The Tampa Bay Buccaneers completed their second upset of the season, defeating the Eagles. Here are three takeaways from the Week 2 win.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have easily been the most surprising team through the first two weeks of the 2018 season, upsetting the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles in the first two weeks of the season. Perhaps more surprising than the simple fact that they have won these games is how they have won these games.
The Buccaneers have been dominating elite NFL defenses on the offensive side of the ball with NFL journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm and they don’t appear to be slowing down.
Here are the three biggest takeaways from Tampa’s Week 2 win over the Eagles.
3. Tampa’s Offense Is No Fluke
After the Buccaneer’s huge upset of the New Orleans Saints in Week 1, many wondered if the Saints defense had fallen off from the season before or if Tampa’s offense had suddenly become an elite unit in the NFL. After this game, it certainly appears that the Bucs offense is here to stay.
In 2017, the Eagles and Saints defenses both ranked within the top 10 in total points allowed (ranking fourth and 10th, respectively), but that hasn’t stopped Tampa Bay from scoring 75 points in the first two games alone. For perspective, Tampa Bay averaged just 20.9 points in 2017 (18th in the NFL) and scored a total of 46 points through the first two weeks of the season.
Perhaps no statistic is a better example of the change in Tampa’s offense than the productivity of DeSean Jackson. In 2017, over the course of 14 games, Jackson had 50 receptions on 91 targets for 688 yards. That is an average of 3.5 receptions and 47.5 yards per game on a 54.95 percent catch rate.
Through the first two games of this season, Jackson has nine receptions for 275 and has caught every pass intended for him. More importantly, Jackson had a total of three touchdowns in 2017, with the longest coming from 41 yards out. In just two games this season, Jackson has matched his three-touchdown total from last season and they have come from 58 yards, 36 yards, and 75 yards.
Jackson is a prototypical deep threat receiver and whether it be Fitzpatrick’s ability to get him the ball or Todd Monken’s offense finally utilizing his abilities, Jackson has been a vital part of this team’s success through the early part of this season.