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Sam Badford is injured again, which means the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will likely face Mark Sanchez on Sunday -- the first time ever the Bucs play him. That's according to Ian Rapoport's reporting, who notes he could miss next Thursday's game as well.
Based on initial tests, #Eagles QB Sam Bradford expected to miss this Sunday & potentially Thursday, I’m told. Expect Mark Sanchez to start.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 16, 2015
So that means the Bucs get to face the Sanchize, who everyone remembers for the butt-fumble but actually put up some decent statistics last year. 198 completions on 309 attempts for 2,418 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions is solid for a backup quarterback and those numbers are all better than what Bradford has been putting up this season.
A performance up to that level could certainly be good enough to beat the Bucs, given the struggles the Bucs have been experiencing in the secondary. Of course, the Bucs defense has also been playing better in recent weeks. As happened last year, we might be seeing a late-season improvement on defense as the Bucs get used to the scheme and the coaches' demands, and they could make Sanchez's life pretty difficult. But looking at his recent production, he's no more a walkover than Bradford would have been.