NFC Wild Card
(7) Philadelphia Eagles at (2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Eagles: Remember yesterday when I said there were two complete surprises in this playoff bracket? The Bengals were one of them. This is the other. After the firing of Doug Pederson, the trading of Carson Wentz, hiring a new head coach, and a first-year starting quarterback, everything I listed just screams rebuild, doesn’t it? In their final nine games of the regular season, the Eagles won seven of them. They’ve done it with a consistent rushing attack. As I always say, running the ball isn’t completely lost in the game today. The one problem I have with their attack is Jalen Hurts being the leading rusher of the entire team. This goes back to me saying that your starting quarterback shouldn’t be your leading passer and rusher. Let him stay within one lane. This Philly offense has some nice weapons in the passing game. Dallas Goedert as your tight end, DeVonta Smith on the outside with Jalen Reagor and Greg Ward in the slot. Everyone criticized them after the loss on Saturday to the Cowboys, but that was a game that didn’t mean much to them because they were already locked into the seventh seed on the playoff bracket. This Sunday, they face the defending champions looking for some revenge from a regular-season loss.
Buccaneers: It was a different year for them. They won the NFC South which shouldn’t be a shocker to anyone. The Falcons aren’t that strong of a football team, the Panthers are nowhere close to competing and it’s safe to say the Saints aren’t a bad team, this was an adjustment year for them without Drew Brees. This was the year where you saw the quarterback become more comfortable within the system and he put up his best statistical season in his legendary career. Tom Brady continues to show why he’s still one of the best playing his position even at the age of 44. I said this earlier in the year, it seems as if when he throws the ball, I see more zip within his passes. The Buccaneers have one of the best passing attacks in the NFL. What hurts them is the loss of Chris Godwin and I always say he’s their most important offensive player because he does the little things so consistently. Replacing him isn’t easy. Antonio Brown would’ve been that guy but he had to be boneheaded. What has concerned me about the defending champions has been their defense actually and if you remember around this time last year, they played their best when it mattered most. This year, teams don’t fear them as we saw. They kick off the title defense on Sunday.
Eagles X-Factor: Javon Hargrave– If you watch the Eagles defense, pay close attention to Javon. He’s well balanced in stopping the run and he can rush the passer from the interior of the defensive line. Javon is a pure bull rusher and has a habit of pushing offensive linemen into their quarterbacks. He’s so violent when the ball is snapped. I’ve seen him rip through people, then pursue the ball.
Buccaneers X-Factor: Rob Gronkowski– Brady loves to attack where when he’s back to throw? The middle of the field. Who’s been his most reliable target? Gronk! Usually, Chris Godwin would be the one guy Tom targets consistently. I see Byron Leftwich drawing up plays to find the best possible mismatch for the veteran tight end. He’s been used wide before. There’s not a single defender on the Eagles in their secondary that can cover him unless they’re an uber-athletic safety.
Final Thoughts: This will be the 46th career playoff game for Tom Brady. That’s remarkable. The playoffs are what separates him from other quarterbacks because he’s consistently done it when it’s mattered. The bigger the stage, the brighter the moments, the better he’s been. The Eagles will need to control the clock and win the time of possession battle to have a chance. This Tampa run defense hasn’t been as strong as it’s sought out to be. Also, they can’t get into a shootout with this Bucs offense because that won’t work out for them. For Tampa, they will have to persevere without some key guys. Expect Brady to target Scotty Miller and Tyler Johnson more. I’ve seen him make it work with Kenbrell Thompkins and Aaron Dobson as his top targets. I see this being closer than people anticipate.
Prediction: Buccaneers 28, Eagles 24
