BucsGameday Staff Score Predictions: Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in the postseason for the fourth consecutive season despite Tom Brady's retirement. The Buccaneers will begin their quest for a Super Bowl against the team that represented the NFC last year and the team that took them down earlier in the year, the Philadelphia Eagles. Quarterback Baker Mayfield and the offense are searching for revenge after being held to 11 points in their last matchup.
Despite their 11-6 record, the Eagles enter the playoffs on a downswing. Philadelphia has lost five of its last six games with three of those defeats coming by more than one possession. The team will be without star wide receiver A.J. Brown while franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts was a full participant at the last two practices as he progresses from a dislocated finger on his throwing hand.
The uneven play down the stretch and mounting injuries have opened the door for the Buccaneers to potentially pull off the upset of the Wild Card Round. Tampa Bay's defense will be crucial as the Eagles have been held to under 20 points in five of their six losses. Philadelphia is 11-1 when it puts 20 points or more on the board.
Our staff provides their predictions and analysis as the Buccaneers prepare to take on the Eagles - again.
Dustin Lewis (@DustinLewisNG)
It's pretty poetic that the Buccaneers will open up their playoff run against the same opponent and in the same building where they were defeated early in the season. The Eagles came into Tampa and locked down Baker Mayfield and the offense on a Monday night in September.
Nearly four months later, Tampa Bay has an opportunity to show its progress on the big stage. The Buccaneers have won five of their last six games entering the Wild Card while the Eagles have lost five of their last six games. Plus, Philadelphia is dealing with some injury woes, including a dislocated finger on quarterback Jalen Hurt's throwing hand. He'll still start but it'll be interesting to see if the ailment causes any setbacks.
The recipes for an upset are brewing and the Buccaneers have been clicking over the last couple of weeks. This feels like a moment where a fiery Mayfield does enough on offense while the defense turns in an impressive outing against shorthanded Philadelphia.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 11-6
Buccaneers 21, Eagles 19
Logan Robinson (@LogansTwitty)
I really like where the Buccaneers are at in this one heading into this game. There are a lot of things on Philadelphia’s side that have to be figured out after losing A.J. Brown to injury and question marks on Reed Blankenship possibly not being available. My gut tells me Dave Canales and the Buccaneers' offense kept things pretty slim in what they wanted to show ahead of the playoffs when facing both the Saints and Panthers.
With how the Eagles’ secondary has played the last few months, I think Baker Mayfield and the wide receiving core can put up strong numbers to get points on the board. I trust Todd Bowles’ defense but they’ve got to make sure they don’t get eaten up in the run game with D’Andre Swift.
I have the Bucs winning this game and advancing to the second round of the NFL Playoffs. Who would have thought?
2023 Season Prediction Record: 10-7
Buccaneers 28, Eagles 21
David Harrison (@DHarrison82)
I said it on Locked On Bucs and I still believe today the best way for the Buccaneers to beat the Eagles is by making it a close-quarters combat situation. Philly wants to fly, so forcing them to drag out possessions and score from up close is the best shot Tampa Bay has.
Whether it’s injury, weather, or better effort than we’ve seen the past two weeks if the Bucs achieve it, they can win a close one.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 10-7
Buccaneers 24, Eagles 23
Collin Haalboom (@SI_Buccaneers)
Both the Bucs and Eagles have had roller-coaster seasons. Winning streaks, losing streaks, injuries, etc... it all comes down to this.
Based on the directions these two teams have been headed, I don't see a scenario where the Eagles dominate the Bucs as they did in Week 3. That said, Tampa Bay is up against it in the trenches on both sides of the ball. The Bucs' OL, and front seven on D, need to bring their games to the next level. If they do, I think the Buccaneers have what it takes to win this game.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 11-6
Buccaneers 24, Eagles 21
Caleb Skinner (@chsnole)
The Buccaneers are 5-1 in their last six games, the Philadelphia Eagles are 1-5. These two teams are trending in different directions, but it shouldn’t fool you. Both these teams are loaded across their respective rosters, but the Eagles will be without a pivotal piece on offense - WR A.J. Brown.
