It’s a new week in the 2021 NFL season, which means that it’s time for another Thursday Night Football matchup. This week’s contest will be played between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1) and the Philadelphia Eagles (2-3).
The Buccaneers will be looking to pick up their third victory in a row while the Eagles are still searching for their first home win after dropping the previous two games. Only one team can walk out of Philadelphia victorious and only time will tell which squad that will be.
Read on for betting odds (BetOnline) and analysis as to what you can expect in tonight’s Thursday Night Football matchup.
Buccaneers vs Eagles General Information and Statistics
Tonight’s matchup will be played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA — home of the Eagles. Kickoff is at 8:20 p.m. EST and the game can be viewed on FOX and the NFL Network, as well as multiple streaming platforms.
The Buccaneers are averaging 33.4 points per game this season, which is the third-best average so far this season. Meanwhile, the Eagles average 23.0 PPG — T-16th-best in the NFL. Defensively, Tampa Bay is surrendering 24.4 PPG (T-19th) while Philadelphia has been giving up an average of 34.8 PPG (21st).
Thursday Night Football: Buccaneers vs Eagles Odds
Odds via BetOnline as of Thursday, October 14
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1) vs Philadelphia Eagles (2-3)
- Moneyline: Buccaneers (-300) vs Eagles (+250)
- Spread: Buccaneers -7.5 (+115) vs Eagles +7.5 (-135)
- Total: 52.5 — Over (-110), Under (-110)
Complete odds list and prop bets available at BetOnline.ag.
Buccaneers Expected to Continue Winning Ways in TNF
The Buccaneers enter tonight’s Thursday Night Football matchup as the 7.5-point favorite, which shouldn’t come as a surprise after the success they’ve been having. The defending Super Bowl champions are coming off of a dominant 45-17 victory against the Miami Dolphins over the weekend and look to continue that trend against the Eagles.
The ageless quarterback, Tom Brady, was phenomenal in Tampa Bay’s winning, throwing for a whopping 411 yards and five touchdowns. Few quarterbacks can do that, period, let alone one that is 44 years old. Then again, Brady isn’t exactly your average everyday quarterback. Wideouts Antonio Brown and Chris Evans helped their QB a lot in the victory, each going for over 100 receiving yards and two TDs apiece.
While the Buccaneers might have the best aerial attack in the NFL, the Eagles have actually done well defending against the pass — at least in theory. Philadelphia has surrendered the third-fewest passing yards per game ( 194.8) so far. At the same time, that’s mostly due to the Eagles playing against a few weaker offenses. When Philadelphia played against the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs, they surrendered over 300 passing yards to each team.
Considering what the Buccaneers just did in Week 5, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Brady having another big game in primetime, further proving why Tampa Bay is one of the league’s top teams.
Eagles Thursday Night Football Odds
After winning their season-opening matchup, the Eagles went on a three-game losing streak before defeating the Carolina Panthers, 21-18, last weekend. Quarterback Jalen Hurts was the main factor in Philadelphia’s win. While the sophomore signal-caller had a rough passing day (22-for-37, no touchdowns, one interception), he got some work on the ground, rushing nine times for 30 yards and his team’s lone two touchdowns.
Hurts likely won’t see the same rushing success against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay is allowing the fewest rushing yards per game (45.8) in the league and that’s unlikely to change against the Eagles of all teams.
If Philadelphia wants to have a shot at winning, they need to abuse the fact that their Thursday Night Football opponents are giving up the most passing yards per game (314.4) in 2021. The Eagles have averaged 281.0 passing yards over their last three games — eighth-best in that span. Philadelphia is certainly an underdog in this fight, however, stranger things have happened. Even if the team doesn’t have the tools to match the Buccaneers’ firepower, the Eagles certainly have the potential to make it an entertaining game at the very least.
