Sunday’s NFL Wild Card Weekend tripleheader kicks off with an NFC matchup between the 7-seed Philadelphia Eagles and 2-seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The two teams did face off in the regular season, a game that ended in a 28-22 Bucs win. However, a lot has changed for both sides since then in terms of both personnel and overall philosophy. Weather could be a major factor for this playoff matchup as well. Both rain and high winds are in the forecast for the Tampa area on Sunday afternoon. The NFL betting over/under line has seen a steep drop as a result. Meanwhile, the home side is heavily favored when it comes to Eagles vs Buccaneers NFL picks against the spread.
The following Eagles vs Buccaneers NFL betting preview will provide you with the current odds, betting trends and picks for the NFC Wild Card matchup, along with a stream link to watch games all postseason long.
Eagles vs Buccaneers NFL Playoffs Betting Preview
NFL Postseason — NFC Wild Card Game
Philadelphia Eagles (9-8, 6-3 Away) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4, 7-1 Home)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 16, 2021
Time: 1:05 p.m. EST
Venue: Raymond James Stadium — Tampa, FL
Coverage: Click here for the stream
Philadelphia Eagles Preview
Little to none was expected of the Eagles in year one under coach Nick Sirianni. After a slow start, coaching adjustments proved to be a huge part of the Eagles being able to exceed expectations. On offense, in particular, the Eagles morphed into a run-heavy attack in order to play to the strengths of their personnel. While quarterback Jalen Hurts gets a ton of love in the fantasy football world, he lacks the skills to be a solid passer in the NFL. However, his dual-threat rushing abilities became the basis for Philadelphia’s offensive game plan. Along with a backfield mix of Miles Sanders, Boston Scott and Jordan Howard, Hurts and the Eagles went on to lead the NFL in rushing. As a team, Philly averaged 159.7 yards per game on the ground.
After suffering a broken hand in Week 16, Sanders returned to practice this week. Sirianni has already stated that he expects both Sanders and Howard to play in Sunday’s NFL betting matchup despite their respective injury designations. Several Eagles players were able to get some extra rest last week as Philly opted to sit their starters in a fairly meaningless regular-season finale. It will be paramount for Fletcher Cox and the defensive front to gain an advantage at the line of scrimmage on Sunday. Meanwhile, rookie receiver DeVonta Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert figure to remain Hurts’ top targets in the passing game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview
Unlike the Eagles, Bruce Arians and the Buccaneers opted to play to win in Week 18. They successfully did just that and improved their playoff seeding in the process. However, if the Buccaneers are to repeat as Super Bowl Champions, quarterback Tom Brady will likely need to lean on some unfamiliar targets. Along with losing Chris Godwin to a torn ACL, the Bucs also lost the services of Antonio Brown in a well-documented saga. Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski are now the only real established targets Brady has at his disposal. Wideouts Tyler Johnson and Breshad Perriman are the two most likely candidates to step up in the passing game.
It looked like Tampa Bay was set to get a big boost offensively with the return of lead running back Leonard Fournette. The Bucs activated him to return from IR on Wednesday, but he failed to land on the active roster for Sunday’s NFL betting Wild Card matchup. With Ronald Jones also having been ruled out, that leaves Giovani Bernard, Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Le’Veon Bell as the team’s only healthy RBs. On defense, the Buccaneers will attempt to counter the Eagles’ rushing attack with a stacked defensive front that allowed only 92.5 rushing yards per game this season. Nose tackle Vita Vea and linebacker Shaq Barrett are just two of several studs in the front seven. While the Bucs are vulnerable in the secondary, one has to wonder if Philadelphia’s passing attack is even capable of exposing this weakness.
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Eagles vs Buccaneers Betting Odds and NFL Picks Against the Spread
NFL betting odds for Eagles vs Buccaneers are taken from BetMGM Sportsbook.
Moneyline: PHI: (+325) | TB: (-400)
Spread: PHI: +8.5 (-110) | TB: -8.5 (-110)
Total: 45.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Public (Spread) Betting via Action Network: PHI: (42%) | TB: (58%)
Eagles vs Buccaneers NFL Betting Trends
- The total has gone over in four of the Eagles’ last five games.
- Eagles are just 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games against opponents coming off an outright win.
- Buccaneers are 6-2 ATS and 7-1 straight up in their last eight games.
- Nine of the Buccaneers’ last 10 home games against opponents coming off an outright loss have gone over the total.
- NFL betting underdogs are 7-2 ATS in the last nine Eagles vs Buccaneers head-to-head matchups.
Eagles vs Buccaneers Stats
- Philadelphia is averaging 26.1 points per game (PPG) this season (No. 12 in the NFL).
- Philadelphia is surrendering 22.6 PPG this season (No. 18 in the NFL).
- Tampa Bay is averaging 30.1 PPG this season (No. 2 in the NFL).
- Tampa Bay is surrendering 20.8 PPG this season (No. 5 in the NFL).
Eagles vs Buccaneers Prediction
This Eagles vs Buccaneers NFL betting prediction uses NumberFire’s game projections. They give Tampa Bay a 74.2% chance to win this NFC Wild Card matchup.
