Yesterday we talked about some players on the Bucs that could give the Eagles a hard time. Guys like Mike Evans, Vita Vea, and Chris Godwin could cause problems for the Eagles. But now let’s get to why they are heavy road favorites heading into Monday Night.

As of Friday, the Eagles were 5-point favorites despite being on the road. Draft Kings had them as -218 on the money line. Vegas seems to feel pretty good about the Eagles leaving with a win, even if they don’t think they will cover. And for good reason. The Eagles came into this season as one of the Super Bowl Favorites. Meanwhile many pegged the Bucs as one of the worst teams in the league.

And yet, both enter week 3 2-0. The Birds needed ugly wins over the Patriots and Vikings. They looked better in week 2, but still not as good as we all expected them to be.  Meanwhile, the Bucs needed an ugly win over the Vikings in week 1, but then dominated the Bears last week. Baker Mayfield has played way better than anyone thought he would.

Both teams have been surprising in different ways. But this could be a week where both teams start to meet expectations. For the Eagles, that means playing very well. But for the Bucs, that may mean not looking very good.

What can they do against the Buccaneers to get back on track though? Let’s break down the matchups that most favor the Eagles. Will Jalen Carter continue to dominate in his rookie season? Will Jalen Hurts finally find his groove through the air?

Here Are 3 Matchups That Heavily Favor the Eagles:

• Eagles Pass Rush vs the Bucs 0-Line

  The Eagles haven’t racked up the Sacks early on, but they are getting a lot of pressure on the QB. Jalen Carter and Josh Sweat are both in the top 5 for total pressures. And Jordan Davis is also getting to the QB a ton. And they get to go up against a very banged-up Bucs O-Line now.

  Tristian Wirfs is a star and should give Josh Sweat a hard time. But the right side of their line is an issue. Center Ryan Jensen is out of the year. They have a rookie, Cody Mauch, at RG and he has struggled in two games. And at RT they have Luke Goedeke who struggled as the RG last year. Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Fletcher Cox, and Milton Williams should all continue to have a great season. And this may be the week Haason Reddick breaks out.  

  PFF College on Twitter: "Jalen Carter: 11 QB Pressures this seasonLeads all Defensive Tackles🦅 pic.twitter.com/z3iZOQoFPC / Twitter"

  Jalen Carter: 11 QB Pressures this seasonLeads all Defensive Tackles🦅 pic.twitter.com/z3iZOQoFPC

• Eagles Run Defense vs the Bucs RBs

  The Eagles have one of the best-run defenses in the league through two games. The Bucs running game has been one of the worst. They are averaging 2.9 yards per carry, while the Eagles give up just 3.4 per carry. The Patriots and Vikings basically had no run game to speak of vs. the Eagles. So the already one-dimensional Bucs offense should be even more so Monday Night. But that was the case last week for the Bucs, and they were still able to put up numbers.  

   

• Eagles WRs vs the Bucs Secondary

  We talked about how the Bucs WRs could give the Eagles banged-up secondary some problems in yesterday’s article, but the Eagles WRs are equally capable of terrorizing the Bucs secondary. The Eagles’ passing game has been slow to get off the ground, but this may be the matchup to get them going. The Vikings put up big numbers on them in week 1, but Fields was too busy running into sacks in week 2 to put up big numbers.  

  AJ Brown has been somewhat quiet so far this season. But after hearing about that video of him complaining to Hurts all week, he is likely ready to go off. And Smith is just looking to continue what he did vs. the Vikings. Dont be surprised if both of them, and Jalen Hurts, all have big games on Monday.

  John Clark on Twitter: "DeVonta Smith just caught a 63 yard TD pass from Jalen HurtsThe longest of Smith's career surpassing his earlier catch of 54 yards.Skinny Batman with 123 yards tonight 27-7 Eagles pic.twitter.com/DNrCpD43Fk / Twitter"

  DeVonta Smith just caught a 63 yard TD pass from Jalen HurtsThe longest of Smith's career surpassing his earlier catch of 54 yards.Skinny Batman with 123 yards tonight 27-7 Eagles pic.twitter.com/DNrCpD43Fk

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