The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles are headed for a playoff rematch.
For the second time in the last three years, the Buccaneers will play host to the Eagles at Raymond James Stadium in the NFC's Wild Card Round. In 2021, Tampa Bay snagged the second seed in the conference field by winning the NFC South with a 13-4 record, and Philadelphia slotted into the fifth seed as the third Wild Card team with a 9-8 record. This time, the Buccaneers are once again division champions but are the fourth seed, while the Eagles are the fifth seed after Dallas clinched the NFC East on Sunday.
The six games during the NFL's "Super Wild Card Weekend" will be held on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, January 13-15. The Bucs-Eagles matchup will take place on Monday, January 15 at 8:15 pm on ESPN/ABC.
Philadelphia went into the final regular season weekend with a chance to win their division but had to beat the New York Giants and have Washington defeat Dallas. However, the Eagles' hopes for a second NFC East title ended when they were upset by the Giants and the Cowboys beat the Commanders on Sunday.
The Buccaneers beat the Eagles handily in the 2021 playoffs, taking a 31-0 lead into the fourth quarter before two late touchdowns made the final score 31-15. Tom Brady threw touchdown passes to Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski and both Ke'Shawn Vaughn and Giovani Bernard scored on the ground. Shaquil Barrett and Mike Edwards each notched an interception off Jalen Hurts and the Bucs limited Philly's mobile quarterback to just 39 yards and no touchdowns on the ground.
This will be the Eagles' second trip to Tampa this season. The defending NFC champions visited Raymond James Stadium in Week Three and secured a 25-11 win during the NFL's Monday night doubleheader. Tampa Bay's defense once again intercepted Hurts twice but this time he did rush for a touchdown and also threw a 34-yard scoring pass to Olamide Zaccheaus. Philadelphia won the battle on the ground, gaining 201 rushing yards to 41 for the Buccaneers.
Philadelphia was already the Bucs' most common playoff opponent before this latest matchup, as the two teams have met five times previously in the postseason. The first playoff game in franchise history for the Buccaneers was a Divisional Round game against the Eagles in 1979, which Tampa Bay won, 24-17, behind Ricky Bell's 38 carries for 142 yards. The two teams then met in the playoffs three times in a row from 2000-02, all in Philadelphia. The first two were lopsided Wild Card wins for the Eagles; the third was the 2002 NFC Championship Game, the final contest ever staged at Veterans Stadium. Rondé Barber sealed the Buccaneers' 27-10 with a 92-yard pick-six late in the fourth quarter, sending the Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl.
