Eagles vs. Buccaneers Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers Upset Eagles in Wild Card Round?
The Philadelphia Eagles will head down to Tampa Bay as a road favorite in the NFC Wild Card Round. Can Baker Mayfield and the Bucs pull the upset at home against the floundering Eagles on Monday Night Football? Jason Radowitz provides his prediction in Eagles vs. Buccaneers on MNF.
Jason Radowitz - January 9, 2024, 1:45 PM EST
5 minEagles vs. Buccaneers Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers Upset Eagles in Wild Card Round?
The Philadelphia Eagles will play a road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night in an NFC Wild Card matchup.
The Philadelphia Eagles went 11-6 on the season. However, Philadelphia lost four of its last five games and came out super flat against a New York Giants team in Week 18 that will be picking in the No. 6 slot in the upcoming NFL Draft.
On the other hand, Tampa Bay closed out the season with four wins in their last five games to get to 9-8 on the season.
Before December 10, the Buccaneers were 5-7. Now they're 9-8 and just won the NFC South. With the divisional win, the Buccaneers get home-field advantage.
The Eagles had the NFC East locked up until they didn't. Philadelphia's brutal finish to the season gave the Cowboys the division instead.
Will being on the road hurt the Eagles?
Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Eagles vs. Buccaneers Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: January 15, 2024
- Game Time: 8:15 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN & ABC
Eagles vs. Buccaneers Odds
- Spread: Eagles -3 (-110), Buccaneers +3 (-110)
- Total Odds: O/U 44 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: Eagles (-150), Buccaneers (+125)
Eagles vs. Buccaneers Injury Report
Eagles
Questionable: RB D'Andre Swift (Illness), CB Darius Slay (Knee), WR DeVonta Smith (Ankle), QB Jalen Hurts (Finger)
Out: S Sydney Brown (Knee)
Buccaneers
Questionable: WR Rakim Jarrett (Quadriceps), K.J. Britt (Calf), S Josh Hayes (Knee)
Eagles vs. Buccaneers Prediction
The Philadelphia Eagles are probably the most overrated team in the NFL right now.
The offense scored 433 points, which is more than 25 points per game. However, the defense allowed 25.18 points per game this year.
The Eagles only scored five more points than they allowed this year. Typically, that's what an average football team looks like. Instead, the Eagles went 11-6 on the season.
Regression is likely in play for Philadelphia.
Jalen Hurts threw 15 interceptions this season and had a QBR of 60. He's a major threat running the football, which is ultimately why he gets higher praise. However, this season, Hurts averaged under four yards a carry. Obviously, the tush-push didn't help his running average. But being under four yards a carry isn't ideal.
The Eagles did the tush-push last season, and Hurts averaged 4.6 yards a carry on 165 attempts.
Philadelphia allowed over 250 yards per game in the air and gave up 103.41 yards on the ground. They won the turnover differential despite Hurts' mistakes. But overall, the secondary didn't play at a high level this season.
On the other hand, the Buccaneers will put the ball in Baker Mayfield's hands. Mayfield threw more touchdowns and fewer interceptions than Hurts this season. Mayfield doesn't run effectively like Hurts, but he was consistently good down the stretch this season.
Tampa Bay expected more out of their offense last week against the Panthers. They only scored nine points and no touchdowns. However, the defense stepped up and gave no points to close the season. The secondary improved, and the pass rush got better for Tampa Bay.
The Buccaneers also allowed only 95.29 yards per game on the ground this year. If Philadelphia can't succeed on the ground, Hurts will be forced to throw with a bum finger that he injured last week.
Even when healthy, Hurts was throwing interceptions at a high rate.
Therefore, at home, I'll take my chances with the Buccaneers. Philadelphia looks fraudulent. The locker room is also a mess. Take Tampa Bay.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pick
- Buccaneers +3 -110 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
NFL Odds
