The Philadelphia Eagles will travel to Tampa to take on the Bucs in a Monday night wild card showdown. Let’s check out the latest NFL odds and keep cashing our NFL picks!
Picks Summary
- Bucs +3 (-127)
- Under 44 (-110)
*All odds from Caesars Sportsbook (check our Caesars Sportsbook Review)
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Monday, January 15, 2024 – 08:15 PM EDT at Raymond James Stadium
Stat Trifecta
- Philadelphia is 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games.
- Philadelphia is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games against an NFC opponent.
- Tampa Bay is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games.
Broken Wings
It’s hard to fathom that the Eagles began the season winning 10 of their first 11 games. However, a date with the powerhouse 49ers exposed Philadelphia and sent them to their second loss of the season, a 42-19 thrashing in front of the Eagles’ astonished fans.
Including that December 3rd setback, the Eagles are 1-5 straight up and 0-6 against the spread over their last six contests. It’s not the way a team wants to enter the postseason, especially when their season finale was a 27-10 loss to one of the worst teams in the league, the New York Giants.
As if things weren’t dire enough for the Eagles, Jalen Hurts suffered a finger injury while his top two targets, DeVonta Smith (ankle) and A.J. Brown (knee), may not be able to play on Monday. We can add running back D’Andre Swift and starting cornerback, Darius Slay, to the list of Philadelphia’s walking wounded.
Bucs Wins NFC South Title
It may have been gritty but it was far from pretty as the Bucs claimed a lackluster 9-0 win over the dismal Carolina Panthers to capture the NFC South crown in a photo-finish with the Saints. As we all know, they don’t award points for style, just wins, and the Bucs did just that in their regular season finale in Carolina.
Tampa Bay kicker, Chase McLaughlin, supplied the only offense in the game with successful field goals of 36, 57, and 39 yards in Tampa Bay’s shutout victory. Baker Mayfield returned to action for the Bucs but was held to just 137 yards through the air with no touchdowns or picks. As for the rushing game, Rachaad White led the Bucs’ ground-and-pound with 75 yards on 19 carries.
But the credit for the critical victory goes to the defense. Tampa’s defenders held Bryce Young to a meager 94 yards, sacking the rookie signal-caller on three occasions. Meanwhile, the Panthers’ ground game was able to chew up 131 yards led by Chuba Hubbard with 83 of those rushing yards on 23 carries.
The Pick
I know, it’s tough to bet on the Bucs. They’ve got a barely middling offense that averages 20.5 points per game and a rushing offense that is dead last, averaging 88.8 yards per game. However, their defense won the last game they played and they will win this one as well.
Tampa Bay allows 19.1 points per game, good for 7th in that category, while their run-stop unit ranks No. 5, surrendering just 93.2 yards per game. But here’s the thing, the Bucs are healthy. Although their offense is not explosive, they are playing an Eagles’ defense that has allowed an average of 264 yards per game and 11 aerial TDs over their last five losses.
But now the Eagles could be without three of their four most explosive weapons with DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, and D’Andre Swift on the sidelines while their fourth, Jalen Hurts, will likely be less than 100% if he does suit up. This is not the Philadelphia Eagles my friends, this is a MASH unit.
I suspect the Bucs will be able to move the ball through the air against the Eagles 31st ranked pass defense, one that could be without starting cornerback, Darius “Big Play” Slay. I’m not a Mayfield fan, but he has this quirky ability to make plays when his team needs them the most.
As I take a look at the very early NFL odds on this Monday morning writing, I see that most of the books are dealing the visiting Eagles as 2½ point favorites and I have to ask myself, why?
Oh, I know why. The public doesn’t read injury reports they just look at the jerseys and the final regular season record. Before this game kicks off I suspect it will drift to Philly -3 until the wise guys pounce on Tampa, and then it will fall back down to -2½.
Well, I’m going to buy the half-point and get the Bucs at +3 for the simple reason that I refuse to lose by a hook. I believe the Bucs will win this one outright, and if you’re bold enough to make that moneyline wager, you can get Tampa Bay at +125 over at Bet365 (check our Bet365 Review).
NFL Pick: Bucs +3 (-127) buying the half point at Caesars Sportsbook
NFL Pick: Under 44 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook
*The line and/or odds referenced in this article might have changed since the content was published. For the latest information on line movements, visit OddsTrader’s free betting odds tool.
