All signs point to early playoff exit for Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1). Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

All signs point to an early playoff exit for the Philadelphia Eagles

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 1/8/24

The city of Philadelphia is rich with history, but its playoff history with Tampa Bay isn’t good, especially when its football team plays at Raymond James Stadium.

The Eagles and Buccaneers have met five times in the playoffs. Tampa holds a 3-2 edge with both losses coming in Philadelphia. The Bucs are undefeated against Philly in home playoff games, including one matchup the Eagles quarterback would like to forget.

At the end of the 2021 season, Jalen Hurts’ first as a starter, the Eagles traveled to face the defending Super Bowl champions in the NFC wild-card round. Tom Brady’s Buccaneers dominated Philadelphia 31-15 as Hurts did almost nothing until the fourth quarter.

Hurts went 23-of-43 with a pair of interceptions, two sacks and a fumble and finished with a dismal 60.0 quarterback rating. Some say he atoned for the loss with a 25-11 victory over Tampa in Week 3, but it was hardly the quarterback’s best game.

Even with 277 yards and a touchdown, he still threw a pair of interceptions, his first of five games with multiple interceptions in what’s been an up-and-down year for Hurts and the team. After starting the season 10-1, the Eagles lost five of their last six games to finish with an 11-6 record.

"The way that team came out today — I'm embarrassed for them."

The Eagles Postgame Live crew is sounding off after the regular season finale against the Giants. pic.twitter.com/2CObqJhpvm
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) January 8, 2024

Tampa Bay did just the opposite. After going 3-1 to start the season, the Buccaneers lost six of their next seven games before rebounding to win five of their last six matchups while allowing only 14.6 points per game.

The Eagles finished 2022 with the league’s second-ranked defense, but they’ve been somewhat of a dumpster fire ever since. Only the Commanders (30.5) and Cardinals (26.8) gave up more points per game than the Eagles (25.2) and only Washington (4,457) gave up more yards through the air than Philadelphia (4,296) in the regular season.

Despite this, oddsmakers currently have the Eagles as 2.5-point favorites over the Buccaneers on Monday. That number could always change, especially if Hurts' dislocated finger gets any worse.

Hurts injured his hand in the second quarter but stayed in the game before being pulled for Marcus Mariota just before halftime. Add in leg injuries to wide receiver A.J. Brown and safety Sydney Brown and things aren’t looking good for Philadelphia in the NFC playoffs.

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