National Football League
Buccaneers defense hits stride against Hurts, Eagles
National Football League

Buccaneers defense hits stride against Hurts, Eagles

Updated Jan. 16, 2022 8:01 p.m. ET

On Sunday, the Buccaneers' defense looked like it could do more than win championships — it could be dynastic. 

Tampa Bay beat the Philadelphia Eagles 31-15 on Super Wild Card Weekend, but the score wasn't indicative of the gap between the two teams. 

In fact, the Bucs were so dominant through the first three frames that after the third quarter, Troy Aikman pondered aloud if the Bucs would let Tom Brady take the field in the fourth. 

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He did, but he wasn't needed. The Bucs held a 31-0 lead by that point and cruised to victory, even though Philly made it look respectable in the end.

Sunday's matchup figured to be a battle in the trenches. 

The past three seasons, Tampa Bay has been remarkable when it comes to stopping the run. In 2019, it led the NFL in rushing defense, allowing 73.8 yards per game. In 2020, it led the NFL once again, allowing 80.6 rushing yards per game. 

This season, the Bucs gave up 92.5 rushing yards per contest, good for third-fewest in the NFL. Philly, however, was the No. 1 rushing offense in the league this season, tallying 159.7 rushing yards per game. 

But Sunday was Tampa's day, and through the first three quarters, the Bucs held the Eagles to 44 rushing yards on 13 carries. 

T.B. also did a doozy on Jalen Hurts, whose first career playoff start was a forgettable one. 

Hurts finished the day 23-for-43 passing for 258 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, but through three, he had completed only 50% of his passes (16-for-32) for 140 yards and those two picks. 

He was sacked twice and registered a passer rating of 60. He rushed the ball eight times for 39 yards after finishing the regular season with 784 yards on the ground (52.3 YPG), a figure that led all NFL quarterbacks.

Finally, the Eagles finished the day with 95 yards rushing, 34 of which came on Boston Scott's 34-yard TD run once the game was out of hand.

Philly had not rushed for fewer than 100 yards since a Week 5 loss at Carolina (91 rushing yards).

Next for the Tampa Bay defense is a date with the Rams-Cardinals winner after the Cowboys lost to the 49ers.

Whether it's L.A. or Arizona, it will be another high-powered offense against the Bucs' championship-level defense. 

Get your popcorn ready.

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