Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Tampa Bay 10 at Philadelphia 20 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Brad Johnson was battered and beaten. He rarely had any time in the pocket. He was sacked 5 times and hurried all game long. He threw for 127 yards and an interception. Brad Johnson was confused by the Eagles defense and was unable to make a single big play. Eventually he had to be taken out of the game because of his bruised ribs. Rob Johnson relieved him, brought the Tampa Bay offense to the Philadelphia 6 yard line, and stalled. Are you surprised? Derrick Brooks recovered a McNabb fumble on Philadelphia's 11-yard line and cruised in for Tampa bay's only touchdown. It is his 4th defensive touchdown of the season. That would be more touchdowns than such players as Randy Moss and Terrell Owens and David Boston. Impressive. Michael Pittman (49 yards) and Mike Alstott (14 yards) had little to no room to run today. After combining for 179 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns last week, you would have thought they were on the right track. Philadelphia's run defense was stellar and Levon Kirkland stuffed practically everything that came his way. Alstott fumbled the ball on Tampa Bay's first offensive drive, which set up David Acker's first field goal. Warren Sapp left the game briefly after being poked in the eye. McNabb threw the 42-yard touchdown to Pinkston, on the first play that Sapp sat out. Philadelphia Eagles: Donovan McNabb faced the #1 ranked defense and won. He didn't put up impressive stats. His 127 yards throwing was the lowest total so far this year. His 4 rushing yards was the lowest of his young career. He played patiently and waited for his opportunities to open up. McNabb threw a 42-yard touchdown to Todd Pinkston to give the Eagles a 10-7 lead towards end of the 2nd quarter. He also added a 1-yard rushing touchdown in the 4th quarter to put the game away for good. Duce Staley was a major part of the game plan today. For once the entire offense wasn't shouldered on McNabb. His 152 rushing yards was his personal best of the season. The Eagles had a very balanced attack and wore down Tampa Bay's defense all day. The offensive line played tough as a unit and gave Staley many great opportunities. In the Eagles final drive Staley picked up 2 huge 1st downs on an 11-yard run and a 57 yard run that made sure the Buccaneers never touched the ball again. Todd Pinkston saw most of the passes come his way today. The rest of the receiving corps saw very little action. Tampa Bay's coverage was amazing, and didn't leave many open receivers. If you were looking for a good old fashion defensive battle, this game did not disappoint. Both teams played like they were the best defensive units in football. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB: Brad Johnson was battered and beaten. He rarely had any time in the pocket. He was sacked 5 times and hurried all game long. He threw for 127 yards and an interception. Brad Johnson seemed to be confused by the Eagles defense and was unable to make a single big play. Eventually he had to be taken out of the game because of his bruised ribs. Did just miss a long TD pass to Keyshawn Johnson that would have been much easier catch had it been thrown over Keyshawn's other shoulder. Rob Johnson played in the 4th quarter in relief. He brought the Tampa Bay offense to the Philadelphia 6 yard line, and stalled. Even the field goal attempt was botched. RB: Mike Alstott came back to Earth. He had 5 carries for 14 yards and 5 receptions for 8 yards. Bobby Taylor forced him to fumble the ball on Tampa Bay's first possession. Michael Pittman had 49 yards rushing and 15 yards receiving on 4 receptions. Pittman looks like a strong intelligent back, but he never seems to get anywhere. WR: Keyshawn Johnson had 3 receptions for 38 yards, his lowest output of the season. Just missed on a potential long TD pass that was catchable but should have been thrown over his other shoulder. He was the target on the Al Harris interception. Keenan McCardell caught 5 passes for 32 yards. Joe Jurevicius caught 3 passes for 35 yards. TE: Ken Dilger caught 2 passes for 9 yards. Both passes were thrown to him in the same drive early in the 2nd quarter. Tampa Bay Pass Defense - They held Donovan McNabb to 127 yards, a season low. They only sacked McNabb twice, which is a pretty low total compared to most teams this season. Brian Kelly intercepted a poorly thrown ball that was intended for Chad Lewis. Tampa Bay Rush Defense - There was no stopping Duce Staley. He wore this unit down all day until he broke loose in the 4th quarter. Tampa Bay Special Teams - Martin Gramatica was 1-2 on field goal attempts. He missed an important 29 yard field goal in the 4th quarter that would have brought Tampa Bay within a touchdown. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Philadelphia Eagles QB: Donovan McNabb completed 12 passes for 124 yards, 2 touchdowns (1 passing, 1 rushing) threw a pick, and fumbled the ball for a Tampa Bay defensive touchdown. He may not have the stats to prove it, but he had a solid game. Tampa Bay's defense gave McNabb very little to work with, but he was patient and took every opportunity he got to put points up on the scoreboard. He showed great maturity by not getting frustrated early in the game. His rushing touchdown was a play fake to Duce Staley. Todd Pinkston was his favorite target of the day. Against an excellent Tampa Defense, McNabb was only sacked twice, because of the stellar play by Philadelphia's offensive line. RB: Duce Staley was the man today. There was no RBBC to speak of. Staley fought for 152 yards on 24 carries and looked good doing it. It was his first 100-yard rushing day of the season and his first since week 9 of last season. For once the entire offense wasn't shouldered on McNabb. In the Eagles final drive Staley picked up 2 huge 1st downs on an 11-yard run and a 57 yard run that made sure the Buccaneers never touched the ball again. He also added 12 yards on 2 receptions. Dorsey Levens had 2 rushes for 9 yards and 3 receptions for 37 yards. He provided one of the most important Philadelphia plays of the day. In the third quarter, on 3rd and 10, Donovan McNabb found himself scrambling for his life in the backfield. Somehow he found Levens wide open and completed a pass for 24 yards and the first down. The drive ended in a field goal that put the Eagles up by 6 points. Brian Westbrook had 1 carry for minus 1-yard. WR: Todd Pinkston led all Philadelphia receivers with 4 receptions and 61 yards. Most of those yards came on the 42-yard play that McNabb threw to him in the end zone. He was the target of many more passes. They tried to exploit the height difference of Pinkston and Ronde Barber. Easier said than done. James Thrash had his quietest day of the season. He caught 2 balls for 17 yards. McNabb threw several passes his way, but the duo never really gelled. Antonio Freeman was not part of this game plan. Perhaps Philadelphia just stuck with the same guys that know how to beat the Buccaneers? This makes it 4 wins in a row. TE: Chad Lewis did nothing statistically. He was the target of McNabb's lone interception. Philadelphia Pass Defense - They sacked the two Johnson's 6 times. They held them to 155 total yards in the air. Al Harris made an incredible interception on the sideline that had to be reviewed. The replay showed that he was able to drag his foot in bounds. Philadelphia Rush Defense - The complete package. They stuffed Pittman and Alstott all day, holding them to 63 yards. Bobby Taylor caused Mike Alstott to fumble the ball on Tampa Bay's second snap. Philadelphia Special Teams - They didn't allow any runbacks today. Brian Mitchell ran hard and gave the Eagles great field position all day. David Akers was a perfect 2-2 (30, 36) on field goals.