Keys to Eagles Avoiding Early 2023-24 NFL Playoff Exit vs. Bucs

The Philadelphia Eagles might be the highest-ranked wildcard team in the NFC, but they aren't really getting a lot of love in the lead-up to their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The 11-6 Eagles are only three-point favorites on the road. It's the second-shortest line of Wildcard weekend despite Philadelphia's position as the reigning NFC champions with a better record.

That's because the Eagles have looked anything but steady going into the postseason. They have stumbled to an 11-6 record after a 10-1 start, losing five of their last six games. The only win was at home against the New York Giants on Christmas day.

Since their Week 13 blowout loss to the Niners, the Eagles are 14th in offensive EPA per play and 31st on defense. It's been a shocking downward spiral.

The time to fix things has run out, though. The Eagles have to come out and put their best foot forward to advance past the NFC South champion Bucs. Here are three keys to a quick turnaround that gets them back to the divisional round.

Have a Plan for Blitzes

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Joe Tryon-Shoyinka

Schematically, the Buccaneers defense is not a good matchup for the Eagles. Philadelphia has had difficulty all offseason dealing with the blitz and the Bucs will certainly look to bring the pressure.

That's the DNA of a Todd Bowles defense. They are third in the league in blitz percentage (40.1 percent) and will certainly look to dial that number up against Philadelphia.

Jalen Hurts has been particularly susceptible to struggle against the blitz. According to Pro Football Focus (h/t Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports), Hurts has been blitzed more than any other quarterback in the league at 38.7 percent of his dropbacks.

He has not responded well, completing 132-of-211 passes for 1,491 yards and eight touchdowns with eight interceptions.

Whether its shoring up the communication along the line to improve their blitz pickup or utilizing more hot reads and checks to use the Bucs pressure against them, the Eagles have to go into Sunday with a clear plan of action for dealing with the added pressure.

Get Aggressive on Defense

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Nolan Smith

The Eagles offense has experienced its fair share of difficulties this season, but it's the defense that has suffered an epic collapse from last year.

The defense that churned out 70 sacks last season has been limited to 43 this season with a pressure percentage of just 21.9 percent. There was always going to be some drop off. The Eagles did a great job of converting pressure to sacks last season and it wasn't sustainable, especially without Javon Hargrave in the middle.

But the coaching staff has been far too willing to keep with the status quo. The Eagles have struggled to get pressure yet they are still 23rd in blitz percentage. They are still relying on their front four to get home on their own and they haven't responded.

If they continue dow that path they are going to make life easier on Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers offense. They have to at least utilize more blitzes to mix things up and make the defense more difficult for Mayfield to read.

Win Third Down on Defense

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Josh Sweat

One of the more hazardous aspects of this matchup for the Eagles is how both teams have fared on third down.

The Eagles defense is among the worst in the league at getting teams off the field on third down. Opposing offenses have converted 46.4 percent of their attempts, ranking 31st. Much of that is because the Eagles have struggled to fit the run all season, giving up 103.4 yards on the ground per game.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers offense has been good on third down. They rank 10th, converting on 41.5 percent of their third-down attempts. They were even better than that number the first time they played Eagles, getting five of their 10 attempts on third down.

A lot has changed since their Week 3 encounter. The Eagles defense has gotten worse and is coming off of losing efforts to the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants.

The Eagles have a lot to fix in a short time, but getting more aggressive and getting off the field on third down are two of the biggest keys to making sure they at least get out of the first round.