The Philadelphia Eagles are preparing for their toughest battle of the season. They will travel to Florida to take on Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a Sunday afternoon Wild Card matchup.
The Eagles, led by a first-year starting quarterback and head coach, are obviously the underdogs against the more seasoned team of Brady and Rob Gronkowski. However, we've seen it before, and we will see it again: hungry dogs run faster, and the Birds are starving.
For more insight on the Eagles' Wild Card playoff matchup against the Buccaneers, listen below:
Let's take a look at my boldest predictions for the Eagles vs Buccaneers game, and why the Birds will come out of the weekend victorious.
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Eagles Wild Card Predictions
4. Hurts throws a LOT
The Birds are known across the league as the top rushing offense. However, expect the Eagles to incorporate more passing than running into their Wild Card plan on Sunday.
Why? Well, there's a couple of reasons.
One, running the ball the entire game isn't going to be enough against the Buccaneers, and they know it. The Birds played the Buccaneers back in Week 6, losing 28-22. Not a horrible loss on paper, but Hurts only threw for 115 yards, and the Buccaneers had double the time of possession.
Two, Jalen Hurts didn't play in Week 18 to continue healing his ankle injury from Week 12, which seemed to have limited his last few games of the regular season. The usually mobile quarterback spent more time in the backfield and less time carrying the ball up the field. Hurts is doing great in his recovery, but isn't 100%, which is another reason why the passing game is so important for this team's longevity in the postseason contest.
3. Huge game for Devonta Smith
Devonta Smith has been a huge addition to the Eagles' passing game since he was drafted in the first round last year. The rookie has received a lot of targets, and even broke the franchise record for the most receiving yards in a rookie season.
Despite his success, Philadelphia isn't using Smith nearly enough. The promising receiver was the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner, beating out multiple qualified quarterbacks. Expect Hurts to capitalize on Smith's talents on Sunday, and expect him to have at least 80 receiving yards and one touchdown in Tampa Bay.
2. Miles Sanders has a huge game
One of the most inconsistent parts of the Eagles' season has been the availability of Miles Sanders. The running back has been riddled with injuries all season, and most recently suffered a broken hand in the Eagles' Week 16 win over the New York Giants.
Fortunately, Philadelphia seems to be optimistic in Sanders' return for this weekend's game. If that's the case, expect him to have the overwhelming majority of rushing attempts. The third season running back is more than overdue for a big game, including his first touchdown of the season. Expect at least 100 rushing yards from him on Sunday.
Click here for the odds for the Eagles Wild Card game against the Buccaneers, courtesy of FanDuel.
1. Underdog Dub
The Eagles have a chance to win this one, and I expect them to do so. The Buccaneers are struggling on offense with a lack of weapons, including Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin. This should be a high scoring game and will most likely come down to the final possession. Finally, my boldest prediction yet: Eagles upset the Buccaneers 41-33 (sound familiar, Tom?).
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