MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL EAGLES VS BUCS PREVIEW
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face one of their biggest rivals in a primetime matchup on Monday night. Both teams are going into the night game undefeated with a 2-0 record. They’ll be each other’s most formidable challenge to date. So, who has the advantages and where?
Let’s take a look.
Currently, the Eagles are the 5th-ranked scoring offense in the NFL. They’ve scored at least 25 points in both of the victories. While equipped with legit receiver talent in DeVonte Smith and A.J. Brown, Philly has done most of its damage on the ground. They are the #2 rushing attack in the League, largely based on D’Andre Swift’s career-high 175-yard performance against the Vikings in Week 2. They’ve run the ball 53.68% of their possessions
They’ll be facing one of the league’s best at defending the run in Tampa. The BUCS have allowed 108 rushing yards through two games. Good for the 3rd-best in the League. Todd Bowles has had his defense in the Top 5 defending the run four of the five years he’s been in Tampa. And his defenses have allowed 175+ rushing yards just 4 times in those five years, with all of them coming in 2022 when the Buccaneers’ offense struggled mightily throughout the season.
Philadelphia’s passing game through two weeks has been underwhelming, to say the least. They rank 27 in attempts (56), resulting in the 3rd fewest yards(325). The aforementioned Smith and Brown are skilled playmakers who can break down weak CBs, but there’s no easy target to attack against Tampa. SO FAR, the BUCS’ defense has allowed a lot of yardage through the air, but they’ve only given up three touchdowns in the passing game.
Tampa’s defense has been able to affect the passing game due to the pressure they’ve put on QBs. The BUCS are tied for the 3rd-most sacks(8) heading into Week 3’s matchup. And protecting the QB is something that the Eagles have struggled with so far. Jalen Hurts has been sacked seven times in 2 games. Through the pressure, he’s only turned the ball over once.
On the flip side, Baker Mayfield has been sacked just once through as many games, having not thrown an INT or lost a fumble. Mayfield has used his mobility to escape sacks just as much, if not more, than the offense has protected him well. The Eagles’ defense has gotten to the QB 4 times so far this season. All 4 sacks have come from their DTs Jordan Davis/Jalen Carter and Josh Sweat. Watch for Mayfield to either extend the pocket quickly or get the ball out of his hands quickly to combat that frontline pressure.
Tampa’s offense has been perfectly balanced to start the season. The run/pass percentage is almost exactly 50/50. The BUCS are ranked 18th in passing attempts(68) and 9th in passing yards. They’re 7th in rushing attempts(67) and 18th in rushing yards.
The BUCS’ passing game will be Philly’s toughest challenge to date. Currently, the Eagles allow over 326 passing yards a game, the second-most in the NFL. Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Trey Palmer could give their secondary an extremely hard time. Especially if Mayfield leaves the pocket to extend plays.
The Philly versus Tampa matchup shouldn’t be looked at as a potential “upset.” The BUCS are better equipped to stop Philly’s offense than the Eagles are equipped to stop Tampa’s. And Tampa’s offense is better suited to win a shootout against Philly than the other way around. Philly hasn’t been all that impressive in their two wins, much like one could say about the BUCS. However, on paper, Tampa has more ways to win this game than Philly. But the game isn’t played on paper. Let’s see who executes the best.
via TeamRankings.com
BETTING ODDS:
SPREAD Philly -4.5(-118)
Tampa +4.5(104)
MONEY LINE* Philly -230
Tampa +185
*$100 Bet = $285 Payout if/when BUCS win
WEATHER
62% Chance Of Thunderstorm At Kickoff At Dying Down Before The 2nd Half
84° High For The Night
Max 5Mph Winds Through The Night
