Eagles-Buccaneers: Start time, channel, how to watch and stream NFL playoffs

The No. 5 Eagles will kick off their playoff run tonight against the No. 4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on ESPN and ABC likely needing three straight road wins to earn a ticket back to the Super Bowl.

To say that seems unlikely is an insult to understatements. The Birds didn’t just limp into the postseason, they fell face first — losing five of their last six games in a dispiriting slide not seen since the Rich Kotite era.

Pro Bowl wide receiver A.J. Brown will miss the game with an injured knee, and Jalen Hurts could be playing through the lingering impact of a dislocated finger on his throwing hand, which he suffered during last week’s loss to the New York Giants. The Birds’ defense is also hobbled by injuries and still trying to find its mojo after handing play-calling duties over to de facto defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

Despite that, there’s reason for some optimism tonight against the Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is questionable to play with injured ribs and a hurt ankle. The Eagles defeated the Bucs 25-11 way back in Week 3, and they’ll be getting back wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who missed the first game of his NFL career last week with a sprained ankle.

“On paper, the Eagles still have more talent in critical areas like the offensive line, the defensive line, and at quarterback,” wrote Inquirer beat writer Olivia Reiner. “But lately, the on-paper matchup hasn’t mattered for the Eagles.”

If the Eagles win tonight, they’ll face the No. 3 Detroit Lions in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday, thanks to an NFL rule that requires at least six days of rest between games.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch or stream the Eagles’ wild-card playoff game against the Buccaneers:

Tonight’s playoff game between the Eagles and the Buccaneers is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. on ESPN and ABC.

In the booth for their second season at ESPN are Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who together have called more than 60 playoff games and six Super Bowls, the second-most of any broadcast pairing in NFL history. King of Prussia native Lisa Salters and SEC Network host Laura Rutledge will both be reporting from the sidelines at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Eagles-Buccaneers will also air on the radio on WIP-FM (94.1), where fans can listen to the familiar voices of Merrill Reese and former Eagles receiver Mike Quick. WIP host Howard Eskin will handle sideline reporting duties.

Reese has been miserable calling Eagles games for the past month. During last week’s loss to the New York Giants, Reese called it an “embarrassment” to see the Eagles pull their starters before halftime, and at times described the Birds as “getting murdered” and “not playing like a professional football team.”

In his 47th season as the voice of the Eagles, Reese has called every Birds playoff game since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. The last time he remembers Eagles fans being this upset at the team heading into the playoffs was the 2009 season, when the Birds lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the final week of the season (costing them the NFC East) and then again one week later in the wild-card round.

“That was the famous Donovan McNabb guitar game, where he came out strumming the air guitar,” Reese told KYW NewsRadio’s Dave Uram last week. “And I think everyone was pretty upset by that time.”

The game will also air in Spanish on ESPN Deportes (Rebeca Landa, Sergio Dipp, Katia Castorena, and John Sutcliffe) and on the radio on La Mega 105.7-FM (Rickie Ricardo, Oscar Budejen, and Bill Kulik).

Eagles-Buccaneers will stream on ESPN+, the network’s subscription streaming service. It will also stream on any so-called skinny bundle that carries either ABC or ESPN, including fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Stream. Most offer a free trial.

You can also stream tonight’s Eagles-Buccaneers game on NFL+, the league’s subscription streaming service, which costs $6.99 a month.

If you’re looking to stream the game for free and you live in or around Philadelphia, your best option is using a digital antenna, since the game will air on broadcast television on 6abc.

Peyton and Eli Manning’s alternative Monday Night Football telecast, dubbed the Manningcast, is finishing up its third season on ESPN2, and the brothers will be broadcasting during Eagles-Buccaneers. Guests include Ray Lewis and former Bucs coach Bruce Arians, who previously coached at Temple.

It’s the fourth Eagles game the Manning brothers have handled, and the third this season. During the Eagles’ win against the Kansas City Chiefs in November, Peyton and Eli spoke to former Birds quarterback-turned-Fox NFL analyst Michael Vick, when he admitted he played as Peyton — and not himself — in Madden football.

Hurts made it onto the Manningcast last season, when the young Eagles quarterback (wearing a hoodie with the phrase “God bless whoever hating on me”) reacted to a wild video of Hall of Famer Michael Irvin, who passionately and hilariously butchered a Hurts quote about heat and thermostats.

Ahead of the Birds’ playoff game against the Buccaneers, the Pittsburgh Steelers will face off against the Buffalo Bills, the Bizarro version of the Eagles who are storming into the playoffs on a five-game winning streak.

The Steelers-Bills game was originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon, but the NFL pushed back kickoff to Monday at 4:30 p.m. due to a massive winter storm that blanketed Buffalo in snow. The game will still air on CBS, with Jim Nantz and Tony Romo on the call. Tracy Wolfson and Jay Feely will report from the sidelines at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., where a travel ban remains in effect and more snow is expected Monday night.

“I’m not saying it’s going to be pleasant, but it’s not going to be life-threatening either,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters Sunday.

The Bills are big favorites over the Steelers, and if Buffalo wins they’ll host the Kansas City Chiefs, who thumped the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night in a frigid Arrowhead Stadium where water froze almost instantly and Andy Reid’s mustache was weighed down by ice.

If the Steelers pull off an upset, they’ll face the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs. The Chiefs would then host the Houston Texans, who blew out Joe Flacco and the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.

If the Eagles defeat the Buccaneers, they’ll travel to Detroit to face the No. 3 Lions in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday at 3 p.m. on NBC.

Last night, the Lions defeated Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams 24-23, Detroit’s first playoff win since the 1991 season and just the second for the franchise in 64 years.

The Lions would also host the Buccaneers on Sunday if Tampa Bay upsets the Eagles.

After upsetting and embarrassing the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night, the No. 7 Green Bay Packers will face No. 1 San Francisco 49ers on Saturday.

Here’s the schedule for the divisional round NFC playoff games:

Over in the AFC, the No. 4 Houston Texans and the No. 3 Kansas City Chiefs are both heading to the divisional round of the playoffs, where they’ll join the No. 1 Baltimore Ravens. All three won’t know who they’re playing until after the delayed Steelers-Bills game.

Here’s how the schedule would stack up:

If the Bills win:

If the Steelers win:

Staff writers Jeff McLane, EJ Smith, Josh Tolentino, and Olivia Reiner will be covering the action live on Gameday Central. Notes and observations about the game will be at Inquirer.com/Eagles. Don’t forget to subscribe to our free Sports Daily newsletter.