The Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to play the final wildcard game of the weekend. This game is the Monday Night Football game from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The Philadelphia Eagles are 11-5 on the season, but have dropped five of out of their six games. The Eagles lost in the season finale to the Giants to lose out on a chance to win the NFC East. Philadelphia is the defending NFC East Champion.
For Tampa Bay, they are NFC South Champions for the third straight season. The Buccaneers went 9-8 to win the division over New Orleans. Tampa Bay used a 9-0 win in the season finale over Carolina to grab the divisional title.
The Philadelphia Eagles are -3 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this game on Monday.
Philly Looking to Run It Back
The Philadelphia Eagles, reigning NFC Champions, are fighting with a tough 1-5 finish to their season, sparking concerns about regaining momentum. During this stretch, the Eagles allowed 42, 33, 20, 35, and 27 points in five of their six defeats. Realizing how important the need for an improved defensive performance, the Eagles are aware that such improvement is a must for their chances of making a return to the Super Bowl.
Jalen Hurts is known for, and becomes an unstoppable force when executing the “tush push” within the Philadelphia offense. The quarterback rushed for an impressive 15 touchdowns throughout the season. Also, he threw for 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. AJ Brown emerged as the primary target in Hurts’ passing game, securing 106 receptions for 1,456 yards.
Despite facing challenges towards the end of the season, the Eagles still came away with a Top 10 ranking in both rushing yards per game and scoring. Their ground game averaged 128.8 yards per game, contributing to a scoring average of 25.5 points per game. DeAndre Swift led the charge in the running game, amassing 1,049 yards.
Baker Leading Tampa Charge
In Tampa Bay, Baker Mayfield had a great inaugural season as the starting quarterback. Establishing a big time connection with Mike Evans, who recorded 13 touchdown receptions, Mayfield finished the season with 28 passing touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Chris Godwin emerged as another big time target, finishing the season with 83 receptions.
Rachaad White took the role of the starting running back for Tampa Bay, nearing the 1,000 rushing yards mark and adding 549 yards through the air. Tampa Bay closed out December with a 4-1 record, with their sole loss occurring on New Year’s Eve against New Orleans. Notably, Tampa Bay’s defense tightened up, allowing a mere 13 points per game in their final three victories over Green Bay, Jacksonville, and Carolina.
Tampa Bay Wins at Home
It has been quite the season for Philadelphia. A great start, a horrific end, and a good share of drama in the middle of the season. This team seems distracted and partially uninterested. Tampa Bay at home is not going to be an easy task for them. In fact, we are going to take Baker Mayfield and Mike Evans to torch the Philadelphia defense. The Buccaneers defenses gets a couple big time turnovers, and they win this game. What a monster win for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Take them +3 over Philadelphia.
