Eagles vs Buccaneers Preview
After an interesting Sunday of Eagles football, the birds have a short week as they are set to square off against Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Injury Report:
The Bucs ruled out starting tight end Rob Gronkowski (ribs), along with All-Pro linebacker Lavonte David (ankle), and starting safety Antoine Winfield (concussion). Among those listed as questionable were starting center Ryan Jensen (hip), defensive end Pat O'Connor (calf), and edge rusher Jason Pierre-Paul (shoulder, hand).
Philadelphia Eagles Injury Report:
For the third straight week, Philly will be without their All-Pro tackle Lane Johnson due to personal matters, as they hope to get him back soon. Starting tight end Dallas Goedert was also put on the Covid/Reserve list earlier this week, so he will not be playing on Thursday night.
Key Matchups
Defense:
Mike Evans & Chris Godwin vs Darius Slay & Steven Nelson
Robert Hainsey vs Javon Hargrave & Fletcher Cox
Tristan Wirfs vs Josh Sweat
The Eagles defense had a bounce back performance with three interceptions on the road in Week 5, but they will be going up against a much more explosive offense led by the best to ever do it. Through the first five games of the season, Tom Brady has put up the best numbers of his career at age 44, and Jonathan Gannon will have his hands full against this Bucs offense. The key for the Eagles is pressure. If they allow Brady to get a clean pocket, TB12 will terrorize your defense, but if you blitz, he will diagnose it and hit the open man. The way to beat Brady is to get pressure with your front four and force him into bad throws. Luckily for the Eagles, they have one of the best front fours in the league, led by the breakout candidate Javon Hargrave who has put together a defensive player of the year campaign. Brady will move the ball against this Eagles defense, so Philly has to get off the field on third downs and in the red zone.
Offense:
Vita Vea vs Jason Kelce
Shaq Barrett vs Jordan Mailata
Devin White vs Jalen Hurts
Nick Sirianni has not stayed committed to the ground game through five weeks, and he is going up against the best rushing defense in the NFL, so that trend likely won't change. For the Eagles to pull off the upset on primetime, the offense will need to flow through Jalen Hurts. The Bucs have the best front seven in football, but the secondary has been the teams weakness through the early part of the season. Without Antoine Winfield, the Bucs secondary is even more vulnerable, so we could see a lot of deep shots to DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, and Jalen Reagor. Also look for Sirianni to get quick passes to his playmakers on the perimeter, but they will have to run the football some to keep the defense honest. Moving the football has not been a problem for this Eagles defense, but converting in the red zone has been the downfall of the Eagles through the first few weeks. If the Eagles match the Bucs touchdowns with field goals, Philly could be in for a rough night.