The 2025 Bucs seem to only be capable of playing chaotic games that go down to the wire, but the fact that they've managed to start 3-0 for the first time since 2005 despite the injuries they're dealing with has the vibes pretty high in Tampa Bay.

Those vibes and the team's undefeated start to the season will be put to the test come Sunday afternoon, though, as the 3-0, defending Super Bowl champion Eagles visit Raymond James Stadium for a highly anticipated matchup between two of the three remaining undefeated teams in the NFC.

Tampa Bay is looking for its first 4-0 start since that 2005 season and just the fourth 4-0 start in franchise history. And given who will be missing from the lineup — Mike Evans, Luke Goedeke, Cody Mauch and Calijah Kancey, at least — a win over this Eagles team would be quite the statement for Todd Bowles and Co. as they look to prove they're a top contender in the NFC.

The Eagles, on the other hand, are looking to reverse their recent fortunes against the Bucs. Including the postseason, Tampa Bay is 4-1 against Philadelphia since 2021, with the most recent of those four wins coming in Week 4 of the 2024 season. And eight months before that, there was the 32-9 dismantling of the Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round.

This is the second leg of the Bucs' back-to-back home games, so picking up another win in front of the Tampa Bay faithful before hitting the road for Seattle in Week 5 would be especially nice.

Let's dive into what might decide this matchup, as well as some key players to watch in this battle between 3-0 teams at Raymond James Stadium:

What Might Decide This Bucs-Eagles Matchup?

For the Bucs offense, a factor that could ultimately decide this game is what the composition of their offensive line looks like. Will we see the same offensive line that took the field against the Jets last week, which only featured two regular starters — with neither at their normal position? That depends on Tristan Wirfs' status.

The All-Pro left tackle could be set to return to action this week, which would be a huge boost to the Bucs offensive line. If he's good to go, you could assume he'd step into his normal left guard spot, which would allow Graham Barton to shift back to center. That would presumably allow for Ben Bredeson to move back to left guard. At that point, that's three of the five spots accounted for as planned, with only the right side to patch together. Elijah Klein could be the right guard, with Charlie Heck once again stepping in at right tackle. Unless the Bucs go crazy with their lineup again, which is always a possibility now.

Bucs RT Tristan Wirfs and Eagles DE Josh Sweat – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Then there's the matter of how that group actually plays. Keeping Baker Mayfield upright against a solid Eagles pass rush will be a tall task, though Mayfield has been spectacular at doing his part to avoid the rush. He'll need to continue to display that elusiveness this week, but having Wirfs back in front of him to protect his blindside would be a massive help. Not to mention, Mayfield is working through a biceps injury, so improved protection up front could be even more crucial. It'll be worth keeping an eye on that right arm of his, too, to see whether it has any effect on the Buccaneer passing game.

With all of that said regarding Mayfield, there's also a pressing need for this offensive line to be better at opening up running lanes for Bucky Irving and Rachaad White. The run game — outside of Mayfield's scrambling ability — has largely been a disappointment this season outside of some good moments in the second half of Week 2. Getting Irving going at the level he was at during his rookie season could really open up a lot more for Josh Grizzard's offense. And what better week to get more out of the ground game than this one given Mike Evans' absence?

Evans' absence could be somewhat offset by the return of Chris Godwin Jr. if he is able to make his return. If he does make his season debut — and his first appearance since October of last year — it'll be interesting to see whether he's a full go or if his snaps are limited. Regardless, his effectiveness, as well as whether Emeka Egbuka and Sterling Shepard can continue to produce above and beyond what's generally expected of them, will go a long way in determining what kind of output the Tampa Bay offense can generate against a good Philly defense.

As for the Bucs defense, Todd Bowles would love the type of start his side of the ball had in last year's meeting with the Eagles, as Philly didn't pick up a first down until more than halfway through the second quarter. By that point, Tampa Bay already led 24-0. Starting strong again and the offense doing its part to build an early lead could go a long way toward neutralizing Saquon Barkley this Sunday. Because even though Barkley averaged more than 8 yards per carry and 16 yards per catch in this matchup last year, he was largely a non-factor with the Eagles playing from behind from the jump.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David and CB Zyon McCollum and Eagles RB Saquon Barkley – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

And in a game where the Bucs will be the much more short-handed team, any takeaways the defense can create could shift the balance as well. Antoine Winfield Jr. is typically the guy who steps up and makes the big play, much like he did last week when he forced a sack-fumble for the defense's first takeaway of the season. Soon after, Jamel Dean came through with a pick-six. Winfield would be the likelier of the two to create a repeat against the Eagles, but don't be surprised if Tykee Smith is a factor and makes a big play of his own come Sunday afternoon.

On the other side of this matchup, the Eagles will need a much better start than the one they had in Tampa last September, and they'll also need to start faster than they did a week ago in their win over the Rams. Because while they did come back for a 33-26 win against Los Angeles thanks to a big second half, it's not every week that you can go on a 26-0 run to close out the game. That's especially the case when you're the Eagles, as they like to control the game with Barkley and Jalen Hurts on the ground.

