Eagles-Buccaneers preview; winning against Winston

Philadelphia Eagles free safety Malcolm Jenkins (27) works to knock the ball away from Carolina Panthers wide receiver Corey Brown (10) during an National Football League game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. on Sunday, October 25, 2015.

Mark Sanchez will start at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in place of injured Sam Bradford.

The Buccaneers don’t have to rely on Winston to do too much. Mike Evans, meanwhile, is blossoming into an elite receiver. Eagles coach Chip Kelly compared him to “a basketball player” in the mold of the Jets’ Brandon Marshall and the Cowboys’ Dez Bryant because he can win a jump ball. Winston called Ryans a “hometown hero” who is admired by many in their little town.

I think it will be hard for them to put points on the board against the highly underrated Eagles defense.

The Bucs’ defense also features rookie linebacker Kwon Alexander, a fourth-round pick from Louisiana State, who has had an early impact. Last week, he said he picked the Dolphins because the Eagles were 4-1 when he picks against them. Just like the Eagles.

Each week NJ Advance Media will sit down with a member of the Eagles and preview one of the key match ups of the upcoming game. Jackson ran a few passing routes during the period opened to reporters, and seemed to show no signs of the ailment that forced him to miss the past three games. He threw an interception in the end zone that ended the Eagles chances of a comeback.

Sanchez took over as Eagles quarterback nearly the same time a year ago when starter Nick Foles went down with a broken collarbone in Week 8 against the Houston Texans. And in his career, he has thrown 82 touchdown passes and 81 interceptions.

2nd down: For the third straight game, the Eagles face uncertainty on the offensive line. It could the same thing Sunday as Jason Peters is listed as questionable with a back injury. He has missed the previous two games. “I always wanted to reach out there and go grab them”. That means the Eagles will need a big game from the inside linebacking trio of Mychal Kendricks, DeMeco Ryans and Kiko Alonso.

“Usually, they’re the quiet guys”, McCoy said, referring to rookies.

This game really comes down to the play of Jameis Winston. But the Eagles coaches said the rookie has been playing much better lately and, after a 1-3 start, so have the Bucs (4-5, same as the Eagles). With the lack of weapons around him, that type of play could continue. Evans has that same kind of ability.

The Eagles are tied for the league lead with 13 forced fumbles. Well, we’re now nine games into the season, and I feel like I know even less about the Eagles then I did back then, mainly because they careen wildly back and forth between a good team and a bad team on a weekly basis. If the Bucs make it 17, it’ll be their longest streak since a 54-game streak from 2000-03.

Also out for the Eagles are running back Ryan Mathews (concussion) and backup safety/special teams player Jerome Couplin (shoulder).

Also limited were RG Ali Marpet (ankle), TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (shoulder), C/G Evan Smith (knee) and DE Jacquies Smith (ankle).

The Bucs have done their best to build their offensive identity around a strong ground attack led by a resurgent Doug Martin, and it’s worked well for them so far this season.