The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will see a familiar face when they host a home playoff game next week.
The Bucs clinched the NFC South with a win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 18, and as a result, they’ll host a home playoff game as the No. 4 seed in the NFC on Wild Card Weekend. Now, they know who they’ll face — the 11-6 Philadelphia Eagles, who will visit Tampa Bay in the first round after failing to win the NFC East from the Dallas Cowboys.
The Bucs end the season at 9-8 after beating the Panthers in what was an up-and-down season. The Eagles were very up and are now very down — they started the year 10-1 but will finish 11-6 after losing four of their last five and entering what appears to be a nosedive from being one of the best teams in the NFC. The draw appears far more fortunate than the Dallas Cowboys, who were the other option.
The Bucs and Eagles’ playoff history has memories for both sides. The last time these two played, it was in the Wild Card round in 2021 at Raymond James Stadium. Tampa Bay beat Philadelphia 31-15 then, but Bucs fans will probably most know this matchup from the 2002-03 NFC Championship game when CB Ronde Barber ran back an interception to take the Bucs to the Super Bowl.
It hasn’t always been like that, though. The Bucs are 3-2 against the Eagles in the playoffs all-time, but Philadelphia was a notable road block for Tampa Bay, beating them handily two years in a row from 2000-01. Tampa Bay will hope to avoid that fate this time around, while quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles will look to avenge that 2021 game.
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