Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Philadelphia Eagles Prediction, Pick and Preview, October 14 (10/14): NFL Week 6

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Philadelphia Eagles Prediction, Pick and Preview, October 14 (10/14): NFL Week 6

  • Ajay
  • Ajay
  • Oct 12, 2021, 10:45:01 PM

Credit: photo by Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

 
Odds
Time 8:20 p.m. EST
Buccaneers money line -278
Buccaneers spread -6.5
Eagles money line +265
Eagles spread +7
Over / under 52.5

 

2021 season stats
  Buccaneers  Eagles
Record 4-1 2-3
Road / home record 1-1 0-2
Points per game 33.4 23.0
Points allowed per game 24.4 24.8
Pass yards per game 349 256
Rush yards per game 82 116
Total yards per game 444 389
Total yards allowed per game 360 337
Turnover ratio +3 +1

 

Preview

The Eagles finally got another win on the season after fending off the Panthers 21-18. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for Philly who is now 2-3 and 3rd in the NFC East, two games behind the division leaders Dallas.  Next, they host Brady and the Bucs who are coming off of a win as well.  Tampa Bay's offense put up 45 points against the Dolphins in Week 5 and their defense held the opposing offense to 17 points for the second week in a row.  The Bucs are 4-1 and leading the NFC South, but the chasing Panthers and Saints are both only a game behind.  

The last time the Eagles and Bucs squared off was in Week 2 of the 2018 season when Philly was the reigning Super Bowl Champions.  They lost that matchup 27-21 at the Raymond James Stadium.  This time the tables have turned and the Bucs are the reigning champions and the venue has switched to Lincoln Financial Field.  This Thursday night meeting is an important game for both teams trying to keep pace in their respective divisions.

Offensive matchup

Jalen Hurts was held to less than 200 passing yards in Week 4 after back-to-back weeks with over 300 yards, but the Bucs defense may present a more favorable matchup for the second-year QB.  The former Alabama signal caller has thrown for 1,365 yards this season and is averaging 273 yards per game with 7 TD and 3 INT.  Rookie Devona Smith has been the team's leading wideout with 314 yards and 1 TD.  Quez Watkins and tight end Dallas Goedert have both contributed with 267 and 216 yards through the air, respectively.  Philly's running game has almost been non-existent.  Hurts is the team's leading rusher with 256 yards while last year's leader Miles Sanders has 214 yards off 48 carries. 

The Bucs offense is averaging 29.3 points in the last three games, the 4th highest in the league over that span.  At present, Chris Godwin, Mike Evans and Antonio Brown have over 300 receiving yards and are all on course to have over 1,000 yards in 2021.  Brady leads the league in passing yards with 1,767 and has already racked up 15 TD with only 2 picks.  Their ground game hasn't been very consistent. Leonard Fournette is the Bucs' only rusher in triple figures in rushing yards this season.  He has 251 off 56 carries.  Gronkowski is still missing due to a rib injury, but Bernard, Brown and Godwin were all participants in practice on Monday. 

Defensive matchup

The Eagles' pass defense is actually the 3rd best in the league only falling behind the Panthers' and Bills'.  Against Carolina in Week 5, their defense held each Panthers wideout to less than 50 yards through the air.  THe did give up 101 rushing yards to Chubba Hubbard, however.  Linebacker Alex Singleton has 52 tackles which are 3rd best in the league this season and defensive tackle Javon Hargave is joint-third in tackles for losses with 7.  Darius Slay has also come up big with 2 INT on the season.

The Bucs still have the worst passing defense in the entire NFL.  Their secondary is leaking 314 yards per game but by contrast, the Bucs have the best rush defense in the league giving up only 229 rushing yards in 5 games.  Injuries are still plaguing the Super Bowl champs' defense.  Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles has been able to get their defensive unit to be a more cohesive unit in the past two games, but neither the Pats nor the Dolphins are an adequate litmus test.  

Prediction

Tom Brady has been reportedly dealing with a thumb issue but is still expected to play this game.  There will be some lingering injury woes for both teams going into Thursday night.  Philly's defense hasn't met an offense with a wide receiver corps like Tampa Bay's this season, so expect Brady to be able to get the ball to at least one of his major playmakers.  He's also been able to get Tyler Johnson in the passing game as the team's 5th option when all else fails.  There's potential for the Eagles to put up points, but not more than a Bucs' offense which ranks 3rd all season in total yardage, especially against an Eagles team that is winless at home playing in a shortened week.

PICK: Buccaneers money line (-278)

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