The Talking Plank - Week 7

The Talking Plank - Week 7: Vs. Philadelphia: (Late due to Blooger being non-accessible)

With the Bucs finally getting a win, they now have the opportunity to try to get their first winning streak started. The 4-2 Eagles come to town and look to spoil the party and effectively end the Bucs season by giving the Bucs their 5th loss in 6 games. If the Bucs lose this game, there really is no realistic chance for them to make something of this season. If the Bucs win, however, then they are one win away from being in a very familiar situation: 3-4. So will the Bucs have the guns to get it done this week?

On Offense, the Bucs will be facing a defense that is a little banged up, and not playing to the standard that the Eagles traditionally set. The Eagles defense is ranked 26th overall (14th against the run and 27th against the pass). They also look to be without RDE Darren Howard, leaving the much smaller Juqua Thomas (250lbs.) going against Anthony Davis. Davis might have some problems with Thomas' speed during pass pro, but he'll bury him in the running game. Quite frankly, Philly's front four is small, relying on athleticism, similar to the Bucs. I expect the Bucs will try to run to the edges and take advantage of Thomas, should Howard not play. The area the Bucs must be concerned with is pass pro, as the Eagles come in with 23 sacks. Of course, the offensive line has only given up 9 sacks, so if they hold up against the plethora of blitzes and fronts, Bruce should be able to light up a poor Eagles secondary. If the Bucs run the ball 25+ times and are around the century mark, or better, then the passing game will be there, and Bruce, assuming he's accurate and gets over the nervousness he had at home last week, will hit a lot of receivers and do some damage through the air. I think the Bucs can push the Eagles defense around some, but they need to keep the Eagles from getting a lot of good plays our of their blitz packages, or the Bucs will see it all day.

On Defense, the Bucs will face an average running attack and the leagues best passing attack. However, the Eagles will not have a 100% Donte Stallworth, assuming he even plays. That will put a lot of pressure on Donovan to hit other receivers and Brown, the other starting receiver, has a Quad injury, so that might affect his ability to catch the ball. With Westbrook banged up (knee), Philly may not have a real running game. If Westbrook goes, his injury will make it more difficult for him to cut and slip tackles. With Booger being shipped out, Wyms will start and someone else, Bradley or Jenkins, will help keep him fresh. Wyms should have a strong game, and I think the rest of the defensive line will feed off that. I also expect Rice to have a stellar game against McNabb, as he always does. The Bucs should be able to contain the Philly running game, and force Donovan to throw to his depleted receivers. Though Kelly will likely be out, without Stallworth, or with reduced speed (it's a hamstring injury), the Bucs secondary should be able to cover the Eagles' aerial threats. I look for the Bucs defense to continue what they started in the second half of the Saints game and brought to the table last week. I think this defense has turned the corner and it will be difficult for the Eagles to consistently move the ball and score. So far, they've mostly done the damage with big plays, and the Bucs defense, when running correctly, usually stops most of those. I think the match-ups will favor the Bucs.

On Special Teams, the Eagles will have a slight edge with the better place kicker and better punt return/coverage teams. Kickoffs should be about even. Of course, the one wildcard in this is Buchanon. He could be returning punts and he has the speed and instincts to burn coverage teams. I don't really expect a big advantage for the Eagles, but the game could come down to field position off of punts and the Eagles may, or may not, fare better here.

In the end, despite what a lot of people think, this team is capable of beating the Eagles, just as they should have beaten the Panthers and Saints and be coming into this game 3-2 instead of 1-4. I think the defense will rise to the occasion and I think the offense will be able to establish the run then take advantage of Philly's weak secondary. In the end, I think the Bucs take their second game in another tight game.

Bucs 20 Eagles 17