Eagles open as big favorites on the road against Buccaneers in Week 3

The Birds are looking to go 3-0.

The Philadelphia Eagles started off slow against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football, but ended up running the ball down their throats to victory. The Birds have 11 days until they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, and this mini-bye week is coming at a great time for a roster that’s already banged up.

Still, injuries aren’t affecting the outlook for this game, with the Eagles opening as 6.5-point favorites on the road in Week 3, according to our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook.

This is a pretty generous line given that the Buccaneers are also 2-0 heading into the matchup, but their win over the Bears in Week 2 probably didn’t give them much of a boost, if not solely because of their opponent. The offense had a big game under QB Baker Mayfield, who threw for over 300 yards, including six passes to WR Mike Evans for 171 total yards and a touchdown.

The Bucs defense also had an impactful game, holding the Bears to 17 points, and recording 10 QB hits, 6 total sacks, and 2 interceptions. It’s certainly a good group, with a quality coach, but they were also playing Chicago, who isn’t exactly known for protecting their quarterback.

It’ll be a good test for the Eagles, who with some extra time to prepare, should come out with a much faster start than they did the first two games of the season. They were able to establish the run against the Vikings, but still need to find a way to make explosive pass plays consistently.

Philly’s offense found a way to best a Bill Belichick-defense and a Brian Flores-defense in back-to-back weeks, so they should be ready for Todd Bowles — let’s hope.

What do you think?