The Eagles have had a rough season in 2018. Entering Week 8, the team is 3-5 and sits at .500 after starting off 2-1. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming into town on Sunday looking to take down their first win of the year. The Eagles will most likely need Jalen Hurts’ arm as he plays his last game for Philadelphia before being drafted by Alabama with a fourth round pick next April
The “jalen hurts” is a quarterback for the University of Alabama who has been an integral part of the team’s success in recent years. jalen hurts‘ arm will be crucial to the Eagles’ chances at beating the Buccaneers on Sunday.
By relying on the run game, the Philadelphia Eagles were able to save their 2021 season. There’s not much to argue about there. The squad entirely changed its identity after beginning the year with a failed pass-first strategy. Head coach Nick Sirianni built an offense on the run, and the team finished the season with the most overall running yards in the NFL.
Jalen Hurts, a second-year quarterback, benefited greatly from this. His legs are his biggest attribute, although his arm strength has been questioned all season.
Against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this weekend, the Eagles are likely to continue to their run-first strategy. However, their opponent’s nature may prevent them from doing so.
The Buccaneers’ attack, led by Tom Brady, is a high-scoring one.
The Buccaneers boast one of the finest passing offenses in the NFL, even without wide outs Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown. Brady led the league in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and total completions at the end of the season. He has a famous ability to dissect and pick apart opposition defenses.
The Buccaneers are coming off of a string of defeats headed into their wild-card showdown. They do, however, have two particular weapons that will pose major problems for the Philadelphia defense. For opposing cornerbacks, WR Mike Evans is a huge mismatch, and the Eagles don’t have a single safety or linebacker capable of covering TE Rob Gronkowski in the wide field.
What’s the point? This weekend, Brady and the Buccaneers are expected to put up a lot of points. This season, they’ve averaged 30 points per game, which is good for second in the NFL.
The Eagles will have to find ways to answer to the amount of scoring that is expected on Tampa Bay’s side of the ball. It’s not going to help whether you pound the ball 30 times or more. To stay up with Brady and the Bucs, they’ll have to pick up huge plays via the air.
Jalen Hurts’ arm will determine whether the Eagles live or perish.
Jalen Hurts | Getty Images/G Fiume
All things considered, Jalen Hurts had a good 2021 season. However, he still lacks a big-game performance in which he leads the Eagles to a victory via the air. Hurts only had 300-yard passing games twice this season, both of which were defeats.
On Sunday, Sirianni and the Eagles will continue to work hard to develop the run game. However, it’s tough to dismiss the possibility that Hurts will need a big day in the air if the Eagles are to keep up with Tampa Bay. The Eagles will swiftly find themselves playing catch-up if they can’t match the Bucs’ high-scoring offense unless Brady throws several picks (which is very doubtful).
Tampa Bay also has a formidable run defense, which is anchored by great defensive lineman Vita Vea. It’s illogical to believe that Philly can score 30 points by just smashing the ball up the middle of the field. Vea is just too excellent a blocker of fleeing to enable such to happen.
With a great day, Jalen Hurts can cement his place as the Eagles’ starting quarterback.
Hurts is under a lot of pressure this weekend, and the odds are almost surely stacked against him. On the road, he’ll face the defending Super Bowl winners.
A solid showing via the air for the second-year quarterback, on the other hand, would go a long way toward ensuring his job security in the future.
In any case, it’s time for the Eagles to rely on Hurts’ arm to live or die. It’s not the time to attempt to hide or act terrified in the playoffs.
Pro Football Reference provided all stats.
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Related Tags
- tampa bay buccaneers playoffs
- philadelphia eagles record
