Buccaneers at Eagles: Bold predictions for Week 6

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1) are in Philadelphia this week taking on the Eagles (2-3). The Bucs are favorites for Thursday’s matchup under the lights, but the Eagles have shown they can give some headaches to their opposition in 2021 so far.

Check out which Bucs Nation staff writer makes the boldest claim for this week’s game below!

Bailey: I think the Bucs are going to have their hands full with Jalen Hurts in this one. He can extend plays and use his legs extremely well, and facing him on a short week—on the road—could be the recipe for a long night. However, the front seven could very well neutralize—or at least minimize—Hurts’ running ability by containing well and finishing sacks when the pocket collapses. The pass rush had no trouble getting to Jacoby Brissett this past Sunday, but bringing him down proved to be an issue. Not this time, my friends. The Bucs are going to get to Hurts and tally a season-high five sacks.

James: With Lavonte David missing this game, the defense will have to look to Devin White to step up even more. Jalen Hurts is the guy that can rip your heart out scrambling for a first down on 3rd-and-8. With David out, there's a hole in the middle of the defense that Hurts can absolutely exploit. So, White is going to step up and have himself a defensive trifecta - a sack, an interception, and a forced fumble. All of which are going to be sorely needed in another prime time game where the opponent matches up rather well against the Buccaneers.

David: Vita Vea is not a guy that shows up on the stat sheet often, but he’s someone that has an unmistakable impact on every game. This week, against a mobile Jalen Hurts, Vea will have his work cut out for him, collapsing the pocket and generating lots of pressure on the second year quarterback for Philadelphia. Well, this week Vea will show up on the stat sheet by generating a lot more than just pressure. Mark it down - two sacks for Vita Vea in prime time!

Mike: The Bucs typically don’t fair well against dual threat quarterbacks like Jalen Hurts, and the challenge only becomes more daunting without Lavonte David. The secondary has started to settle in more after injuries kept upending any sense of continuity, and I think we’ll see some splash plays from them this week to help out the front 7. I’m going in on Ross Cockrell, who has bounced back in a major way from early season struggles. He’ll get his first interception of the year to halt a pivotal Eagles drive at some point in the game.

Editor’s Pick by Gil Arcia: As Mike noted, the Bucs seem to always struggle a bit with quarterbacks that have gifted feet. They also tend to play “safe” defensively to keep throws in front of them and not give up big runs by the opposing quarterback. My pick this week is kind of two-fold. I like David’s prediction of Vea getting two sacks, but it’ll be part of what Bailey predicts will be a sack-filled evening for the Buccaneers defense in Philly.