5 bold predictions for Eagles against Buccaneers

4. Eagles run defense steps up, holds Tampa under 50 yards rushing

Given the names that the Philadelphia Eagles boast on the defensive line, you might think that they have a good run defense. And frankly, they probably should when they can trot out Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave to clog up the interior. Unfortunately, partially due to their deficiency at linebacker, that hasn’t been the case.

Through the first five games, the Eagles are giving up an abysmal 142.0 yards per game on the ground. Their pass defense has actually been better than expected to some degree, but that largely has to do with the fact that teams know they can just run the ball down their throats.

Having said that, Tampa Bay doesn’t scare many people with their rushing attack. They average only 82.0 yards per game on the ground and it’s clear that they’d much rather trust Tom Brady to just air it out than to give Leonard Fournette and Ronald Jones II a multitude of looks and carries.

When you combine that with the fact that Philadelphia, for the most part, has underachieved as a rush defense, we’re going to see that defensive line make a statement. They’ll clog up the holes and make sure that Tampa is going to be exclusive to moving the ball through the air as they give up under 50 rushing yards on the night.