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Hope this isn't it for Jason Kelce, but feels like it. Unsure if he's gonna retire or not, but makes that decision in March.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are advancing to the divisional round, having defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 32-9, in a game that wasn't even as close as the final score.
The Bucs marched up and down the field almost at will all night, finishing with 32 points only because of an inability to capitalize on several opportunities just outside the red zone, settling for three field goals instead of picking up a few more touchdowns. Tampa racked up 426 yards, averaging 6.2 per play. Only twice all year did the Bucs gain more yards. Their 23 first downs were their most of the season, and this was only the seventh time in 18 games that they did not turn the ball over a single time.
Baker Mayfield went 22 of 36 for 337 yards and three touchdowns, spreading the ball around to nine different receivers, three of whom (David Moore, Trey Palmer, and Chris Godwin) found the end zone. Rachaad White ran efficiently enough and converted some big third and fourth downs. Even the special-teams unit was on point, with Chase McLaughlin drilling all three of his field goals and Jake Camarda landing all three of his punts inside the 20-yard line.
Meanwhile, it was a struggle for Philadelphia's offense for most of the night. The Eagles gained a first down on their second play from scrimmage, but they were down 13-0 by the time they gained another. They did not convert a single third-down opportunity all game, ending the evening 0 of 9. Jalen Hurts' final stat line far oversells the job he did managing the pocket and finding open receivers, especially when the Buccaneers blitzed. He was kept off balance and out of sync all night. And the Eagles strangely kept calling pass plays despite his struggles, with the run game practically non-existent.
In the end, the Bucs emerged victorious because they were the best team on the field Monday night. And they get to play another game next week because they were. Here are a few more things to know about this game.
Why the Buccaneers won
They got out to an early lead and that was pretty much all they needed, as the Eagles were totally non-competitive for most of the evening. Tampa's much-maligned pass defense showed up and played a strong game, with most of Hurts' and DeVonta Smith's numbers accumulated with the game not really in doubt. The Bucs' run defense was great all night. Mayfield repeatedly targeted pass-catchers over the middle of the field against Philadelphia's comically inept secondary, and when they weren't dropping passes, those receivers made easy work of gaining yards after the catch.
Why the Eagles lost
For most of the game, it did not really seem like they were all that interested in winning. The defense was atrocious from the jump, allowing the Buccaneers to cross midfield on each of their first eight drives and putting together one of the worst tackling displays you'll ever see from an NFL team. The offense was totally unable to deal with the blitz and was shockingly ineffective in the run game. They did exactly nothing well, on either side of the ball.
Turning point
The Bucs quickly marched down the field on their opening drive of the game, but Mayfield's pass over the middle of the field for Cade Otton that should have been a touchdown instead fell incomplete, and the drive stalled out in the red zone. The Eagles had a chance to make things interesting with their first offensive possession. But facing fourth-and-2 from their own 44-yard line, Nick Sirianni sent out the punt team without a second thought. That is a down-and-distance situation in which the Eagles have consistently gone for it -- and converted -- during his tenure, and the Eagles didn't even bother trying. It was right then that they basically announced that they were not taking this game seriously enough. And that was reinforced on the next drive, when...
Highlight play
To be clear, this was a highlight for the Bucs and the Bucs only. For the Eagles, it was an embarrassment. We're referring, of course, to the 44-yard touchdown grab by Moore that extended Tampa's lead to 10-0 a little more than midway through the first quarter.
Moore was running about as wide open as he's ever been in his life on this play, and then he just slalomed his way through the entire secondary. None of the Eagles' defensive backs looked like they had any interesting in even attempting to try pretending like they wanted to make a tackle. And Moore waltzed his way into the end zone.
What's next
The Buccaneers advance to the divisional round, where they will face the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. That game will take place next Sunday at 3 p.m. EST on NBC. The Lions will be installed as heavy favorites.
The Eagles' season is over, and it sure seems like there could be significant changes on the way. At the very least, they need to massively overhaul their defense; and there could be a whole bunch of changes to the coaching staff. Stay tuned.
