Game ball, three stars, and snap count analysis: Week 4, Eagles at Buccaneers

"I have to play better," Hurts said during his postgame press conference.

Agreed.

Running back

• 32 snaps: Saquon Barkley

• 25 snaps: Kenny Gainwell

• 1 snap: Will Shipley

• 1 snap: Ben VanSumeren

Notes: Barkley had 10 carries for 84 yards, including a 59-yard burst. He also had 2 catches for 32 yards. He was the only reliable offensive player making plays.

Gainwell mopped up in the blowout loss, but he only got two touches.

VanSumeren lined up as a fullback on one play.

Wide receiver

• 49 snaps: Jahan Dotson

• 48 snaps: Parris Campbell

• 32 snaps: Johnny Wilson

• 12 snaps: John Ross

Notes: This entire group combined for 7 catches for 34 yards (4.6 YPC) and 1 TD on 12 targets (2.8 yards per target).

It was clear during training camp that the Eagles needed to trade for a wide receiver, which they did. They may have targeted the wrong guy, as they gave up a third-round pick for Dotson, who has 5 catches for 25 yards on 9 targets (2.8 yards per target) through the first four games. 

Tight end

• 36 snaps: Dallas Goedert

• 27 snaps: Grant Calcaterra

• 22 snaps: Jack Stoll

Notes: Goedert had 7 catches for 62 yards on 8 targets, and was the only starting-caliber receiver on the field for the Eagles. However, it was the one target that was incomplete — a Goedert drop — that hurt the Eagles, as it helped stall an early drive. Via @Eaglesfans9: 

He has to make that play.

Offensive line

• 57 snaps: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Mekhi Becton, and Fred Johnson

• 50 snaps: Cam Jurgens

• 7 snaps: Tyler Steen 

Notes: The Eagles' O-line was in a position in which they were forced to face a defense with a lead that was going to pin its ears back and attack the quarterback, which is never easy. However, they did give up six sacks, which obviously isn't good. 

Interestingly, Dickerson — not bench player Nick Gates — filled in at center for Jurgens when Jurgens left temporarily with cramping. Steen filled in at LG.

Edge defenders

• 41 snaps: Josh Sweat

• 33 snaps: Bryce Huff

• 32 snaps: Brandon Graham

• 31 snaps: Nolan Smith

• 5 snaps: Jalyx Hunt

Notes: Baker Mayfield got the ball out very quickly on the Bucs' first four drives of the game, so I would put the failing of the defense more on the scheme and the back seven than I would the Eagles' defensive line. But certainly, the defensive line didn't help much.

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The Eagles got their first sacks of the season by edge rushers. Sweat got one, and an unblocked Graham got one.

Nolan Smith had one particularly ugly snap in the red zone, when a tight end tossed him out of the way on a successful run play by Bucky Irving.

Huff at least showed a little more life as a pass rusher (very low bar compared to his first three games), but still only managed one tackle.

Hunt got a few snaps in mop-up duty.

Interior defensive line

• 52 snaps: Jalen Carter

• 37 snaps each: Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo

• 30 snaps: Milton Williams

• 24 snaps: Thomas Booker

Notes: Carter and Davis combined for 1 tackle against a bad Buccaneers interior O-line.

Linebacker

• 75 snaps: Nakobe Dean

• 71 snaps: Zack Baun

• 3 snaps: Jeremiah Trotter

Notes: Dean had a rough day tackling. Via @ShaneHaffNFL:

You can't see it that well on that angle, but Dean also should have been called for a tripping penalty on that play. He kicked Rachaad White as White ran by.

Cornerback and safety

• 77 snaps: Quinyon Mitchell

• 72 snaps: Chauncey Gardner-Johnson

• 69 snaps: Avonte Maddox

• 68 snaps: Darius Slay

• 41 snaps: Tristin McCollum

• 36 snaps: Reed Blankenship

• 9 snaps: Isaiah Rodgers

• 3 snaps: Kelee Ringo

• 1 snap: Cooper DeJean

Notes: Mitchell made some nice plays in coverage in this game. Everyone else, especially in the first half... woof. 

Maddox is an issue in the slot, but perhaps even more alarming is that the team doesn't yet think that DeJean is better than him, or he'd be playing in the slot instead. DeJean missed roughly the first three weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury, so he did have some catching up to do, but the bar for playing time isn't that high.

Blankenship had to leave the game with an illness, and did not return.

Rodgers' explanation on why he pushed a defender into DeJean on a punt return is just... 🤯. Via @NBCSPhilly:

Rodgers didn't know that if a player is pushed into the returner it's not a kick catch interference foul. One could certainly blame the coaching staff for Rodgers' ignorance of this rule, but at the same time I feel like it's a rule that like 98 percent of high school players probably know. Should it even need to be taught to a professional NFL player with extensive special teams experience since 2020?

How does Rodgers not know that rule? It's mind-blowing.

Three stars 🤩

I've always liked the hockey tradition of awarding "stars" to each of the three best players in a game, so let's apply that to Eagles games.

⭐⭐⭐: QB Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: Mayfield was 30 of 47 for 347 yards, 2 TDs, and 0 INT. He led TD drives on each of the Bucs' first three possessions, and it would have been the first four if not for a drop in the end zone. This game was basically over in the second quarter after Mayfield carved up the Eagles' defense over the first 23 minutes of the game.

🌟🌟: LB Lavonte David, Buccaneers: 2 sacks, including the strip sack that ended any last chance of an Eagles rally.

✨: WR Mike Evans, Buccaneers: 8 catches for 94 yards, 1 TD. He is still very good in his 11th NFL season.

Eagles game ball 🏈

🏈: RB Saquon Barkley: As noted above, Barkley had 10 carries for 84 yards, and 2 catches for 32 yards. He managed 116 yards from scrimmage on limited touches.

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