Eagles open as heavy favorites against Buccaneers in Week 3
The Philadelphia Eagles open their Week 3 primetime contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as 6.5-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. That's a nice line, considering this Eagles team hasn't quite looked like NFC champions to start the season, despite winning their first two games against the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings. As for […]
The Philadelphia Eagles open their Week 3 primetime contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as 6.5-point favorites, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
That's a nice line, considering this Eagles team hasn't quite looked like NFC champions to start the season, despite winning their first two games against the New England Patriots and Minnesota Vikings.
As for the Bucs, they've also kicked off the 2023 season undefeated, beating the Vikings in Week 1 and the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
While both of these two teams were able to beat the Vikings, they both struggled, specifically in the passing game with Baker Mayfield being held to just 174 yards on 34 attempts and Jalen Hurts throwing for 193 yards on 23 attempts.
Mayfield and company enter this matchup coming off a solid performance against the Bears where the Bucs QB tossed for 317 yards and a score. Veteran wide receiver Mike Evans popped off for the second straight week, catching six of Mayfield's passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.
The Bucs' defense mirrored the offense's success, registering 10 quarterback hits, six total sacks, and two interceptions. Sure, it was just the Bears that they beat but this Bucs team has looked surprisingly solid early in the season under a completely new offensive system.
The Eagles, on the other hand, have been totally inconsistent on both sides of the ball. However, they could be getting some of their key playmakers on defense back this week, which could be one of the reasons why they're such heavy favorites. Another could be that this game isn't until Monday night, meaning the Eagles have 11 days to prepare with some extra rest in between.
Still, 6.5-points is a bit too generous for a team that struggled to beat two mediocre teams.
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