1. Indefensible: Reluctant to blitz rookie quarterback Jameis Winston (19-29, 246 yards), the Eagles (4-6) saw him complete touchdown passes to five different receivers in the 45-17 loss to the Bucs (5-5). Reluctant to tackle running backs, Eagles linebackers were blocked out of, run over by and eluded by Buccaneers all afternoon. The Bucs finished with 283 rushing yards, the most surrendered by the Birds this season. The Eagles have allowed 99 rushing yards or more seven times. They have lost six of those and needed overtime to win the other.
2. Martinized: Bucs running back Doug Martin finished with 235 yards on 27 runs, 2 yards shy of the most ever by an Eagles opponent. The Browns' Jim Brown (1961) and the Cowboys' Emmitt Smith (1993) share the record. It was the most since Tiki Barber ran for 203 yards on 32 rushes Dec. 28, 2002.
3. Off the Mark: Most of the attention will focus on Mark "Butt Fumble" Sanchez, an NFL punch line, showing up Darren Sproles, the most respected man on the offense. It happened on the field, after Sanchez' pick-6 on a screen pass, his third INT, which precipitated a 3-minute shouting match on the sideline, moderated, at its end, by left tackle Jason Peters. However, playing in place of injured starter Sam Bradford (concussion, separated shoulder), Sanchez started off hot. Three drops hurt him early. Then, late in the second quarter, he threw an interception into triple coverage - a very Sanchez-ian play. His second interception, a playground flip into the middle of the field into triple coverage, was just a joke. Sanchez finished 26-for-41 for 261 with three interceptions and two TD passes. Get used to it. Bradford didn't do anything this past week, and seems unlikely to play for at least another week or two.
4. Chippy: Once again, the third-year coach Chip Kelly's play-calling; his capacity to demand discipline; and his ability to build a team, in his new role as general manager, will be the topics of greatest discussion in the Delaware Valley until the next game. Mercifully for Kelly, the next game is only 3 days away.
5. Abandoned: By the end of the third quarter, with the Eagles trailing by 21, Lincoln Financial Field was less than one-third full. Not much faith . . . but then, at the start of the third quarter, with the Eagles trailing by 14, it wasn't much more than half-full.
Blog: ph.ly/DNL