I’m back with something other than a film review! This is a new weekly feature where I’ll break down the Eagles’ upcoming opponent strictly through the film. There are plenty of stat-heavy previews out there already. This isn’t one of them. Instead, I’ve watched the most recent games of the opponents with a focus on specific areas: deep passes, explosive runs, touchdowns, turnovers, and sacks. Think of it less as a prediction piece and more as a scouting report. Each week, I’ll publish two articles
on the opponent’s offense and defense to give a picture of what the Eagles will be up against. Previously: Buccaneers offense preview
Deep Passes
What stands out most is how few explosive passes this defense has allowed. Despite blitzing at one of the highest rates in the league, the Bucs have given up very little down the field. Todd Bowles constantly mixes up looks and disguises who’s coming and who’s dropping. You’ll see seven at the line, and then a DB sprinting back into a split-safety shell at the snap. They will sometimes leave short routes uncovered, but bet on their rush getting home before the QB can get the ball out. It’s a fun and aggressive defense to study.
The tradeoff is that when you do hold up in protection, there are opportunities. Blitzes inevitably leave one-on-ones outside, and that’s where A.J. Brown should fancy himself. McCollum and Dean have played solidly, but the aggression creates openings if Hurts can trust his protection long enough to push it vertically.
Due to the Bucs’ expecting the pass rush to get home, they will often sit in short zones and allow deep throws, too. I’m not saying they should do this, but if the Eagles want to be brave and try to hold up in protection against pressure, they might have opportunities downfield.
Explosive Runs
This is one of the most challenging defenses to run against. Through three games, they’ve given up only two runs of 10+ yards to running backs. Vita Vea is still the immovable object inside. You don’t run at him without a plan (or, ideally, run away from him!).
The front penetrates quickly, and linebackers are physical downhill, even if their coverage skills can sometimes lag. I had to show this one, though, just to mention my guy Harrison Bryant…
It’s not just the line strength; Bowles crowds the box and dares you to try it. It’s almost like he wants you to try and take play action shots down the field because then he can go into attack mode. The Eagles struggled last week against the Rams’ front, and Tampa is an even more challenging test. If you want explosives, you’ll need to attack horizontally. I want to see stretch runs or designed Hurts keepers when Bowles’ edges pinch inside. Bring back QB Counter Bash, please!
Touchdowns
Inside the red zone, Bowles is willing to put his corners in man and send pressure, trying to force quick throws into tight coverage. The film shows opportunities for pick routes and motion to create leverage, but if you line up condensed and don’t have a plan, the blitz will get home.
Here’s another example of how you can win if you get the ball out quickly to someone in space.
The one caveat is that they can be beaten outside even when covered well. It’s a good corner group, but Brown has the physicality to win isolated matchups, especially if Bowles overloads and leaves his DBs stranded. In a condensed red zone where spacing is tight, that could be the Eagles’ best matchup.
Additionally, as the Bucs’ defense loves to send pressure, it can lead to fewer defenders out in coverage, which means fewer tacklers! There is a definite chance of generating explosive plays from short passes if you can get playmakers out in space. I would like to see some throws to Barkley this week.
Sacks
This is their calling card. Bowles’ genius lies in how he manipulates offensive line rules. He constantly manufactures free rushers, not just by overloading, but by knowing how protections slide. He uses all your own rules against you. The film is full of examples where five rushers beat six blockers because the OL didn’t know who to pick up. It looks easy to do on paper, but Bowles must have his defense incredibly well drilled, because I didn’t see many errors!
They match confusion upfront with a disguise on the backend, too. It’s so much fun to watch, honestly. Just look at this!
They love to blitz a corner tight to the formation, loop a linebacker late, or drop a linebacker into coverage to catch you out. It’s unpredictable and relentless. The Eagles will need impeccable communication on the offensive line and clear hot answers that go beyond the obvious. Tunnel screens, quick in-breakers, and QB runs are all tools to punish aggression.
Turnovers
The Bucs have just one interception so far, but the pressure fuels everything. The sacks create fumbles, the disguised blitzes bait quarterbacks into bad throws, and the threat of a free runner forces mistakes. The real danger is in assuming the blitz always comes. Bowles is notorious for ‘sending’ rushers on a fake blitz and then instantly dropping them into coverage. I saw one awesome example where one linebacker took a step backwards and blitzed, and the other linebacker took a step forward and then dropped into coverage. The offensive line ended up allowing the blitzing linebacker because they didn’t see he was coming.
If Hurts just throws the hot route automatically (imagine a quick slant here), he risks putting it right on a defender bailing underneath. It’s a defense designed to confuse.
Overall
This is a difficult defense to prepare for. They rarely give up explosives on the ground or through the air, and Vita Vea remains a nightmare up front. Bowles’ hyper-aggression also creates chances. If you’re brave enough to protect and attack outside, big plays are absolutely there. The key for the Eagles will be discipline and communication up front. I would be OK with checking it down vs. pressure, but occasionally finding ways to take vertical shots down the field. The most important thing is to prevent free rushers from consistently wrecking plays. Hurts has struggled vs. Todd Bowles in previous matchups, so I’m excited to see how he does this week.
That wraps up this week’s look at the Buccaneers’ offense. I’ve wanted to do something like this for a while, so shoutout to BGN for allowing me to do this! Feedback and thoughts on the style are always welcome, as this is something new. If you’d like to see the raw film work that goes into these breakdowns, I post uncut video sessions over on my Patreon here.
