Five stars from the Bucs’ win over the Eagles in the Wild Card Round
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took the lead on the first drive of the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and they never looked back.
The Bucs destroyed the Eagles 32-9 in a playoff dismantling, putting up a dominant performance at home and punching their ticket to the divisional round against the Detroit Lions. We normally do a studs and duds list of players we deemed the best and the worst, but there was no room for that tonight — instead, like we did with the Jacksonville game, we’re showcasing five stars for the team.
Check out who we thought really shined in Tampa Bay’s big win:
QB Baker Mayfield
When he needed to most, Baker Mayfield baked.
Mayfield went 22/36 for 337 yards and three touchdowns, and he honestly played better than that stat line given that the team had six drops. He was in his bag on Monday, and he did it with an injured ankle and some sore ribs. Many questioned Mayfield when he came to Tampa Bay in the offseason, but now, he has the Bucs as one of the eight remaining teams in the NFL.
RB Rachaad White
The run game got going on Monday, and Rachaad White was a big part of it. He rushed for 72 yards on an average of four yards per carry, setting the tone for a successful night on the ground. If he can tap into this in Detroit, the Bucs could well be competitive against the Lions.
TE Cade Otton
Sure, he had a few rough drops, but he more than made up for it. Otton was Tampa Bay’s leading receiver with eight catches for 89 yards, facilitating the passing offense through him. He was able to get those drops out of the way to be extremely productive in the passing game, and if he can keep that going, the Bucs could be a dangerous, multi-faceted offense against Detroit,
CB Jamel Dean
The Eagles offense didn’t get anything going on Monday, and Dean was a big reason why. On top of coverage, he had 10 total tackles, swarming the field at every opportunity in the run game and the pass game. Dean has been up and down all year, but he put in a solid shift when he had to against the Eagles to get the playoff win.
WR David Moore
David Moore was on the practice squad for most of the year before being activated after the 49ers game, and he’s made it count. Moore had the first touchdown on the game on a huge play where he broke several tackles, and that was after he got a big chunk catch earlier in the drive. He finished with 66 yards on two catches and a touchdown, proving he has a place in the offense.
