NFC Wild Card Matchup: Eagles at Buccaneers
The Eagles are in the playoffs, traveling to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers.
The Eagles limped into the playoffs after losing five of their last six games, including dropping two to division rivals. The Eagles have been in chaos mode, trying to find the source of the bleeding to apply a tourniquette to get themselves back on track. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won five of their last six, but struggled against the worst team in the league to close out the season, defeating the Carolina Panthers 9-0 to win the NFC South.
The winner of this game takes on the Detroit Lions following their defeat of the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys’ loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Kickoff is set for 8:15 PM ET. Live game footage airs on ESPN and ABC with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call.
Check out our Keys to the Game Preview episode of the Birds Nest Podcast.
Birds Nest Media Live Coverage (Begins at or around 8:00 PM ET)
Injury Report, Inactives, and Player News
Philadelphia Eagles
The following players are inactive for the Eagles:
- QB Tanner McKee (Emergency 3rd QB)
- WR AJ Brown
- S Sydney Brown
- RB Rashaad Penny
- S Reed Blankenship
- OL Tyler Steen
- DT Moro Ojomo
The following players were listed on the Eagles’ injury report:
- S Reed Blankenship (Groin) – Questionable
- WR AJ Brown (Knee) – Out
- S Sydney Brown (Knee) – Out
An already thin Eagles secondary will be thinner without Blankenship, who has been having a standout career. Expect Avonte Maddox to fill in at safety.
The biggest concern for Eagles fans was QB Jalen Hurts, who sustained a finger injury in the regular season finale. Hurts, along with a smattering of other players, was a full participant in practice during the week, including on Saturday’s practice.
Brown being out of the game marks the first time the Eagles have played a game without Brown since he was traded to the Eagles before the 2022-23 season. With Brown’s injury, expect more contributions from DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, along with Julio Jones and other receivers worked in.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The following players are inactive for the Buccaneers:
- WR Rakim Jarrett
- RB Patrick Laird
- OLB Jose Ramirez
- LB JJ Russell
- T Brandon Walton
- OLB Markees Watts
- QB John Wolford (Emergency 3rd QB)
The following players were listed on the Buccaneers’ injury report:
- LB KJ Britt (Calf) – Questionable
- DT Mike Greene (Calf) – Out
- DB Josh Hayes (Quad/Knee) – Questionable
- QB Baker Mayfield (Ankle/Ribs) – Questionable
Mayfield was limited in practice on Friday and Saturday; the Buccaneers didn’t practice on Thursday but an estimate said he would not have participated.
