By David Weinberg
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a tradition at Raymond James Stadium.
Whenever the Bucs score a touchdown, team officials fire a make-believe shot from a cannon located on the pirate ship at one end of the arena.
They almost ran out of cannon balls against the Eagles last Sunday.
The Bucs scored early and often in handing the Birds an embarrassing 33-16 defeat.
“No excuse for that,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “We didn’t coach well enough and we didn’t play well enough.”
Some of the blame could be attributed to the weather. At one point, the temperature climbed to 94 degrees with a heat index of 106.
But the Bucs played in the same conditions and didn’t seem bothered by it.
Someone forgot to pack some pickle juice like the Birds did on a trip to Dallas in 2000. The temperature that day was measured at 109 and continued to rise through the game. Then-Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder had the players drinking pickle juice to ward off cramps and prevent dehydration. It worked, with the Eagles earning a 41-14 win.
Injuries also had an impact. Star wide receivers A.J. Brown (hamstring) and DeVonta Smith (concussion) missed the game, as did right tackle Lane Johnson (concussion) and punt returner Britain Covey (knee).
But again, the Bucs were also missing some key players such as outstanding safety Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Whatever the reason, they struggled from the outset against Tampa and never really recovered. As a result, the Eagles head into their bye week at 2-2 and in second place in the NFC East behind the surprising Washington Commanders (3-1) and in the middle of the pack in the NFC behind the Vikings (4-0), Bucs (3-1), Commanders and Seahawks (3-0 entering Monday’s game).
The Eagles were expected to be the class of the NFC East when the season began.
A quarter of the way through the season, they are limping into their bye week with fans and critics wondering if last season’s collapse was not a fluke, but a harbinger of things to come.
On the bright side, how ‘bout those Phillies?
Quarterly grades
Quarterback
Jalen Hurts has gotten off to a shaky start. His costly fumble against the Bucs was his seventh turnover of the season – four interceptions and three fumbles. Since the beginning of last season, Hurts has a league-leading 27 giveaways. More significantly, he doesn’t seem to be playing with the same confidence. GRADE: C-minus.
Running back
Saquon Barkley has been nothing short of outstanding. He currently ranks third in the NFL in rushing with 435 yards on 73, trailing Baltimore’s Derrick Henry (480) and San Francisco’s Jordan Mason (447) with four touchdowns. Considering he’s a threat to score whenever he touches the football, maybe offensive coordinator Kellen Moore should give him a few more touches. GRADE: A.
Wide receiver/tight end
When healthy, Brown, Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert give the Eagles one of the league’s best trios. But they haven’t been together very often.
Brown has only played in two games due to a hamstring injury. Smith was off to a great start with 21 catches for 239 yards before getting hurt on a questionable hit against the Saints two weeks ago. Goedert leads all NFL tight ends with 24 receptions for 304 yards. GRADE: B.
Offensive line
There were questions as to how the offensive line would perform in the wake of center Jason Kelce’s retirement at the end of last season. So far, the answer is: OK but not great.
The unit has obviously excelled in the run game, opening canyon-sized holes for Barkley. But Hurts has been under a lot of pressure. Only three quarterbacks – Cleveland’s DeShaun Watson (19), Chicago’s Caleb Williams (16) and Mayfield (15) – have been sacked more than Hurts’ 13.
New center Cam Jurgens has been respectable save for a few questionable snaps. Johnson sat out most of the last two games and left tackle Jordan Mailata seemed to have a rough outing against Tampa. GRADE: B-minus.
Defensive line
This group has been inconsistent. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter looked like a one-man wrecking ball against the Saints two weeks ago and Jordan Davis also played well in that game. However, they were invisible against a mediocre Bucs offensive line on Sunday. Milton Williams has been their best interior lineman.
Defensive end Brandon Graham is making the most of his farewell tour. He registered one of the Eagles two sacks against the Bucs and also forced a fumble against the Saints. But the rest of the edge rushers have been almost invisible, especially newcomer Bryce Huff.
The Eagles have just six sacks through four games. Only the Falcons (4) and Panthers (5) have been worse. Grade: D
Linebacker
Zack Baun has been outstanding. His 43 tackles rank fifth in the NFL and he leads the team with two sacks. Nakobe Dean has yet to make a major impact and has been a terrible tackler. Nolan Smith has also been just OK. Rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr. plays mostly special teams. Grade: C.
Secondary
Rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell is among the early contenders for NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year. He’s blossoming into the team’s best homegrown corner since Lito Sheppard. Cornerback Darius Slay has regressed. Slot corner Avonte Maddox has struggled. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been inconsistent. Safety Reed Blankenship has the team’s only two interceptions. GRADE: D-plus
Special teams
Place-kicker Jake Elliott is among the league’s best, but he hasn’t gotten many opportunities so far. He’s just 4-for-5 on field goals in four games. Punter Braden Mann leads the NFC with a 51.9-yard average and has a respectable 42.9 net average. Covey is a terrific punt returner and his absence due to a knee injury will be missed, as evidenced by the snafus that occurred against the Bucs.
Coaching
Nick Sirianni’s seat is getting warmer. His in-game decisions have been questionable at best and he doesn’t seem to have the same command of the locker room as he did in earlier seasons.
New coordinators Kellen Moore (offense) and Vic Fangio (defense) were supposed to fix all the problems that plagued the Eagles last season, but that has not been the case to date. Grade: F.
David is a nationally recognized sports columnist who has covered Philadelphia and local sports for over 40 years. After 35 years with The Press, he has served as a columnist for 973ESPN.com and created his own Facebook page, Dave Weinberg Extra Points.
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