7 winners (and 3 losers) from Bucs blowout Wild Card win over Eagles
By Josh Hill
![NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Philadelphia Eagles v Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Philadelphia Eagles v Tampa Bay Buccaneers](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3000,h_1687,x_0,y_50/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/50/01hm85qgye22xsppw1p4.jpg)
Winner: Anthony Nelson
Anthony Nelson has come to embody the Buccaneers spirit over the course of his career, and he saved his biggest night for Monday against the Eagles.
With the offense faltering in the second half, the Bucs defense stepped up and took matters into their own hands to try and move the needle. The result was a safety on Jalen Hurts that gave Tampa Bay two crucial points and extended the lead to two scores. A lot happened on the safety but nothing was bigger than Anthony Nelson getting home on a blitz and forcing Hurts to throw the ball away and commit intentional grounding.
ANTHONY NELSON TAKES DOWN JALEN HURTS FOR THE SAFETY #GoBucs pic.twitter.com/ynzYZ1uRdd
— SuperHawkeyeFan (@superhawkeyefan) January 16, 2024
Because the foul occurred in the endzone it was ruled a safety and it swung momentum back to the Bucs that they wouldn't give up the rest of the night.
Nelson was at the center of the play, and it represents how deeply talented the defense has been all season. There have been standout stars like Antoine Winfield Jr and Lavonte David, but Nelson has been a steady hand over the years as a solid contributor who isn't ever flashy but adds exactly what is needed.