Eagles vs Buccaneers: Reasonable requests, bold expectations for Philly's Wild Card Round game

Reasonable request: Eagles should (and must) score 24 points or more.

Before a nine-point win over the Carolina Panthers in their regular-season finale (and finding a way to win anyway), the Buccaneers had scored 21 points or more in eight of their previous nine games. Make no mistake about it. The Birds are going to have to score points to win.

Philly racked up 25 points in the previous meeting and won by 14. They'll need a similar output from the offense on Monday.

Reasonable request: Run the ball Philly!

We've been saying this all season. Do the right thing Philly! Run the ball! More often than not, good things happen when you do. Fans know that. Every NFL franchise knows that. The only team that seems to be confused about that is the Philadelphia Eagles. Go figure.

During their previous meeting, a 25-11 Eagles victory that was never as close as the score would indicate, the Birds racked up 201 yards on 40 carries. They were five seconds short of totaling 39 minutes of possession time.

The Bucs are a better team than the squad Philly met in Week 3. Still, a repeat performance by the Birds' rushing attack would go a long way in ensuring an Eagles win.

The Bucs are a better team than the squad Philly met in Week 3. Still, a repeat performance by the Birds' rushing attack would go a long way in ensuring an Eagles win.