The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles will face off at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Both teams come into the contest 3-0, and after three weeks, they are two of just six undefeated teams left in the NFL. Both unbeaten teams are vying for supremacy in the NFC.
The Eagles arrived in Tampa a day earlier than usual, flying in on Friday to get acclimated to the heat.
The Buccaneers have won three games this season by six points, thanks to three fourth-quarter comebacks led by Baker Mayfield.
The Bucs have been decimated by injuries on both sides of the ball. Last week, receiver Mike Evans was hurt in the fourth quarter, and it was announced that he will be sidelined for three to four weeks with a hamstring injury. The good news is that wide receiver Chris Godwin is scheduled to return to game action this week, and tackle Tristan Wirfs is expected to make his 2025 debut.
Baker Mayfield is proud of this team’s maturity during the early part of the season, as it has dealt with all the injuries.
“I felt different about this team, this year for a while now. The way that this group has handled it, the way guys have been able to execute, that is huge. That is maturity, that is growth, that is guys taking what we have talked about and being able to transfer it into a critical moment. I do not know if I can put it into words how difficult that is in the heat of the moment to calmly think and execute and do the little details right. It is not like we are doing these crazy schemes in these moments; guys are just doing the little things right and executing it.”
With Godwin out, rookie Emeka Egbuka has emerged as the star receiver in Tampa. Egbuka leads the team in receiving with 14 catches for 181 yards and three touchdowns. The record for receiving touchdowns in a rookie season is 17 by Randy Moss in 1998. Averaging one touchdown catch per game, Egbuka could challenge breaking this record during the season’s final weeks.
The Bucs defense will play against one of the best offenses in the league, led by Jalen Hurts at quarterback. Hurts can hurt you with his legs and arm, so the Buccaneers defense will need to pressure Hurts and have someone assigned to shadow him throughout the game.
Tampa has limited opponents to less than 100 yards on the ground in their last 11 games. The Bucs defense is giving up 84 yards a game on the ground, which is good for sixth in the NFL. However, the Eagles offense averages 122 yards rushing per game, headlines by Saquon Barkley, who is one of the best running backs in the league.
With Bucky Irving, the Bucs are averaging 122 yards a game on the ground, which is 13th in the league. The Eagles’ defense allows 133 yards per game.
The Eagles have a decided advantage over the Bucs in the red zone. The Eagles have made eight trips to the red zone this season and scored all eight times. The Bucs’ red zone defense is 42.9%, but the Eagles have the tush-push for those red-zone situations, and few teams have figured out how to stop it.
Sunday presents another challenge for the Bucs, with the Eagles’ front seven facing the Buccaneers’ re-made offensive line. The Eagles have a very disruptive defensive line with Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Jalen Carter, and Jordan Davis inside. However, the Eagles rank 30th in sacks per pass play at 3.09%. As a team, the Eagles have just three sacks this season.
But if the Eagles get that part of their defensive game going, it could be a long afternoon against the Bucs’ remade offensive line.
Keys to a Buccaneers win
—Win the battle at the line of scrimmage on offense and defense.
—Don’t let Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley run wild.
—Play great defense in the red zone.
Author’s Prediction
This will be another nail-biter for the Buccaneers, but I like the Buccaneers to win 30-27. Baker Mayfield will lead the Bucs to another fourth-quarter win.