Eagles vs. Buccaneers Week 3 Opening Odds Don’t Buy Into the Tampa Hype

The Philadelphia Eagles are officially 2-0, but their start to the 2023 season hasn’t been the smoothest. Several key injuries on defense, plus some early struggles by Jalen Hurts, have seen this Super Bowl contender stumble a little bit out of the gate.

They’ll need to wake up quickly with the surprisingly plucky Tampa Bay Buccaneers on tap next. The Bucs have shocked many with their own 2-0 start to the year, and it’s clear new quarterback Baker Mayfield has given this team new life.

However, the opening odds for this contest show oddsmakers aren’t blinded by the Buccaneers hype just yet.

Eagles vs. Buccaneers Opening Odds NFL Week 3

FanDuel Sportsbook has pegged the Eagles as 6.5-point favorites ahead of this Week 3 Monday Night Football matchup, and Philadelphia is slightly favored to cover at -115 odds. Meanwhile, Nick Sirianni’s team is -300 on the moneyline, while the Bucs are +245 to pull off the upset.

Now, the spread being set at just under a full touchdown might be a mild surprise. However, you also have to factor in the home-field advantage that Tampa will have in primetime. That’s usually good for 2-3 points in their favor, so the Eagles would likely be even bigger blowout favorites if this game was played at Lincoln Financial Field.

It’s clear that despite Philly’s mishaps to begin the year, oddsmakers are confident they’ll handle a team that’s straight up inferior to them. Yes, Mayfield has looked like a new QB, but he’s also played two bottom-half defenses in the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears to begin the year. The Bucs’ run game hasn’t been a major factor to begin the campaign, and that’ll be bad news for this team once they actually need Mayfield to make plays for them.

The one way Tampa Bay could make this game closer than expected is through its defense. This unit has looked dominant to begin the season, holding the Vikings and Bears to just 17 points each. They’ve already racked up 8.0 sacks, six tackles for loss and 19 QB hits over the first two games, so they’ll bring the pressure on Monday.

However, the Eagles have the personnel to neutralize all of Tampa’s strengths. This force of nature that is the pass rush should have no troubles getting to Mayfield and making him uncomfortable all night long. Meanwhile, the offensive line is more than up to the task of keeping the Bucs’ defenders away from Jalen Hurts. Tampa’s secondary is also banged up and has shown some holes, which should help Hurts regain his confidence as a passer.

Philadelphia has no reason not to take care of business on MNF. They’ve got the talent to give the Buccaneers their first true test, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Tampa’s early success turns out to be fool’s gold. With the Eagles getting several extra days of rest after playing on Thursday in Week 2, I like their chances of righting some of their early wrongs and going for the Bucs’ necks in primetime. I’d back them to cover this spread before it bumps up past a full touchdown.

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