Buccaneers (4-5) at Eagles (4-5)
1 p.m. on FOX
Eagles favored by 6
The 4-5 Eagles look to get back on track in Week 11 when they take on the 4-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers led by 2015 No. 1 overall draft pick Jameis Winston.
There's still plenty on the line, particularly for the Birds, in what is yet another crucial matchup concerning their postseason hopes.
Here are five things you need to know:
1. Sanchez time
Sam Bradford may be out, but it's not as if the Eagles are incapable of winning games with Mark Sanchez at the helm. The seventh-year veteran kept the team afloat in 2014, at least for a little while, doing his part in guiding the team to wins in relief of Nick Foles and in three of his first four starts.
Unfortunately, things unraveled for Sanchez from there. A three-game losing streak drove the Eagles right out of the playoff hunt, and only a meaningless win in Week 17 bumped his record back to .500.
Now the Eagles once again are forced turn to Sanchez in a pivotal spot late in the season. Can the backup quarterback keep the team alive and in the playoff picture? He may need to keep his head on a swivel if he's to have any chance.
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2. Pressure's on
Bradford is out, of course, in part because of the offensive line's meltdown against the Miami Dolphins last week. The starting signal-caller was sacked four times in the loss, while he and Sanchez were hit on an additional 11 pass attempts.
Much of that pressure was coming up the middle, where All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh wreaked havoc, and now the Eagles face another force on the interior in Gerald McCoy. A three-time Pro Bowler, McCoy can be equally as disruptive, and has already tallied 4½ sacks in 2015.
The play of left guard Allen Barbre, center Jason Kelce and right guard Matt Tobin has been up and down all season. They'll have to pull together and keep McCoy out of the backfield to give Sanchez — not to mention the Eagles' ground attack — any chance.
3. Get Sproles going
While there's been much debate as to which running back should carry the load — DeMarco Murray or Ryan Mathews — a third option has curiously gone missing. At least, we haven't seen many big plays from Darren Sproles this season.
Sproles arguably was the Eagles' most valuable player in 2014. Whenever the team needed a big catch, run or return, it seemed to come from him. Yet so far this season, the 32-year-old back has only 342 yards of total offense, is averaging less than 4.0 yards per rushing attempt and has found the end zone only twice in nine games.
Mathews is out this week, which means there's no question who will carry the load. However, it might behoove the Eagles to get Sproles a little more involved in the offense, because good things always seem to happen when he gets touches.
4. Two in a row?
In what must certainly be one of the more dubious streaks in the NFL, if not all of professional sports, no team in the league has gone longer than the Bucs without back-to-back wins. It's been 31 games — or nearly two full seasons — since they pulled off such a feat. The next closest team is the Tennessee Titans at 26.
That being said, the Bucs will have a chance to put that talk to rest against the Eagles on Sunday. Tampa Bay is coming off of a victory over the Dallas Cowboys and will be looking to make it two in a row for the first time since 2013.
Or it might be a reason to like the Eagles' odds this week. The Bucs are certainly an improving franchise, but futility like that doesn't just wash away overnight.
5. Not out of it yet
The NFC East is, shall we say, not good. All the Eagles have to do is start stringing a few wins together and they could find themselves ahead of the pack in no time. In fact, the Eagles could find themselves in a tie for first place with a win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.
You may be wondering why that matters, as this mediocre Eagles squad doesn't appear poised to serve as much of a threat in the playoffs. Of course, that's been said of other teams in the NFL and other sports that got hot at the right time and went on a run.
The Eagles' season is still alive, and a win puts them in a rather remarkable position considering their record. Hey, it's a glimmer of hope at least.