Only 14 teams remain standing as the NFL Postseason begins this weekend! With their eyes on the Lombardi Trophy, the Philadelphia Eagles will travel to the warm weather of Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC Wild Card showdown. Join us for our NFL odds series where our Eagles-Buccaneers prediction and pick will be revealed.
Although the Eagles will be entering the postseason field as the defending NFC Champions, it has become quite clear that this is not the same team from a year ago. Ever since getting throttled by the top team in the conference in the San Francisco 49ers back on Dec. 3rd, the Eagles have won only once. In the blink of an eye, it has been the Eagles who have went from one-seed contenders to fringe playoff pretenders. Despite this Eagles team trending in a negative fashion, there is still plenty of talent to go around on both sides of the ball for Philly to make another run at a Super Bowl appearance.
Indeed, Tampa Bay has benefitted greatly by playing in the lousy NFC South, but the Buccaneers were able to make the necessary plays down the stretch of the season to guarantee a home playoff game and secure a third-consecutive division title. Do the ‘Bucs have a chance to play the part of Cinderella in the coming weeks?
Here are the Eagles-Buccaneers NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NFC Wild Card Odds: Eagles-Buccaneers Odds
Philadelphia Eagles: -3 (-110)
Moneyline: -158
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: +3 (-110)
Moneyline: +134
Over: 43.5 (-115)
Under: 43.5 (-105)
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Why The Eagles Could Cover The Spread
Fly, Eagles, Fly, or Die, Eagles, Die? Most possibly at the worst time of the season, the Eagles have been hit smack dab in the face with a whole lot of adversity. Oftentimes, teams that go on epic Super Bowl runs will get hot heading into the playoff race, but this could not be further from the case for the Eagles. With injuries starting to stack up, does Philly possess the grit and ability to overcome these hardships to make one last push at a Lombardi Trophy?
The first order of business that Philly needs too accomplish in order to cover the spread and ultimately come out on top is to shore up a defense with more holes in it than Swiss cheese. While Philadelphia is also experiencing some major concerns on the offensive side of the ball as well, it has been the defense that hasn't allowed less than 20 points since Week 11 against Kansas City. Not to mention, but they are fresh off of getting humiliated by their lowly division rival New York Giants in which they gave up 27 points. With the Buccaneers' offense showing some new life in recent weeks, it is vital for the Eagles to set the tone defensively starting with the opening Tampa Bay possession.
Meanwhile, can the offense show anything positive to take away? The finger injury on QB Jalen Hurts' throwing hand is concerning to say the least. With this passing game possibly hindered to along with thunderstorms and rainy weather in the forecast for Monday's Wild Card showdown, establishing the running game will be a huge component in finding success.
Why The Buccaneers Could Cover The Spread
Having to find a new identity in the wake of Tom Brady's retirement, the Buccaneers have rebounded well in their first year without TB12.
Simply put, this Buccaneers squad has been playing with a chip on their shoulders all season long, and it starts with QB Baker Mayfield. Not only was the former Heisman-winning signal caller a walk-on to begin his college career, but his NFL playing days looked to be in jeopardy when he could not find any traction as the Carolina Panthers quarterback before seeing himself be revived with the LA Rams under offensive mastermind Sean McVay.
With the newly found confidence, Mayfield was called upon as Tom Brady's successor and has not disappointed. In the regular season, the former first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft has amassed 28 touchdowns through the air and reached the 4,000-yard passing mark for the first time in his career. Even though he is currently hampered with some ankle and rib injuries, don't expect Mayfield to miss out on the fun of playing against the NFC defending champions.
Above all else, this is a Bucs defense that allows the fourth-fewest yards per play and also boasts the third-best red-zone defense in the league. If this game comes down to Tampa Bay needing to make some stops in critical moments, then they may be able to find some success in those areas to put them over the top.
Final Eagles-Buccaneers Prediction & Pick
Alas, the Eagles have yet to cover the spread since Nov. 26th and they are extremely untrustworthy at this point in time. With the Buccaneers faithful expected to be at a feverish pitch for this postseason bout, don't sleep on Tampa Bay to make plays down the stretch to get the job done.
Final Eagles-Buccaneers Prediction & Pick: Buccaneers +3 (-110)