Coming off a 20-19 loss to the Miami Dolphins last Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles try to get back on track against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon.
It'll be Mark Sanchez's first start of the season for the injured Sam Bradford (see game notes).
Can the Eagles get back to .500?
Our experts offer their predictions:
Reuben Frank (4-5)
Can't do it. Can't pick 'em. On paper, they're the better team. But on paper, they were the better team last week, too. And they had a 13-point lead. At home. Over a team that just fired its coach. And had nothing to play for. And didn't seem all too interested in even being there when the game began. And was playing for the third straight week on the road. And was missing both cornerbacks.
If the Eagles can't finish off the Dolphins, I sure am not going to pick them to beat the Buccaneers, who are similarly inconsistent but also young, fast, confident and athletic. I do think Mark Sanchez will play fairly well, but it's very hard for the Eagles to win when they can't run the ball, and Tampa is very tough to run against. The Eagles fall to 4-6.
Buccaneers 23, Eagles 17
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Derrick Gunn (3-6)
This Tampa Bay team is similar to Miami in the sense that it's a struggling team trying to find an identity, except the Bucs have a better defense.
The Bucs' D is seventh overall, 10th in pass defense and 12th against the run. It is a fast, rugged group that gets after the quarterback. Rookie QB Jameis Winston is far from a finished product, but he keeps getting better every week and it helps that he has a quality running back in Doug Martin behind him.
I do believe the Eagles will be motivated to play better after what happened to them against the Dolphins, but I can't overlook the fact that the Cowboys scored 27 points against the Eagles but were held to just six points against Tampa last Sunday.
Buccaneers 21, Eagles 20
Ray Didinger (3-6)
I'm still trying to figure out how the Eagles lost to Miami and now I have to predict the outcome of this game? Anyone who claims to have a handle on this team is kidding themselves. They are just good enough to win almost any week (OK, New England the week after next may be an exception) but they are also clumsy enough to lose every time out. The Miami game was a classic example of that.
Tampa Bay is a better team than the Dolphins and Jameis Winston is improving week by week. The Bucs' front seven on defense is good against the run but it has some holes in the secondary (opposing quarterbacks are completing almost 70 percent of their pass attempts). I think Mark Sanchez will run the offense well enough (remember how well he played in his first start last year?) and the defense will come up with a few turnovers and the Eagles will keep their season alive for another week.
Eagles 23, Buccaneers 17
John Gonzalez (5-4)
The Eagles are averaging a full touchdown less per game than a year ago. For all the improvement on the defensive side, this team’s success or failure has always been tethered to the offense.
Last season, the Eagles were third in points per game at 29.6. This season, they’ve dipped to 23.3 ppg. Here’s why that’s a problem: Under Kelly, the Eagles are 0-12 when they don’t score 24 or more points. That’s the bar they have to clear each week. Lucky for them, the Bucs give up 25.6 ppg — seventh worst in the league.
Eagles 27, Buccaneers 20
Corey Seidman (3-6)
Chip Kelly said this week the Eagles must know where Mike Evans is at all times. If Vincent Jackson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins are out, the Bucs' passing options will be limited again and Evans is worth doubling. Let Tampa's other receivers beat you.
As long as the Eagles can set an early tone on defense by stopping the run, they should be able to tee off on Jameis Winston and force multiple turnovers.
And as long as Mark Sanchez doesn't commit any back-breaking turnovers of his own, this should be a win that evens the Eagles' record at 5-5.
With Ryan Mathews out and Tampa's defense improving but still mediocre, this could be a huge game for DeMarco Murray.
Eagles 24, Buccaneers 13
Andrew Kulp (4-5)
The Eagles and Bucs have the same record heading into this meeting. Who would've guessed that when the schedule came out?
At this point, who knows what's going to happen. Trying to pick a winner based on any meaningful metric or film study hasn't served me well this season, so I'll try the random. The Bucs have the longest ongoing streak without back-to-back wins in the NFL, so since they were victorious last week, the Eagles take this one down.
Eagles 24, Buccaneers 21
Andy Schwartz (5-4)
I don't think Jameis Winston will beat the Eagles.
Then again, I didn't think Ryan Tannehill would either. (Granted, he didn't. The Eagles beat themselves blah blah blah.)
Regardless, I don't know what to think anymore about this team.
Except this: They're simply not very good. I'm done waiting for them to suddenly figure it out and turn into the Super Bowl contenders they were considered to be after Sam Bradford's mirage of a preseason performance against the Packers.
The Eagles should beat the Bucs. Will they? Ehh … well … sure. They'll find a way to string you along at least another week. Just don't pick them to cover the 6-point spread.
Eagles 23, Buccaneers 20
Dave Zangaro (4-1)
Can't pick the Eagles. Can't do it.
They lost their worst game of the season last week against the Dolphins after taking a big first-half lead. Good teams don't just win that game. Good teams put the short-handed Dolphins out of their misery early.
Tampa Bay doesn't have much firepower on offense but it does feature an exciting young quarterback who I think has a bright future in this league. I don't expect the Bucs to put up a ton of points against the Eagles. But then again, I don't expect the Eagles to put up a ton of points on a pretty good Tampa Bay defense.
This week, the Eagles are without their starting quarterback Sam Bradford — who has quietly played pretty well the last few weeks. Maybe Mark Sanchez will provide the spark this team needs but I just don't see it.
Buccaneers 20, Eagles 17