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For the fifth time ever, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles will clash in the NFL playoffs, as they are set to meet in the upcoming NFC wild-card round.
The Buccaneers enter this home playoff matchup with the Eagles in promising form, as they won seven of their final eight games of the regular season. They clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs in Week 18, thanks to both their home win over the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers’ upset road victory against the Los Angeles Rams.
For more insight on the Buccaneers' Wild Card playoff matchup against the Eagles, listen below:
The Eagles also come into the opening round of the playoffs in keen form as well. A second half surge saw them go from possibly picking in the top 10 for the 2022 NFL Draft to a playoff berth as a wild-card team. From the stout quarterback play of second-year passer Jalen Hurts to their dynamic rush attack, the Eagles simply clicked on offense over the latter half of the campaign.
The Eagles are looking to pick up what would be one of the biggest upset playoff wins in quite a while. On the other hand, for the Buccaneers to move on to the next round of the playoffs, they must accomplish each of these four feats against a familiar foe in the NFC.
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4. Tyler Johnson emerges as an unsung hero
The Buccaneers entered the regular season with arguably the most potent wide receiver depth in all the NFL. However, this has changed quite a bit over the past two months, as the likes of Chris Godwin (torn ACL) and Antonio Brown (cut) will not be available for their upcoming playoff run.
To make matters worse, the Buccaneers currently have four wideouts on their injury report ahead of this contest, including Mike Evans (hamstring) and Breshad Perriman (hip).
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Thus, quarterback Tom Brady may have to look towards the backend of the team’s wide receiver depth chart to find a talent who has what it takes to emerge as a pivotal contributor this week. That such wideout may end up being Tyler Johnson.
Overall, Johnson was among the Buccaneers’ more reliable wideouts over the campaign, as he featured in all 17 regular season games and hauled in 36 receptions for 360 receiving yards. He is just coming off of a performance against the Panthers where Brady called his name quite a bit; he was targeted seven times, and he came away with five receptions for 22 receiving yards.
It sure would not be a surprise to see Johnson haul in a receiving touchdown or break off for a much-needed big-yard play in the clash with Philadelphia.
3. Shaquil Barrett records two crucial sacks
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Buccaneers outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett was once again the team’s most reliable pass rusher in the regular season. He wound up leading the team in quarterback hits (22) and sacks (10.0). The veteran linebacker also had several standout showings, which included recording two sacks in Tampa Bay’s comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 12.
As was the case last year, Barrett should rise to the occasion for the Buccaneers in the playoffs. He recorded four sacks in the team’s Super Bowl-winning run.
Barrett sure has what it takes to be a game-changer for the Buccaneers this week with two sacks against the Hurts-led Eagles offense.
2. Buccaneers front seven contains the Eagles rush offense
This upcoming playoff clash sure will see an unmovable object meet an unstoppable force.
The Buccaneers finished regular season play as one of the more formidable units in the league when it came to stopping the run, as they ranked third in rushing yards allowed per game with a 92.5 average. On the other side, the Eagles averaged 159.7 rushing yards per game, which topped the league leaderboard.
Regardless of whether it will be Miles Sanders or Boston Scott leading the way for Philadelphia, the Buccaneers should contain their rush offense. They sure will call upon linebackers Devin White and Lavonte David to move into the box and secure much-needed tackles.
If the Buccaneers can negate the Eagles’ proficiency in running the ball, it would then force them to be a one-dimensional offense, which may see them call upon Hurts more than usual to lead the way in the pass attack.
1. Buccaneers clinch a convincing win over the Eagles
The Eagles should provide the Buccaneers with a grand fight in this upcoming playoff game, but in the end, it will be Brady and company that will move on to the next round of the NFC playoffs.
From there, a playoff duel with the Dallas Cowboys may await them in the following week.
