The Philadelphia Eagles will be taking on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a showdown on Monday Night Football. While both teams have remained undefeated through two weeks, neither has looked all that spectacular. The Philadelphia Eagles are looking to get back on track, dominating the league, but the Buccaneers could have a thing or two to say about that. Here are three things to expect in the prime-time battle.
AJ Brown Masterclass
Emotions have been high through two weeks for the Eagles’ top receiver as he hasn’t been having the season he would like. Through two games, Brown has caught 11 receptions for 108 yards. While this isn’t terrible, this could easily be a stat line from a single game for Brown.
Frustrated, Brown got into it on the sideline with Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni on Thursday night against the Minnesota Vikings. After this conversation, Hurts targeted Brown twice on two deep touchdown attempts. One got called back, the other was ruled incomplete after a clear missed pass interference call. Based on their decision to target Brown after the incident on the sideline, it should be expected that he will be targeted quite a few times in tonight’s game. More specifically, Hurts will likely get the opportunity to air it out to Brown at least once.
Buccaneers Will Slow Down D’Andre Swift
D’Andre Swift had the game of his life on Thursday, rushing for 175 yards and a touchdown against the Vikings. After getting practically no touches in week one against the New England Patriots, there were no expectations for him to do much. Not only did he exceed expectations, he put the league on notice. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they will be playing a very solid run defense, which could force the Eagles to be a pass-first offense against the Buccaneers. This is yet another reason why Brown will have a great chance at a bounce-back game.
Tampa Bay will certainly be preparing for the run more than anything, so Swift will have a much more challenging game ahead of him. He will still likely have a decent game, but to expect him to have over 100 yards and a touchdown again would be ridiculous.
Jalen Hurts Gets Eagles’ Passing Game Back on Track
Like Brown, Hurts has also gotten off to a slow start. Aside from the second half against the Vikings, he hasn’t looked all that great. Granted, rain has seemed to be a repeated issue for the Eagles, causing them to steer away from letting Hurts’ arm control the game. They have also had difficulties with their offensive line giving Hurts little-to-no time in the pocket.
That said, being forced to go pass-heavy tonight should get the passing game back on track. Hurts and Brown should aid each other to the bounce-back games that both of them need to have. If the rain can be kept to a minimum, Hurts should be able to deliver.
