Eagles vs. Buccaneers Preview
The Eagles travel down south to Tampa Bay for a Week Four matchup against the Buccaneers. For Philadelphia, this is an opportunity to break even with the Buccaneers, after a 32-9 loss in the NFC Wild Card game last season. After suffering a dirty hit last week against the Saints, wide receiver DeVonta Smith has been ruled out for Sunday’s game. Meanwhile, veteran receiver A.J. Brown, enduring hamstring tightness, practiced today but his status is still up in the air for Sunday. It is widely expected the Eagles stay on the precautionary side, and it’s more likely he does not play than does. Assuming the Eagles are down their two-star receivers, let’s see how they can pull away with their third win of the season.
Through the first three games, it is evident that the offense will go as far as running back Saquon Barkley does. Barkley is currently leading the league in rushing yards, standing alone at 351 yards, along with four touchdowns. His transition to Philadelphia has been seamless thus far, as he is off to arguably the best start of any season in his career. For the Eagles to be successful in moving the chains, Barkley will be sure to have a busy day running and potentially receiving in some screen packages.
Tight end Dallas Goedert is coming off a career game against the Saints amassing 170 yards, a new career high. His production will be vital in this game, as he will be quarterback Jalen Hurts’ most reliable option in the passing game. The best-case scenario for Goedert is to once again have a big game, showing Hurts he can be a reliable target in the middle of the field and in pass protection. It will be interesting to see how well Goedert can replicate his Week Three performance. Moving to the other side of the ball, the defense is also coming off a highly impressive outing, holding the Saints to 12 points. The pass rush was better, but this week will test how consistent the defensive line can be. Wide receiver Mike Evans and fellow receiver Chris Godwin are comfortable options for quarterback Baker Mayfield, and it will be interesting to see how the secondary plays against them.
The Eagles have a great opportunity ahead to make another statement on the road Sunday. The Buccaneers will be a scrappy team that can test the Eagles toughness well. It will be telling to see how Jalen Hurts plays without his top two weapons. Philadelphia looks to win three of their first four games this Sunday on the road.
