Eagles will face Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Wild Card Round of NFL Playoffs

Sunday's action led us to the results that we were expecting, for the most part anyway.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Jared C. Tilton/GettyImages
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Forgive us if we sound exhausted. It's been a long day. Another lifeless effort by the Philadelphia Eagles has us reeling. To make matters worse, while that was going on, the Washington Commanders were lifeless versus Dallas,

A Cowboys win was the result, and with it, they officially took the NFC East crown. Wouldn't you know it? This division STILL hasn't had a repeat champion since the Birds won four straight from 2001 to 2004.

Earlier, the Carolina Panthers helped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earn a Week 18 victory and the NFC South's crown. So, after just under eight hours of football, we have been led to the result that we were all expecting. Sadly, it was delivered in the most hurtful way possible.

What would you expect though based on what we have seen as of late?

The stage is set. Philly's Birds will fly south this winter for a playoff game. The opponent is a team they share a lot of postseason history with.

The Philadelphia Eagles meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the postseason for the sixth time.

18 weeks of NFL action and 17 Eagles games are in the books. A Dallas Cowboys win means they're the NFC East champions.

Wouldn't you know it? This division STILL hasn't had a repeat champion since the Birds won four straight from 2001 to 2004, but the most important story coming out of Week 18's action is the Cowboys are the NFC's second-seeded team.

The Philadelphia Eagles are the owners of the fifth playoff seed. The Buccaneers, by winning their division, take up residency as the fourth seed. These proud franchises clash in the Wild Card Round. This is the 23rd meeting between the two sides.

The series began in 1977 and sits dead even at 11 wins apiece. This will be the sixth time the Birds and Bucs have met in a playoff game. Philadelphia lost three of the first five.

We know Tampa's head coach fairly well. Todd Bowles served as the Eagles' secondary coach before accepting the title of interim defensive coordinator in 2012. Philly won the most recent head-to-head clash, one that was played earlier this season. The Birds had lost four straight before that.

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