Eagles-Buccaneers, what we learned: Back to what works for A.J. Brown; Reed Blankenship’s big return

TAMPA, Fla. — After a somewhat shaky start to the season, the Eagles put together a dominant performance reminiscent of last year’s squad and moved to 3-0 with a 25-11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.

Here’s what we learned about the team in its second prime-time game in as many weeks:

So much has changed about the Eagles in the 20 months that separated their 2022 playoff loss and Monday night’s game at Raymond James Stadium, but few things have been as impactful as A.J. Brown’s arrival.

After a relatively rocky first two games filled with missed opportunities and one animated exchange with Jalen Hurts, the Eagles got back to Browns’ bread and butter against the Buccaneers, targeting him early and often on underneath routes, especially shallow crossing routes against man coverage, which gave him the space to get upfield.

According to Next Gen Stats, 74 of Brown’s 131 receiving yards came after the catch and he gained 35 yards over expectation. He created three explosive plays (a gain of 20 or more yards), one of which came on a shallow cross and another that came on a slant route against off coverage.

It was a performance reminiscent of last year, when slants and similar underneath routes to Brown could prop up the passing offense when things got stagnant. Hurts’ progress as a passer is the main reason for the Eagles’ dominant stretch over the last 20 regular-season games and last year’s playoff run. Still, it’s hard to understate the steadying force Brown has brought, especially in high-leverage moments.

The fact that the Eagles were able to hold the Bucs to 11 points while relying on two undrafted defensive backs in their second year should not be taken for granted.

It’s easy to forget safety Reed Blankenship’s draft pedigree when you watch him, though. The former five-year starter out of Middle Tennessee State is, simply put, a good football player and has become an important part of the secondary. The Eagles missed him in Week 2 when he was sidelined with a rib injury, and he returned with one of his best games on Monday night. He did a nice job of baiting a throw from Baker Mayfield and broke on the ball just in time to get his second career interception. His seven tackles led the Eagles.

Blankenship didn’t come off the field on Monday, logging 47 defensive snaps and making timely plays. Ever since the team reported for training camp in July, it has been apparent that he has become a cornerstone at a notably thin position and his play has elevated the entire secondary so far.

Finding players like Blankenship and Josh Jobe, who played 27 snaps at outside cornerback when the Eagles bumped James Bradberry to the slot, is going to be important for the Eagles as they navigate the next few seasons with a handful of massive contracts at important positions. If Blankenship continues playing at this level, it’ll go a long way toward preserving the quality of the secondary over that time.

Something seems to have clicked for Jordan Davis.

Whether it’s familiarity in the NFL or with his fellow University of Georgia products, the second-year nose tackle has taken a clear leap and was massive — literally and figuratively — at the heart of the Eagles’ defense. However inadvisable as it may have been, the Bucs called runs on 9 of 20 possible first downs, putting the onus on Davis to remain stingy on the line of scrimmage. He did just that, and the Eagles got opportunistic and aggressive with Tampa Bay behind the sticks on second and third down.

Nicholas Morrow’s safety at the end of the third quarter doesn’t happen without Davis and his Georgia running mate Jalen Carter caving in the Bucs’ offensive line, bowling over three blockers collectively as Morrow worked through the fray to make the tackle.

» READ MORE: Jalen Carter’s family threw a tailgate party. Then the Eagles rookie feasted on the Bucs in his homecoming.

Davis has become a viable option as a pass rusher as well, flashing the potential his blend of size, power, and quickness makes possible.

Davis and Carter have certainly continued their mutually beneficial partnership after being reunited with the Eagles, but Davis’ individual leap is likely deeper than that. Perhaps it’s confidence or comfortability; either way, both he and Carter are developing into the types of players who can wreck a game.

Week 2 cemented a bigger role for one former St. Joseph’s Prep star. Might the Bucs game lead to something similar?

Filling in for an injured Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus made a strong case to become a bigger part of the receiver rotation. The fifth-year veteran had two catches for 58 yards, including a touchdown from 34 yards out. A smaller, shifty slot receiver, Zaccheaus is different stylistically than Watkins and may be more limited on the outside. Still, the two explosive plays Zaccheaus generated prove he has the big-play ability Watkins also offers. Watkins’ speed commands attention from opposing safeties, but Brown and DeVonta Smith are deep threats in their own right.

Like his high school teammate D’Andre Swift did against the Minnesota Vikings, Zaccheaus will probably need multiple games to really emerge, but he did some nice things on a big stage.

» READ MORE: D’Andre Swift and Olamide Zaccheaus are old St. Joe’s Prep teammates jump-starting the Eagles offense

The Eagles seemed to steady the ship at linebacker against the Buccaneers.

New defensive coordinator Sean Desai settled on Morrow and Zach Cunningham as the two linebackers in the Eagles’ base 5-2 defense and has gotten solid play out of the duo, particularly on run downs.

After starting the season on the practice squad, Morrow played all 47 defensive snaps and had the pivotal tackle to force the safety. Cunningham was on the field for 77% of the snaps and finished with four total tackles. The Eagles’ middle-field defense was porous in the first two games and stiffer tests will follow, but it’s already a big step from where things were coming out of the season opener when the New England Patriots gashed them consistently between the numbers.