Surprising Buccaneers face defending NFC champion Eagles in prime-time matchup of unbeaten teams

PHILADELPHIA (2-0) at TAMPA BAY (2-0)

Monday, 7:15 p.m. EDT, ABC

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK NFL LINE: Eagles by 5½.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Philadelphia 2-0; Tampa Bay 2-0.

SERIES RECORD: Buccaneers lead 11-10, including postseason.

LAST MEETING: Buccaneers beat Eagles 31-15 on Jan. 16, 2022, in NFC wild-card game in Tampa, Fla.

LAST WEEK: Eagles beat Vikings 34-28 in Philadelphia; Buccaneers defeated Bears 27-17 at home.

EAGLES OFFENSE: OVERALL (11), RUSH (2), PASS (29), SCORING (5).

EAGLES DEFENSE: OVERALL (26), RUSH (1), PASS (31), SCORING (16).

BUCCANEERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (13), RUSH (19), PASS (9), SCORING (16).

BUCCANEERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (2), PASS (24), SCORING (T-8).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Eagles plus 4; Buccaneers plus-5.

EAGLES PLAYER TO WATCH: RB D’Andre Swift ran a for career-best 175 yards on 28 carries in last week’s win over the Vikings. The Bucs defense has limited opponents to 52 yards per game rushing. Only the Eagles (51) have been better stopping the run.

BUCCANEERS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Baker Mayfield has played turnover-free ball through two games, helping the Bucs to a surprising 2-0 start. His 104.4 passer rating is the highest of his career at this point in a season. He’s been especially good on third down, completing 20 of 23 passes (87 percent) for 201 yards and two touchdowns.

KEY MATCHUP: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts against a rejuvenated Tampa Bay defense coming off limiting the Bears to 236 yards. With eight sacks and five takeaways through two games, the unit led by Shaquil Barrett, Devon White and Lavonte David appears to be back on track after being inconsistent last season. Hurts has won 19 of his past 20 regular season starts. Only five other quarterbacks —Tom Brady (twice), Patrick Mahomes, Jim McMahon, Peyton Manning and Joe Montana — have accomplished that during the Super Bowl era.

KEY INJURIES: Eagles WR Quez Watkins (hamstring) was limited during last week’s win over Minnesota. His status for Monday night is uncertain. The Bucs placed backup RB Chase Edmonds (knee) on injured reserve early in the week. CB Carlton Davis (toe) and DL Calijah Kancey (calf) did not play against the Bears. A decision on their availability may not be made until the weekend.

SERIES NOTES: The Buccaneers have won four straight in the series, including an NFC wild-card playoff victory two seasons ago. They are 2-0 against Hurts, who also lost a regular-season game to Tampa Bay in 2021.

STATS AND STUFF: This is the only Week 3 matchup featuring unbeaten teams. ... The Eagles, who won their first eight games a year ago, are looking to start 3-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992-93. Tampa Bay last started 3-0 in 2005. ... The Bucs (plus-5) and Eagles (plus 4) rank second and third in the league in turnover ratio behind Dallas (plus 7). ... Eagles QB Jalen Hurt has been sacked seven times in two games. He ran for two touchdowns last week against the Vikings. His next game with multiple TDs rushing will be the 10th of his career, tying Cam Newton’s NFL record for a quarterback. ... Bucs WR Mike Evans had six receptions for 171 yards and a touchdown against the Bears. He’s the only player in the league who had six-plus catches and a TD in Weeks 1 and 2. ... Bucs WR Chris Godwin has six or more catches in a franchise-best 16 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL.

FANTASY TIP: Evans had nine receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown the previous time the Bucs faced the Eagles (Tampa Bay’s 31-15 NFC wild-card playoff win in January 2022). He also has a knack for shining in prime time, with at least five catches and a TD in six of seven Monday night games.

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