Speaking of Hurts, it's been an up-and-down season for him in the passing game. Far too often, A.J. Brown has been invisible, and while there may be times when the flow of the game makes the Philly aerial attack an afterthought, Brown is too good of a receiver and too much of a playmaker to be on the outskirts of the offense. He came alive last week with a 109-yard day, and whether he and Devonta Smith are able to find space against what suddenly looks like a formidable Tampa Bay secondary could determine the way this game goes for the offense.

Of course, life is always easier for the Eagles when Barkley is rolling. That's not an easy ask against the Bucs run defense, but the winner of that matchup could come away as the winner of the game. If any run game is going to poke holes in the Tampa Bay front, it would be the one that features one of the league's best running backs and what is perhaps the league's best offensive line.

Bucs DT Vita Vea and Eagles QB Jalen Hurts – Photo by: USA Today

Oh, and let's not forget about one more factor for the Eagles offense: the tush push. The officials' unwillingness to correctly officiate the play aside, the effectiveness of the tush push in Sunday's game could very well flip the result. Philly loves to get in third-and-short, fourth-and-short and goal-line situations, as conversions seem nearly automatic at that point.

But there hasn't been a team that has put up more of a fight against the tush push than the Bucs have (at least on the field, as the Packers unsuccessfully tried pretty hard to fight it off the field). If Tampa Bay can stuff Hurts' sneak attempts, perhaps to force a crucial turnover on downs in plus-territory or at the goal line, that could be a major swing in this game.

Defensively, the Eagles have to find a way to stop the run. They're allowing an uncharacteristic 133.3 rushing yards per game thus far this season, and while the Bucs haven't always been able to run it effectively through the first three weeks, the potential return of Wirfs and subsequent return to order for 3/5 of the offensive line could see Irving and the Buccaneer backfield threaten to further expose what has been a pretty glaring weakness for Nick Sirianni's team. Kyren Williams averaged 4.7 yards per carry in last week's game, while Blake Corum averaged 6.6. Similar numbers for Irving and White could turn the tide in Tampa Bay's favor, especially in the afternoon heat.

Eagles head coach Nick Siriani – Photo by: USA Today

The backfield of Philadelphia's defense could be a crucial part of this game, too. Part of what has kept the Bucs afloat through the injury crisis in the first three weeks of the season has been their ball security. If Mayfield continues to play turnover-free football and the Tampa Bay offense stays in it throughout the day, that could spell trouble for the visitors. But if the likes of Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Andrew Mukuba or Reed Blankenship can create a takeaway or two, that could have the Eagles walking out of Raymond James Stadium at 4-0.

Key Players To Watch

With Mike Evans out due to a hamstring injury and the uncertainty surrounding Chris Godwin Jr., it's on the rookie, Emeka Egbuka, to step into a WR1 role just four games into his NFL career. But considering what Egbuka has already done for the Bucs thus far, it doesn't feel like too tall of a task for the No. 19 overall pick. He leads the team with 181 receiving yards and three touchdowns, and he may need to step up with a special kind of performance Sunday against a good Eagles secondary. It would be a great time for his first career 100-yard game and perhaps his fourth touchdown in four games.

Bucs OLB Yaya Diaby – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

On the Bucs defense, let's dial in on Yaya Diaby. The third-year pass rusher had a phenomenal game against the Jets in Week 3, generating an NFL-best 11 pressures on 30 rushes, which was good for a 36.7% pressure rate. He also picked up his first sack of the season, which felt long overdue given the frequency with which he was getting into the backfield in Weeks 1 and 2. It would be great for Diaby to build on that game with another big day in Week 4, especially against a pair of elite tackles in Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata.

The focus for the Eagles offense has to be Saquon Barkley. He hasn't gotten off to the quickest start this year after rushing for 2,005 yards and 13 touchdowns last year, and despite how good he and this Philly offensive line are, this is a tough test given the Bucs' ability to stop the run. However, Barkley the runner is certainly not the only Barkley Tampa Bay needs to worry about. There's also Barkley the pass-catcher, and if he can expose SirVocea Dennis and the middle of the Buccaneer defense the way Bijan Robinson, Nick Chubb and Woody Marks did for explosive plays in Weeks 1 and 2, that could make up for any deficiencies in the run game itself

On the Philadelphia defense, the glaring problem in the secondary has been the lack of a solid No. 2 cornerback. That's why the focus of this section is Adoree' Jackson. Jackson has been targeted 17 times this season and has allowed 11 catches for 152 yards (13.8 avg.). If the Bucs can find some favorable matchups and take advantage of Jackson or any number of potential CB2 options the Eagles cycle through come Sunday, that could be a major help for a banged-up offense. Jackson has been limited in practice this week with a groin injury, too, so his status is something to keep an eye on.