Eagles-Buccaneers meet in a matchup of unbeaten teams that could be a playoff preview

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Philadelphia (3-0) at Tampa Bay (3-0)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox.

BetMGM NFL Odds: Eagles by 3 1/2.

Against the spread: Eagles 2-1; Buccaneers 2-1.

Series record: Buccaneers lead 13-11.

Last meeting: Buccaneers beat Eagles 33-16 on Sept. 29, 2024, in Tampa Bay.

Last week: Eagles beat Rams 33-26; Buccaneers beat Jets 29-27.

Eagles offense: overall (27), rush (14), pass (29), scoring (8)

Eagles defense: overall (11), rush (18), pass (24), scoring (15)

Buccaneers offense: overall (15), rush (7), pass (22), scoring (13)

Buccaneers defense: overall (11t), rush (6), pass (19), scoring (17)

Turnover differential: Eagles plus-2; Buccaneers plus-2.

Eagles player to watch

WR A.J. Brown. The three-time Pro Bowl wideout had six catches in the first two games before a breakout second half against the Rams. He had six catches for 109 yards and one touchdown. Brown didn’t play in the past two games vs. Tampa Bay because of injuries.

Buccaneers player to watch

TE Cade Otton. With Mike Evans sidelined by injury, Baker Mayfield may look more to his tight end even with rookie WR Emeka Egbuka emerging. Otton has 23 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns in four games that Evans has missed.

Key matchup

Eagles interior offensive line vs. Buccaneers NT Vita Vea. The Bucs have had better success stopping Philadelphia’s “tush push” mainly because of the presence of the 347-pound Vea in the middle of the defensive line. He’s also a big reason why the defense has held 11 straight opponents to under 100 yards rushing. The Eagles will look to get Saquon Barkley on track and will need left guard Landon Dickerson, center Cam Jurgens and right guard Tyler Steen to hold off Vea.

Key injuries

Eagles: LB Nolan Smith (biceps), WR Darius Cooper (shoulder) and CB Jakorian Bennett were placed on injured reserve this week. ... RT Lane Johnson is trying to return from a stinger. ... LB Zack Baun (knee), LB Jihaad Campbell (triceps) and CB Adoree’ Jackson (groin) didn’t practice on Wednesday.

Buccaneers: TE Ko Kieft (leg) was lost for the season. RT Luke Goedeke (foot) is out and G Cody Mauch (knee) is also done for the season. ... Evans (hamstring) is out. ... All-Pro LT Tristan Wirfs (knee) and WR Chris Godwin (ankle) are trying to return. ... DL Logan Hall (groin) and S Christian Izien (quad) didn’t practice Wednesday.

Series notes

The Buccaneers have dominated the series recently, going 4-1 against Jalen Hurts since 2021, including a pair of playoff wins. The Eagles lost 33-16 in Tampa in Week 4 last season, but have gone 19-1 since. Philadelphia defeated the Bucs on the road 25-11 in a Monday night game in Week 3 in 2023.

Stats and stuff

QB Jalen Hurts is 53-16 against the rest of the NFL since he became a full-time starter in 2021, excluding his 1-4 mark against the Bucs. He has five TD passes and five interceptions along with 131 yards rushing and four TDs rushing in five games against the Bucs. He’s been sacked 14 times and lost one fumble. ... RB Saquon Barkley is averaging 3.3 yards per carry after setting an NFL record with 2,504 yards rushing in the regular season and playoffs last year. He has 50-plus scrimmage yards in 22 straight games. ... WR A.J. Brown has 18 games with 100-plus receiving yards since 2022. ... . WR DeVonta Smith had eight catches for 148 yards in his previous game vs. the Bucs in a wild-card loss on Jan. 15, 2024. ... DT Jalen Carter had a blocked field goal last week. ... DT Jordan Davis had a blocked field goal and returned it for a TD to seal a win last week. ... The Buccaneers are the first team in the Super Bowl era to have a game-winning score in the final minute of the first three games. ... The Bucs have rushed for more than 100 yards in 17 games since start of last season. ... They’ve held 11 straight opponents to under 100 yards rushing. ... QB Baker Mayfield is the only player with a passer rating above 95 in three straight games. He had 347 yards passing and two TDs passing and one rushing in the previous meeting vs. Philadelphia. Mayfield leads the NFL with 75 TD passes since 2023. ... Rookie WR Emeka Egbuka has 14 catches for 181 yards and three TDs. ... CB Jamel Dean had a 55-yard pick-6 last week. ... S Antoine Winfield Jr. had his 18th sack and 12th forced fumble of his career in Week 3.

Fantasy tip

Brown could have a big game after the Eagles finally opened up their passing game in the second half against the Rams. He has 11 catches for 142 yards and one TD in two games vs. the Bucs but missed the past two matchups.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

 

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