When: 8:15 PM ET, Monday, January 15, 2024
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won five of their last six games and the Philadelphia Eagles lost five of their last six.
More significant than the opposite paths that brought them here is the shared outlook for Monday: All that matters at present is the NFL wild-card game in Tampa, Fla.
“We need all players, coaches, all staff, all hands on deck, leaving everything they’ve got in this locker room because everybody’s 0-0 going into this week,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said.
After a 10-1 start, Philadelphia ended the regular season Sunday with a listless 27-10 loss to the New York Giants that included injuries to quarterback Jalen Hurts (finger) and wide receiver A.J. Brown (knee). Brown is out for Monday’s game, which pushes DeVonta Smith into the lead receiver role Monday.
Hurts dislocated his right middle finger against the Giants but is all set to play. Hurts was a full practice participant on Friday and Saturday.
After a 3-5 start, Tampa Bay clinched the NFC South on Sunday with three field goals by Chase McLaughlin in a 9-0 defeat of the league-worst Carolina Panthers.
Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles doesn’t care whether his Buccaneers (9-8) score nine points or 99 against the Eagles.
“As long as we have one more point than they have, that’s what we are looking for right now,” Bowles said. “We want to have consistency all the way around, but the object is to win the game by any means necessary.”
In Week 3, Philadelphia beat host Tampa Bay 25-11. Hurts accounted for two touchdowns, D’Andre Swift rushed for 130 yards and Brown caught nine passes for 131 yards to lead the Eagles.
The Bucs trailed 25-3 before scoring on Baker Mayfield’s 1-yard pass to Mike Evans with 9:22 left. Philly finished with massive edges in yards (472-174), first downs (27-12) and time of possession (38:55 to 21:05).
“It doesn’t compare because we played (the Eagles) so early in the year,” Bowles said. “We were still growing, (and) I’m sure they were still growing. You know, playoff time is different, it’s one and done, everybody is nicked up and everybody is hurt. It’s just a matter of who makes the most mistakes.”
Mistakes, missed tackles and missed opportunities fueled Philadelphia’s late-season collapse. The Eagles (11-6) turned the ball over 12 times, allowed 136.7 rushing yards per game and converted only 49 percent (38 of 77) of their chances on third down over the last six games.
Only the Arizona Cardinals (26.8) and Washington Commanders (30.5) surrendered more points per game than the Eagles (25.2) this season.
“When you get hit in life, when you get hit in football, you’ve got two options: You can stay down, or you can get up,” Sirianni said. “I know this group is fighters. I know this group will get up. I know that we’ve all had to deal with (expletive), and we know how to get up.”
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield has taken his share of hits this season, too. He played through rib and ankle issues against the Panthers but is on a roll entering his first playoff game since the 2020 season with the Cleveland Browns. He passed for 1,456 yards with 11 touchdowns, three interceptions and a 100.6 rating during the 5-1 finish.
Mayfield was listed as questionable on Saturday due to those ankle and rib injuries. He was a limited practice participant for the second straight day after missing Thursday’s session.
Linebacker K.J. Britt (calf) and defensive back Josh Hayes (quadriceps, knee) also are questionable for Tampa Bay. Defensive tackle Mike Greene was ruled out.
Safety Sydney Brown (knee) also was listed as out for the Eagles. Safety Reed Blankenship (groin) is questionable.
This is the sixth time the Buccaneers and Eagles have met in the postseason, with Tampa Bay holding a 3-2 lead and having won the most recent meeting two years ago on wild-card weekend.
–Field Level Media
