Free-Falling Eagles Favored for Playoff Opener at Buccaneers
Eagles vs Buccaners Odds: Tampa Bay a 3-Point Home Underdog
The NFL Wild Card schedule will culminate on Monday with the Philadelphia Eagles visiting the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in primetime (8:15 p.m. ET). Philadelphia opened the season +800 to win the Super Bowl and spent several months as one of the favorites, but its recent slide has caused expectations to crater in the City of Brotherly Love.
Nevertheless, Philadelphia is a 3-point favorite over Tampa Bay and -160 on the moneyline, with Tampa Bay coming in at +140 to win outright. The projected total has remained relatively steady at 44.
Who has the edge? Read on as we break down the Eagles vs Buccaneers odds in our NFL playoff game preview.
Eagles vs Buccaneers 
Day/Time:
Location: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
Streaming: Watch Live Sports
Eagles vs Buccaneers Betting Trends
The Philadelphia Eagles have failed to cover in their last six NFL games and are 7-8-2 ATS, including 4-4-1 away from home. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 11-6 ATS but 3-5 at home. The Buccaneers went Under the total 11 times during the regular season, matching the second-highest rate (64.7%) in the NFL.
That’s important to remember when assessing the Eagles vs Buccaneers odds.
Philly Fade
The Eagles are limping (literally and figuratively) into the playoffs. They lost five of their last six games after a 10-1 start, and watched rival Dallas overtake them atop the NFC East. Their only win during that span was an underwhelming 33-25 victory over the Giants on Christmas.
Complicating matters, Philadelphia is also dealing with a slew of key NFL injuries to key NFL players, including receivers A.J. Brown (knee) and DeVonta Smith (ankle) and quarterback Jalen Hurts (finger). Although Nick Sirianni has expressed optimism about them being healthy for Monday, it remains to be seen whether they will be compromised at all.
Philadelphia still has better-than-average Super Bowl odds at +1800. But if the last month is any indication, it may be a short playoff stay for the defending NFC champions. After squandering the division title and the NFC’s No. 2 seed, Philadelphia will open the playoffs on the road where it went just 5-4 OU and 4-4-1 ATS.
Sirianni’s decision to play a majority of his starters in Week 18 backfired. With Smith, running back D’Andre Swift and cornerback Darius Slay already out with injuries, the Eagles lost safety Sydney Brown to a season-ending torn ACL. Brown, Hurts, guard Cam Jurgens (eye) and safety Reed Blankenship (groin) also left hurt. If that’s not bad enough, the Eagles, 5.5-point favorites, were largely outplayed in a 27-10 loss.
The Eagles rank eighth in total offense, but a compromised Hurts and injuries to the offensive line seem to have slowed them down. They’re averaging just 20.5 points since Week 13 on the NFL schedule.
Notably, the Eagles went 7-1 against the Over/Under at home but were just 2-7 on the road. Be sure to keep that in mind when analyzing the Eagles vs Buccaneers odds.
Baker’s Renaissance Fueling Tampa
The Buccaneers went 5-1 down the stretch and finished 9-8, clinching the NFC South title with a 9-0 shutout of Carolina in Week 18. A +700 longshot in the preseason, Tampa Bay overcome odds to win the division for the third straight season thanks to Baker Mayfield.
The former No. 1 overall pick enjoyed a resurgence with Tampa Bay, passing for 4,044 yards, 28 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions.
Tampa Bay is the third biggest Super Bowl longshot at +6000. In a top-heavy NFC, it has a lot of obstacles to overcome. But that shouldn’t make a difference this week.
The Buccaneers were especially profitable for bettors, going 11-6 ATS. Their cover rate of 64.7% matched the second-highest in the NFL. They covered in four of their last five games, including their last three as an underdog. They were 4.5-point favorites against Carolina last week.
While Tampa Bay been vulnerable defensively, its ability to bend but not break continues to pay dividends.Despite allowing the 10th most yards, Tampa Bay held opponents to an average of just 19.1 points. It produced the seventh most sacks in the league and finished with a plus-8 turnover differential.
As as underdog, Tampa Bay went 5-6 SU but 8-3 ATS.
Handicapping the Game
Philadelphia overwhelmed Tampa Bay 25-11 in Week 3, rushing for 201 yards while controlling the clock for over 38 minutes. No doubt, it was impressive. But more than three months later, there’s little bettors can take from that matchup. So much has changed — in Philadelphia’s case, for the worse.
Early money is on the Eagles, who have gone from 2.5-point favorites to -3, Bettors may bank on their ability to bounce back and recapture their championship form before it’s too late. At the same time, Philadelphia’s recent struggles seem to be more than simply a mirage.
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