So was the attendance.
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Kelly spent a lot of time Monday talking about the coaching staff’s reliance on the rotation on game day.
The Eagles only gave up more than 134 yards rushing to a TEAM once this entire season (204 vs. Carolina). Kelly dismissed a question that wondered whether his players still believed in his plan after putting forth such a performance against a rebuilding Bucs team.
He couldn’t deny, though, that the ability to overcome adversity and put together a drive such as the one Tampa Bay opened the second half with on Sunday are signs the Bucs are making the progress necessary to at least be a part of the playoff conversation. He threw three interceptions, the last of which was returned for a touchdown. He was 8-for-11 with two touchdowns and eight passing first downs on third down. On the ground, Frank Gore rushed for 34 yards in 14 attempts. The top receiver was tight end Brent Celek, who had seven catches for 79 yards. Zach Ertz left the game with a concussion in the second quarter, expanding Celek’s role.
Murray fumbled on the opening possession, and though Tampa Bay recovered, the Bucs coughed the ball up on the return to give the Eagles second life. The Redskins looked like they were ready to go toe-to-toe with Carolina as the score was tied 14-14, but quarterback Cam Newton threw five touchdown passes en route to the blowout. We knew what we were getting when we drafted him with the first overall pick. His up-tempo offense was much better before he got rid of 2013 Pro Bowl quarterback (Nick Foles), a two-time All-Pro running back (LeSean McCoy), a three-time Pro Bowl receiver (DeSean Jackson), 2014 Pro Bowl receiver (Jeremy Maclin) and a two-time Pro Bowl guard (Evan Mathis). One of the great calls yesterday came on a 3rd and short, where Winston faked the handoff to the FB and tosses it out to Martin for a 58 yard gain.
Jameis Winston passed for five touchdowns in the first three quarters.
“I ain’t going to cry, but this is a dream come true for me”, Winston said.
The report of a disgruntled locker room comes on the heels of Sunday’s argument between Mark Sanchez and Darren Sproles and tackle Jason Peters pulling himself from the game in the fourth quarter. Surprisingly, Martin didn’t score a touchdown. The Bucs had the ball to start the half, and they maintained possession for almost 10 minutes. That was the longest drive for the Buccaneers in terms of plays since a 15-play touchdown drive at Atlanta previous year on September 18.
The five touchdown passes ties a single-game record by a rookie in National Football League history and ties the single-game team record by a quarterback.
A 45-17 rout at Philadelphia gave the Bucs (5-5) consecutive wins for the first time in two years, and Winston is only one of the reasons Smith is confident his team can continue to climb.
The Buccaneers compiled their 45 points on six touchdowns and one field goal. In a few games, the Eagles are able to get off the field and in others, they just can’t. The Eagles head to Detroit this Thursday for a Thanksgiving game against the Lions.
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The victory put the Bucs (5-5) one game out of a possible wild-card berth, while the Eagles (4-6) fell a game behind the idle NY Giants in NFC East. Even the defense – yeah, the defense that got smacked around like they owed Tampa money – is improved from past year.
