(Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
There is good Ryan Fitzpatrick, and there is bad Ryan Fitzpatrick. Good Ryan Fitzpatrick can look like a top five quarterback any given Sunday. On the other hand, bad Ryan Fitzpatrick looks like he doesn’t even belong in the league. He tends to be a streaky quarterback. So if last week vs the Saints was any indication, the Eagles need to prepare for the best of Fitzpatrick. If the Eagles go down there and take anything for granted, they will be coming back to Philly with a loss.
I talked about Fitz, but he has a plethora of options he can distribute the ball too. Mike Evans is one of the best receivers in the game. Former Eagle Desean Jackson can still take the top off a defense even in his 30’s. Fitz also has former Penn Stater Chris Godwin. Godwin has taken many strides since last season and looked great last week in the season opener. The Eagles secondary will certainly have its hands full. However, there is always in equalizer.
The Eagles will counter that with their ability to rush the passer. Fitz isn’t going to have all day to throw the ball like he did last week. The Eagles will be in his face all day and I’m curious to see how a Bucs o-line with a lot of new pieces this season deals with the pressure. The Eagles d-line should get more than enough pressure to cause Fitz to throw up at least two interceptions.
Offensively, I don’t anticipate the Eagles having much trouble moving the ball against the Bucs defense. I don’t think they will ask Nick Foles to win the game for them and he shouldn’t have too. The Eagles will control the game with the running attack just like they did in the second half of the Falcons game. Once the Bucs D is worn out, that will set up some big plays downfield for Nick Foles off of playing action. I like the Eagles 28-17.
