For the fourth week in a row, the Philadelphia Eagles will put their undefeated streak on the line against an opponent fully committed to besting the reigning Super Bowl champions: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Going toe-to-toe once more in what has seemingly become a yearly showdown, the Eagles and Buccaneers find themselves in very similar spots heading into Week 4, with a chance to test their respective mettle against another team they will almost certainly be playing in January.
Both teams are sitting atop their divisions, having already added a Week 1 win against one of their rivals. They are also led by a former Oklahoma quarterback with Pro Bowl pedigree, with Jalen Hurts learning under Lincoln Riley shortly after Baker Mayfield was drafted by the Cleveland Browns.
And most importantly of all, both teams are looking to silence the doubters around the NFL and prove why they should be favorites to return to the Super Bowl in the hopes of adding another banner to their respective stadiums.
Which team will maintain its winning streak and ride into October with a perfect record? Well, that will depend on who comes up with a better scheme to slow down the opposing offense, Vic Fangio or Todd Bowles, in what should shape up to be one of the most consequential games of the season.
1. Saquon Barkley still doesn't rush for 100 yards
After averaging 125.3 yards per game in 2024 on the way to his first-ever 2,000-yard rushing season, Saquon Barkley has seen his production take a dip in his second season in midnight green.
Now granted, part of this could be because every team the Eagles have faced so far this season has made slowing down Barkley their top priority. The Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, and Los Angeles Rams all loaded up bodies around the line of scrimmage to discourage runs and provided support over the top to guarantee that even if No. 26 broke into the second level, he wouldn't be landing on SportsCenter at their expense.
And yet, part of it is on Barkley too, as he's simply not making those magical plays that have come to be expected from the Penn State product, with his 64.7 yards per game average his lowest mark since 2021.
In 2024, Barkley had a good but not great game against the Buccaneers, recording 84 yards on ten carries in a game without AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith, but will he finally break into triple digits and look like his signature self?
Considering Bowles will be running the show as Tampa Bay's de facto defensive coordinator, it's hard to imagine that will happen in Week 4.
Through three weeks, the Buccaneers have allowed just the sixth-most rushing yards of the year at 252, with their 3.6 yards per rush allowed the fifth-best mark in the NFL. While the team did just lose Calijah Kancey to a torn pectoral muscle, which could keep him out of action for the majority of the regular season, they still have “Big” Vita Vea clogging up the middle of the defense, with a pair of plus run-stuffers at the linebacker position in Lavonte David and SirVocea Dennis to clean up any miscues at the second level.
Fortunately for the Eagles, in the second half of Week 3, they eased up on their commitment to running the ball to instead attack the Rams through the air, with Sean McVay's squad having no answer for AJ Brown or DeVonta Smith on the outside. Even if the Buccaneers have a better defensive secondary than the Rams, there should still be play to be had for Jalen Hurts against the 19th-ranked passing defense in the NFL, which is good news if Kevin Patuollo is willing to air it out once more.
2. Baker Mayfield neutralizes the Eagles' edge rush
After having just enough pass rush to be dangerous in 2024, largely because their lockdown defensive secondary gave opposing quarterbacks fits, the Eagles haven't been nearly as effective at getting into the offensive backfield in 2025, with their depth taking a major hit in Week 3.
With Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, and Brandon Graham all leaving the team for one reason or another during the offseason, the Eagles knew they would need to count extra hard on their young edge rushers to provide some help for Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo on the interior. The problem? Nolan Smith, arguably the team's best edge rusher, suffered a triceps injury in Week 3 that sent him to IR, which makes an already questionable unit into a potential problem area heading into Week 4.
With Smith out, the Eagles will likely continue to start 2024 third-round pick Jalyx Hunt with their welcomed free agent surprise Josh Uche or Week 2 addition Za'Darius Smith taking the other edge spot on the opposite side of Fangio's line. From there, things get murky, with just two other edges, special teamer Patrick Johnson and free agent addition Azeez Ojulari – a healthy scratch through Week 3 – the team's only other options at the position.
The Buccaneers, by contract, are getting back their best offensive lineman in Tristan Wirfs, who will make his 2025 debut after offseason knee surgery. In 2025, Mayfield has been protected incredibly well by a Buccaneers offensive line supplemented with backups, being sacked just six times and pressured 14 more, so with Wirfs at left tackle and Chris Godwin back at wide receiver, Tampa Bay should have plenty of time to operate their offense in Week 4.
3. Jalen Hurts gets another win over Tampa Bay
If it feels like the Eagles have lost every game they've played against Tampa Bay recently, that's because they largely have.
During the Jalen Hurts era, the Eagles have played the Buccaneers five times, going 1-2 in the regular season – with their lone win coming in Tampa Bay in 2023 – and 0-2 in the postseason. Now granted, some of those games featured Tom Brady under center, but even with Mayfield calling the shots, Bowles' team just seems to have Nick Sirianni's number, regardless of who is calling the plays in any given year.
But if the Eagles play like they did against the Rams after halftime in Week 3, it's hard to imagine any team will slow them down, even an undefeated Buccaneers team riding their own wave of momentum.
Of the Buccaneers' three wins in 2025, all three featured fourth-quarter comebacks, with Mayfield having to orchestrate a game-winning drive in all three to secure the win. The Eagles, by contrast, have been comfortably ahead in two of their three wins so far this season, with Fangio's defense routinely coming alive after the half once he's had some time to see what opposing offenses have planned. If the Eagles can score early on through the air, keep the clock moving on the ground, and pitch another Fangio special in the final frame, Hurts may finally even up his regular season record in Tampa Bay at 2-2.
