathan Gannon with Sean Desai as their defensive coordinator, and so far, they haven’t missed a single mistake.
It’s a fundamental approach, according to Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni, that continues to lead the way.
“I believe in our defense, and we hired Coach Sean because we believed in him too. He’s been doing a great job. What we’re doing really well is playing with the right basics and being tough on the field.
This works in all levels of football, from Pee Wee to the pros. We’re good at tackling, and that’s because we focus on the basics. Both the coaches and players have worked hard on these basics after each practice.”
Playing very good at the basics might not sound very good, but it helps a lot. The Eagles are showing everyone how important the basics are, like having lots of good players on the team and being very strong on defense. That is why they have won all three of their games, and their defense is a big part of it.
