Observations: Eagles 31, Bucs 20

TAMPA, Fla. — Here’s what we saw during the Eagles’ 31-20 win over the Bucs.

OFFENSE

* Nick Foles went 22-for-31 for 296 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for a score and had a passer rating of 133.3. The Eagles got off to a good start, going 85 yards on eight plays on their first possession. Foles hit LeSean McCoy on a 44-yard screen on the team’s first offensive play. Foles later got in the end zone from 4 yards out on a designed QB draw. In the second half, Foles was able to connect on a couple deep balls. He found Riley Cooper down the left sideline for a 47-yard score, and he hit DeSean Jackson on a 36-yard bomb.

* Cooper did a nice job of adjusting to the ball against rookie cornerback Johnthan Banks for the touchdown. He had four catches for 120 yards, more than he had in the first five games combined.

* Jackson caught all six balls thrown his way for 64 yards and a pair of scores. Foles found him in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard score in the second. The Bucs’ secondary looked confused on the play as Jackson ran away from Darrelle Revis.

* LeSean McCoy had 25 carries for 116 yards against one of the better run defenses in the league.

* Foles faced pressure from unblocked defenders on at least three occasions in the first half. It was tough to tell whether there was an issue in setting the protections or if Foles should have sensed the pressure and gotten the ball out sooner. Foles was sacked just once, but hit six times.

* Damaris Johnson seemed to be getting his most playing time of the season.

* Jason Peters left with an injury in the third quarter, but returned in the fourth. Allen Barbre replaced him temporarily at left tackle.

* Third-string running back Chris Polk left the game with a shoulder injury.

* With 2:58 left, the Eagles sent the offense onto the field on 4th-and-1. Peters was actually calling for crowd noise as it seemed apparent that Foles was just going to try to draw the Bucs offsides. But a defender jumped, and the Eagles were awarded a first down. The offense was able to kill 5:29 off the clock with a 12-play, 49-yard drive that resulted in an Alex Henery field goal.

DEFENSE

* The Eagles’ defense delivered an uneven performance overall, but limited the Bucs to just three points in the second half. Bradley Fletcher had a third-quarter interception that led to a touchdown. And Connor Barwin came up with a sack on third down in the fourth to force a punt.

* The Eagles failed to get adequate pressure on rookie Mike Glennon in the first half, but Billy Davis’ crew got better late. The 6-foot-7 QB went 26-for-42 for 273 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. On several occasions, the pass-rush got close, but Eagles defenders didn’t finish. Glennon had three runs for 20 yards, including one 16-yarder.

* The defense couldn’t get off the field on a couple different occasions. One was during a 10-play, 79-yard drive in the second. Doug Martin had a 24-yard run, his second carry of 20+ yards on the season. Entering today’s game, the Eagles had only allowed one run of 20+ yards all season. Later on the drive, Glennon found Vincent Jackson on the fade from 1 yard out against Cary Williams.

* Overall, the Eagles kept Martin in check. He had 67 yards on 16 carries. DeMeco Ryans struggled at times in coverage, but made a lot of plays against the run, finishing with 11 solo tackles.

* On one drive in the first, the ‘D’ was saddled with poor field position and let the Bucs score from 39 yards out. Glennon found Jackson for a 24-yard touchdown on a slant that looked similar to the play Reuben Randle scored on last week. Tough to say whether Fletcher, a safety or a linebacker (play-action) was at fault on the play. The slants and underneath routes are open against the Eagles on a weekly basis.

* The Eagles’ defense gave up a 16-play, 90-yard drive in the third/fourth quarters, allowing multiple third-down conversions. Roc Carmichael came in for Cary Williams at right cornerback. He was called for a pass interference penalty that put the Bucs in the red zone.

* Fletcher Cox seemed to have one of his more active games of the season. He had a QB hit in the first quarter.

* Brandon Graham had a near-sack and drew a holding penalty on one play in the first half.

* Bennie Logan had a sack on third down late in the fourth, his second in as many games. He knocked Glennon down on the next play.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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