Eagles vs Buccaneers predictions: Our expert picks on if Jalen Hurts can finally solve Bucs

PHILADELPHIA — To say the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have Jalen Hurts' number is an understatement, both in the regular season and the playoffs.

So what's to say anything changes this Sunday when the Eagles face the Buccaneers in Tampa?

After all, the Bucs know Hurts as well as any team, and Bucs coach Todd Bowles has designed defensive schemes that exploit Hurts' main weakness − making him throw while running to his left. This will be the fifth meeting between the two teams since the start of the 2021 season, and the fourth straight game at Raymond James Stadium.

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In the two regular-season games, Hurts has a passer rating of 65.0, completing just 55.6% of his passes with two touchdowns and three interceptions. The Eagles actually won one of those games − a 25-11 win on Sept. 25, 2023.

In the two wild-card round playoff games in the 2021 and 2023 seasons, the Eagles lost both games by a combined score of 63-24. Hurts has completed 48 of 78 passes (61.5%) for 508 yards, two TDs and two INTs. In all, Hurts has completed 59% of his passes with five TDs and four INTs, and he has been sacked eight times.

Hurts, however, wasn't interested in looking back at what went wrong in the playoff games.

"It’s hard for me to reflect on it right now," he said. "This is a new team we have, a new group we have, and I think about the most important thing. It's not the past, not the future, but it's about right now. And I think about the identity of this football team we have, and I can’t tell you what that is because we haven’t our nucleus together to really go out there and create that.

"The beautiful thing is everybody has opportunities in these moments, and as you see last week, the opportunity the guys had and how they stepped up."

But the Eagles could be facing the Bucs at the right time.

Tampa Bay comes into the game with just two sacks through three games, hardly the pass-rushing terrors they were in previous matchups. And both defensive tackles Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey missed the Bucs' 26-7 loss to Denver with injuries. It's not known yet if either or both can return against the Eagles.

The Eagles, of course, are banged up on offense with the uncertain status of wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, and offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Mekhi Becton.

But if Hurts has time to throw, and if Saquon Barkley can continue his early-season success, that could give the Eagles a chance. And the Eagles' defense that shut down the New Orleans Saints will have to repeat that against Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and his top wide receivers in Mike Evans (10 straight 1,000-yard seasons) and Chris Godwin (five such seasons in the last six years).

Here's how we see the game going:

Our prognosticators are Martin Frank (Eagles beat writer/columnist, Delawareonline.com), Greg Giesen (sports strategist, Delawareonline.com), Tom McGurk (sports editor, Courierpostonline.com), Tom Moore (sports columnist, Phillyburbs.com), Bob Jordan (sports editor, app.com), Bert Bainbridge (sports betting analyst & columnist, Northjersey.com), Tom Haines (Pennsylvania state planning), Brad Myers (high school sports writer, Delawareonline.com), Melissa Hanejko (high school sports content & social media, Phillyburbs.com), Kevin Tresolini, (college sports reporter, Delawareonline.com), Michelle Ganassi (audience director & die-hard Steelers fan, Delawareonline.com), Shane Brennan (New Castle County reporter, Delawareonline.com), Tom Rimback (sports writer, Courierpostonline.com), Brandon Holveck (high school sports reporter, Delawareonline.com)

Martin Frank

All logic says go with the team that has shut down Jalen Hurts twice in the playoffs, including the 32-9 debacle last January. But that was pre-Saquon Barkley, and pre-Nick Sirianni turning over the offense to Kellen Moore. Now if current Nick Sirianni can get out of the way, the Eagles should pull this out.

The pick: Eagles 26, Buccaneers 20

Brad Myers

Through three games, my Eagles' predictions have mirrored Nick Sirianni's field-goal strategies − extremely questionable. So don't put too much stock in this one.

The pick: Eagles 21 (after bypassing a couple of potential field goals), Buccaneers 17

Tom Haines

The Bucs lost to the Broncos − decisively, at home. Let that sink in. The hobbling Eagles head to the bye happy with an opportunity to get healthy.

The pick: Eagles 27, Buccaneers 20

Bob Jordan

Not only did the Bucs lose at home to the previously winless Broncos by three scores, the Broncos kneeled the game out while in field goal range. The Eagles could put Rodney Peete back under center and crush these pushovers.

The pick: Eagles 28, Buccaneers 6

Kevin Tresolini

The Bucs were good enough to whip Washington and topple Detroit, then futile enough to lose to the Broncos. The Eagles have been a tad up-and-down themselves. Tampa Bay's recent history against the Birds − the Bucs have won five of the last six − has me leaning toward the home team.

The pick: Buccaneers 27, Eagles 24

Tom Rimback

CEO head coach Nick Sirianni feels the need to prove week after week that he is smarter than anybody else. The Eagles won't play well until they begin to trust that they are a better football team, and play accordingly.

The pick: Eagles 19, Buccaneers 18

Greg Giesen

I'm going to be honest — I have no clue. Will the defense that gagged against Atlanta show up or will the defense that shut down New Orleans appear? Will Tampa Bay stack the box and dare Jalen Hurts to win without his top receivers or will Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert become superhuman again? And all of this doesn't even ask questions about Baker Mayfield. I have no answer. Here's what I know: Historically, less than 1% of games ended in a tie, so someone will win.

The pick: Eagles 24, Buccaneers 21

Tom McGurk

The Birds, especially Jalen Hurts, should have some incentive to avenge last year's complete dud in the postseason. Will that be enough to make up for some key players being out? Maybe. Another dominating performance by Jalen Carter would certainly help the cause too.

The pick: Eagles 20, Buccaneers 17

Tom Moore

Might as well flip a coin with the Eagles these days − and the injuries don't help. The Bucs have a poor offensive line, so maybe the Birds' D-line will make some noise after a quiet Week 3.

The pick: Eagles 24, Buccaneers 21

Bert Bainbridge

Both these teams head into this matchup potentially down impactful starters with A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith for the Eagles and Vita Vea and Antoine Winfield Jr. on the Buccaneers side. After last year's Wild Card letdown in Tampa Bay, the Birds do just enough on offense to hold on for a second consecutive close victory to move to 3-1 ahead of their early bye in Week 5.

The pick: Eagles 21, Buccaneers 20

Shane Brennan

The Birds are settling into their rhythm now, and Tampa Bay is inconsistent. I think the Eagles cruise to a victory here if the defense doesn't implode against Tampa Bay's high-flying offense.

The pick: Eagles 23, Buccaneers 10

Brandon Holveck

The Eagles face the possibility of playing this game with Jahan Dotson, Johnny Wilson and Parris Campbell starting at wide receiver, a group of pass catchers that harken back to the days of Greg Ward, Deontay Burnett and Robert Davis . Plus, they'll likely be without two-fifths of their offensive line against one of the league's blitz-happiest coaches, Todd Bowles. It could be a long bye week.

The pick: Buccaneers 17, Eagles 14

Michelle Ganassi

This is a hard one to pick. On one hand, this is not going to be the Buccaneers' season. On the other hand, Sirianni's play calling, especially that fourth-and-1 call, looked more like someone trying to win at Madden than a legit NFL strategy. Oh, in case you didn't know, the Steelers are undefeated.

The pick: Eagles 21, Buccaneers 13

Overall records

3-0: Jordan

1-2: Frank, Rimback, Giesen, McGurk, Moore, Ganassi, Tresolini, Brennan, Holveck, Haines

0-2: Bainbridge, Hanejko

0-3: Myers

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Eagles vs Buccaneers predictions: Our expert picks on if Jalen Hurts can finally solve Bucs