If you strip out the two busted coverages, this was a top defensive performance for the Philadelphia Eagles. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran 66 plays, but outside of those two long touchdowns, gained just
227 yards (3.4 yards per play). Vic Fangio’s unit controlled the line for long stretches, the corners were outstanding, and the defense came up with the game-sealing plays when it mattered. This was a hugely encouraging display.
Defense
This game was all about Quinyon Mitchell. He was fantastic. He shadowed Emeka Egbuka a lot (who already looks like a future star) across the field and erased him. Mitchell gave up virtually nothing in coverage. The Eagles asked him to travel, something Fangio rarely does but has this season, and he looked fantastic. He looked patient at the line, physical downfield, and sticky at the catch point. Even when the ball came out on time, Mitchell was glued to his man. It’s no exaggeration to say this looked like a shutdown corner performance.
The coverage across the board was superb here. Zack Baun dropped into his zone and nearly jumped Mayfield’s throw. The instincts and range he’s showing make him look like the best Eagles’ linebacker in coverage that I’ve personally ever watched. Cooper DeJean mirrored Tez Johnson all the way downfield with ease. And Mitchell, again, forced to play with outside leverage, still took away the inside release with perfect technique. Wherever Mayfield looked, he saw tight coverage. Outside of the two busts, Mayfield finished with just 140 yards on 38 attempts!
Kelee Ringo made his first start this season, playing all 68 defensive snaps, and while it wasn’t flawless, it was a promising debut. He recovered a fumble and competed hard at the line of scrimmage, showing the physicality this secondary has lacked at times on the outside. At times, he missed multiple in the open field against Bucky Irving (who looked outstanding), but his coverage was fine. He can be grabby at the LOS, and he nearly got flagged once, but overall, he gave the Eagles exactly what they have needed: a tough, physical outside corner who didn’t look out of place. It was a good start.
Cooper DeJean consistently exhibits traits that cannot be taught. This play is designed to put his zone discipline under pressure, but he handled it as well as you can. He passed off the vertical perfectly, spun back into the quarterback’s eyes, and nearly picked it off. If he catches it, it’s one of the highlights of the season. His feel for zone is extraordinary. He anticipates throws before the quarterback makes them, and his ability to transition in space is rare. He combined physical tackling with this kind of high-level recognition. He already looks like one of the most gifted athletes in the league. I think he has future all-pro potential.
Fangio ended up blitzing Baun more than usual, and I think that’s a sign he probably doesn’t fully trust his 4-man pass rush right now. I know the pass rush numbers are promising, but you can’t ignore the number of times he is sending 5 rushers. However, the design worked here! Carter drew the double, Baun flew through the opening, and Mayfield had to rush his throw. The coverage was tight too, with Ringo and Mitchell in good positions on the outside. The only error (I think – it’s impossible to be certain) came from Andrew Mukuba, who arrived late at the flat. These are the rookie mistakes Fangio will live with because Mukuba’s upside is obvious, but it was another reminder he’s not seeing the field that well in coverage yet.
Reed Blankenship is such a steady presence. Mayfield thought he had the checkdown pre-snap, but Blankenship disguised it brilliantly by holding his depth, then driving downhill for the stop. Plays like this don’t show up in highlight reels, but they’re the backbone of good defense. Blankenship was consistently in the right spot. He’s not flashy, but his ability to disguise, trigger, and tackle is why this secondary works. I really like watching him play, as I think his understanding of this defensive scheme is excellent.
Mitchell again, this time against Chris Godwin. What else can you say? It’s perfect coverage, allowing no separation, and a textbook finish at the catch point. Meanwhile, the Eagles sent five and stunted up front again, forcing Mayfield to move off his spot. Tampa struggled with stunts all night. Mitchell’s physicality stood out here; he didn’t just mirror, he competed through the hands and made this a really tough catch. It felt a bit like a coming-of-age game from Quinyon. His movement skills were outstanding.
Ringo’s aggression showed here. He tugged the jersey and could have been flagged (I think he gets a bit lucky), but he stayed in phase and finished by playing the ball in the air. That competitiveness is what the Eagles want on the outside. Up front, Jordan Davis chased Mayfield to prevent him from scrambling (he’s done this twice in two weeks), and Jalyx Hunt dropped into coverage, something he did 10 times in this game! Hunt’s development as a rusher hasn’t been as impressive as I hoped, but his ability to drop gives Fangio the versatility to keep quarterbacks guessing. He has a very valuable role.
Then came the first bust. Andrew Mukuba jumped an intermediate route that was never his to take, leaving the deep shot wide open. Mayfield read it instantly and threw over the top for a long touchdown. If you read my film preview of this game, I said this…
When safeties don’t gain depth, he’ll (Mayfield) throw it straight over their heads. Expect deep posts, corners, and slot fades. If the Eagles’ safeties try to creep up and jump the intermediate routes, I can almost promise you that Mayfield will throw it over them. He’s looking for it all the time, and the offense is designed to have these shots available.
It was a classic rookie error. He’s trying to make the hero play rather than trusting the assignment. Mukuba played all of the snaps this week, so the staff clearly trusts him, but he has to clean this up. Fangio’s defenses are built on eliminating explosives. Giving up a 70-yarder like this is poor. It’s a really bad play and one I expect him to learn from!
Jihaad Campbell’s game was a microcosm of life as a rookie in the NFL. Against the run he was hugely improved on last week. He was taking on tight ends as shown below, playing downhill fast, and making physical stops against the run. However, shortly after the play below came the long touchdown. Covering a back for eight seconds is nearly impossible, but Campbell admitted he needed more discipline as he got lost late in the down. He just gets caught looking at the quarterback for too long. However, the pass rush really does not help him out either!
I have nothing else to add. Mitchell lined up against Egbuka and gave nothing away. He was targeted multiple times and gave up next to nothing all game. I can’t believe we got Mitchell and DeJean in the same draft back to back. Those two picks will shape this secondary for years to come.
Credit to Campbell as he bounced back from the deep touchdown with the play of the game. With the Bucs driving late and momentum swinging, Campbell secured the interception in the end zone. I like how Blankenship plays this, too. It’s tough to know when to leave your zone and when to stay put, but he trusts his instincts and does well here.
The sack that sealed it came from Moro Ojomo, but it was Fangio’s design and Carter’s selflessness that made it. Fangio called a stunt with Carter as the “pinner” crashing into the center, and Ojomo looping free. The coverage was airtight downfield, with Mitchell and DeJean locking their men, and Mayfield had nowhere to go. Ojomo finished, forcing 3rd-and-20 and effectively ending the game. This was Ojomo’s best game of the season, and credit to Carter for gutting it out despite a shoulder injury, and Fangio calling the perfect stunt. The Bucs struggled to handle these stunts throughout the game.
The final stand summed it up. Another Carter/Ojomo stunt forced Mayfield to move, the coverage on the outside held up, and Tampa turned it over on downs. Even Parry Nickerson (!) did his job effectively. The defense bent with the explosive touchdowns, but except for those two plays, they were really good. This was a top performance against a good offense.
This was not perfect. Fangio’s defense gave up two explosive touchdowns of over 70 yards, both down to rookie errors. That’s uncharacteristic, and I expect it to be fixed. But outside of those two busts, the Bucs averaged 3.4 yards per play, and the Eagles held them in check.
If the explosive busts get cleaned up, this group has the talent to be one of the very best (if not, the best) units in the NFL.
Once again, shoutout to Quinyon Mitchell… what a performance.
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