The Bucs will be at home in a primetime matchup, and with that, we should get the best out of the team. As long as Tampa Bay wins the turnover battle and is able to play consistently they should be able to come away the victory. Give me the Bucs at home.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 9-8
Buccaneers 21, Eagles 17
JC Allen (@JCAllenNFL)
The Bucs are relatively healthy going into their Monday night matchup with the Eagles. Mayfield is still dealing with rib and ankle injuries but a light week of practice and an extra day of rest will help with the ailments. Offensive coordinator Dave Canales will need to find his groove early to orchestrate a quick scoring drive so the defense can play the aggressive style that has allowed them to be dominant the past few weeks.
The Eagles will be without top offensive weapon A.J. Brown and Jalen Hurts is dealing with a finger injury. Shutting down the run game will be important for the defense to make the Eagles one-dimensional in an area they are hurting. The Bucs have a real shot of pulling off the upset but they'll need a game like the one they had against the Jaguars to do so. In a close game, Tampa Bay finds a way to move on to the Divisional Round.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 13-4
Buccaneers 20, Eagles 17
Kade Kimble (@kadekimble)
With as much as the Eagles struggled this season, it’s hard to imagine they slip up in this game. They played the Buccaneers well earlier in the year. While the Buccaneers will be able to put up a bit of a fight, the Eagles will eventually put this game away to end the Buccaneers’ season.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 12-5
Eagles 31, Buccaneers 18
Ben Meyerson (@ByBenMeyerson)
The Buccaneers finished the season strong winning 5 of their last 6 of the season and won the NFC South. While it has not been a perfect year, if you told a fan at the beginning of the year they would win nine games that would be viewed as a successful season. In the playoffs, anything can happen and the Eagles lost 5 of their last 6 games.
On offense, the Bucs should move the ball well and be able to score points. The tipping point will be how efficient they are on third down and if they turn the ball over. If they can play a clean game they should at least put up 20+ points and could do even more damage. The Eagles are injured in the secondary and are coached by Matt Patricia. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles' main playmakers in Hurts and AJ Brown are banged up.
Even if everyone plays they will be far from 100% healthy. They are still potent at times but their lack of commitment to the run game has brought up all kinds of issues and has increased their margin of error. They will have highlight plays but will be impatient and come up short.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 10-7
Buccaneers 27, Eagles 17
Cody Haynes (@codyh33)
Here we are, the Buccaneers are in the playoffs for the fourth straight season when everyone on the outside thought they were going to tank. This team has been dealing with injuries but it seems like everyone is going to play Monday night against the Eagles.
I wouldn’t put any thought into Baker Mayfield being listed as questionable, he has looked good throwing the ball throughout the week in practice. The Eagles are banged up and have been playing some of their worst football the last several weeks. With AJ Brown being ruled out and Jalen Hurts dealing with a dislocated finger that he suffered in last week’s game vs the Giants, this game seems a bit more winnable for the Bucs.
We’re going to need to see this offense play as they did during their win streak and the defense play the way they did against the Panthers if they want to advance to the Divisional Round. With everyone relatively healthy for the Bucs, I think they can get it done at home.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 8-5 (joined in middle of season)
Buccaneers 24, Eagles 17
Matthew Hewitt (@BucsTrackerNFL)
With the Eagles struggling and the Bucs being 5-1 in the last 6 games, I have the Bucs winning. The Eagles are banged up and the Bucs are getting healthy.
2023 Season Prediction Record: 8-5 (joined in middle of season)
Buccaneers 23, Eagles 20
CONSENSUS: Buccaneers (9-1)
READ MORE: Buccaneers' OC Compares Baker Mayfield to Seahawks' Geno Smith
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