Ranking Philadelphia Eagles potential 1st-round playoff opponents

The Bucs still present the biggest threat to the Eagles.

It doesn’t feel like the same Tampa Bay Buccaneers squad that got hot at the end of last season and went on their magical run through the NFC Playoffs as a Wild Card team. They’re still pretty good though.

Some have asked if Tom Brady has extended his shelf-life simply because he’s been surrounded by talent and some mega-productive skill players. You’re allowed to disagree or agree with that, but this is still Tom Brady we’re talking about. Are you ready to say you don’t believe in TB12 all of a sudden?

Some are asking if this team peaked too early. They needed a rally to beat the New York Jets, and they were shut out by the New Orleans Saints at home.

This team has endured injuries, Leonard Fournette for instance, but here they sit at 12-4 with a single game remaining, one versus the lowly Carolina Panthers at home. Despite the losses on both sides of the ball (they’re also missing Shaq Barrett), giving up on the Bucs feels like a decision made on emotion and not reason.

Byron Leftwich is smart enough and good enough to figure out what’s plaguing this offense. Seemingly, here’s what needs to happen. Rather than rely totally on a wide receiver corps that no longer has Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, they should now rely on the tight ends (Cameron Brate, Rob Gronkowski, and, O.J. Howard).

Sight adjustments could tell the tale. Either way, this feels like the most difficult first-round matchup for the Eagles.