Eagles at Buccaneers Game Preview: 5 questions and answers with the enemy

The Philadelphia Eagles are gearing up for their third straight game against an NFC South opponent. This time around it’s the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who they’re set to face for a third meeting nearly within one year (the first one dating back to September 25, 2023).

In order to preview this Week 4 matchup, I reached out to our enemies over at Bucs Nation. The effervescent Evan Wanish kindly took the time to answer my questions about this upcoming battle. Let’s take a look at the answers. [For my answers about the Eagles, stay tuned to Bucs Nation.]

1 – The Bucs are 2-1. What went right for them over the first two weeks and then what went wrong in last week’s home loss to the Denver Broncos?
What went right for the Bucs over the first two games of the season was a combination of complementary football and Baker Mayfield’s performance. Against the Commanders he was masterful and against Detroit the following week he was solid enough to get the job done.

The Bucs looked like a well coached and prepared football team in the first two games, but that is not what happened last Sunday. Against Denver they looked unprepared, unmotivated and simply got outplayed by a team that isn’t as talented as them. This is the NFL though and it doesn’t matter how much talent another team has. If you don’t show up, you won’t win.

2 – What’s the confidence level in Baker Mayfield right now?
I think the confidence level has dipped a bit following last week’s performance, but not drastically. Mayfield has been exactly what the Bucs were looking for following the Tom Brady era and there’s no reason not to think he’s going to be fine.

However, last week’s game was frustrating. He got happy feet in the pocket time and time again and failed to let things develop. The offensive line struggling has something to do with that, but Mayfield has to learn to trust his guys up front a bit more and not have his first instinct be to scramble.

3 – Not unlike the Eagles, the Bucs seem to be dealing with a bunch of key injuries. Who might miss this week’s game and how concerning is that?
The Bucs have received some good news on the injury front with right tackle Luke Goedeke and defensive lineman Vita Vea returning to practice. Goedeke has not yet been cleared from concussion protocol after missing the last two games and Vea is still dealing with a knee injury but there appears to be progress for both. As for a few that they will likely be without, safety Antoine Winfield Jr and defensive lineman Calijah Kancey don’t seem to be returning this weekend.

Not having Winfield Jr out there is a concern simply because of how good he is. He can do a lot of things in Todd Bowles’ defense and his absence is a significant one. As for Kancey, the big concern is the pass rush. The Bucs have gotten nothing from their pass rush over the last two games and actually have just one sack from a defensive lineman/edge rusher this season (one of the two total sacks they have) being without Kancey again will put more pressure on the edge rushers to have a better day.

4 – What’s one matchup you like in the Bucs’ favor and another you think is working in the Eagles’ favor?
One matchup I like in Tampa Bay’s favor is Mike Evans or Chris Godwin against Philadelphia’s secondary. I think the Eagles will be able to shut down one of them, but likely not both and Godwin has been awesome so far this year for the Bucs so I’d expect a heavy dose of him in this one.

As for Philly, I have to look at Jalen Carter vs. Cody Mauch along the interior. Carter played fantastic last week in New Orleans and Mauch really struggled against a Denver team that doesn’t have a player like Carter. If Philly can get pressure up the middle consistently, it could be a long day for the Bucs offense.

5 – Who wins this game and why? With the Eagles currently listed as 2.5-point road favorites, what’s your score prediction? And then what’re you expecting from the rest of this Bucs season?
With the amount of significant injuries for both teams, it is tough to truly get a read on this game. Signs are pointing to Vita Vea being able to play this weekend and that would be huge in Tampa’s efforts to stop Saquon Barkley.

It doesn’t seem like the Eagles will have A.J. Brown or Devonta Smith in this game which would obviously benefit TB. I think the Bucs are desperate for a win here as you don’t want to drop two games in a row. Give me the home team in a lower scoring game, 20-17.

As for the rest of the year, I think the Bucs will remain competitive in the NFC South race and their two matchups against New Orleans may determine who wins this division.