The Philadelphia Eagles, fresh off of a much-needed comeback victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 5 to improve to 2-3, are headed home to take on the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers for this week's Thursday Night Football contest. Philly sits in a tie for second place in the NFC East, where they trail the Dallas Cowboys by 2 games.
The dramatic Week 5 upset was not a pretty one by any stretch of the imagination, but offers promise for the near future for the Eagles. Jalen Hurts was a mediocre 22/37 for 198 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 1 interception against a stout Panthers defense, but he was able to rush for 30 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 carries. It was the Eagles defense that stole the show, as they picked off Sam Darnold three times, including 2 vintage plays from Darius Slay.
Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is fresh off of a 45-17 drubbing of the Miami Dolphins. Tom Brady looks as elite as usual, and this is certainly going to be a tough game for Philly.
Will the Bucs start a hot streak and steamroll the Eagles? Or will the Philly faithful propel Hurts and Co. to an upset at Lincoln Financial Field? Here are 4 bold predictions for this primetime contest.
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Eagles Week 4 Predictions
4. Devonta Smith feasts
Smith has put together back to back solid performances in the last two weeks, in which he's amassed 14 catches for 199 yards. He's easily the most talented receiver on this Eagles team, and in a contest where Philly will have to be scoring furiously in order to keep up with the high-powered Bucs offense, Smith will see a crazy amount of targets. Being only a rookie and seeing as he's improving every game, Smith's production will likely only increase as the season wears on, this Thursday will be a coming out party for him.
3. Eagles force multiple Brady interceptions
Tom has been truly terrific this year, with 15 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions that each came in Week 1 against the Cowboys. He's on a roll, but this Eagles defense showed some great signs of life last week. Darius Slay lived up to his “Big Play Slay” moniker and turned back the clock for a huge performance, and he'll keep that hot streak going this week with another interception. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will dial up some complex looks designed especially for an important game like this, and Philly's defense will keep them in the game.
2. Miles Sanders amasses 100 yards from scrimmage
Sanders has had a subpar start to the year statistically, but that could all change this Sunday. The Buccaneers have a stout run defense, but Sanders is as capable of a dual-threat back as they come. With a couple big gash plays on the ground and consistent work with screens and checkdowns through the passing game, Sanders will explode for a big scrimmage game this week.
1. Eagles fall just shy of upset
The Buccaneers are currently heavy 7-point favorites at the moment, but that's not as big of a gap as one might expect given how good Brady looked last week. That's because this Eagles team is talented, and they're surely capable of making this a competitive football game. It'll come down to the wire, but Philly will fall just short of a comeback as they get stuffed on fourth-and-goal.
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