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Monday night football, week 1;  @  Buccaneers @ Eagles.
The Buccaneers.
Tampa Bay will begin defense of its first Super Bowl Championship on Monday, September 8 in a prime-time match-up vs. the Philadelphia Eagles. The game will be the first regular-season contest in Philadelphia's new Lincoln Financial Field, which replaces Veterans Stadium.
In last years playoffs, the Buccaneers and Eagles played the last NFL game ever in Veterans Stadium, a 27-10 NFC Championship Game victory and ATS cover by the Buccaneers on the 19th of January. That victory vs. the Eagles sent Tampa Bay on to Super Bowl XXXVII and thus the Bucs were crowned Super Bowl champions as they defeated the Oakland Raiders.
The Buccaneers and Eagles Monday Night Football Game, will be the first-ever Monday game between the 2 teams, and will be broadcast nationally on ABC beginning at 9:05 p.m. ET. This will be Tampa Bay’s 12th appearance on Monday night since ABC began televising the games back in September of 1970. Tampa Bay is 6 – 5 straight up on Monday Night Football and 7 – 4 ATS. The Buccaneers are 1 – 3 straight up on Monday night road games and also 1 – 3 ATS. At home they are 6 – 1 ATS including 6 – 0 when an underdog and 0 – 1 when favored. Last season was their first time they were favored on Monday night; vs. the Steelers, a straight up loss. Their straight up Monday night home record is 5 – 2.
In week 15 of the 1983 season they hosted the Green Bay Packers and then the Monday night drought set in. The Buccaneers did not appear under the Monday night lights again until week 4 of the 1998 season.
Following their Eagles week 1 match-up they play 2 Monday night home games; in week 5 they host the Colts and “welcome” former head coach Tony Dungy. Their final MNF appearance is during week 12 when the host the New York Giants.
Did you know, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the first Super Bowl champions in 7 years to begin their Super Bowl title defense on the road. Five of the last 6 Super Bowl champions had defended their crown at home on Monday night. Since 1997, the only defending champion not to play on Monday night was the Baltimore Ravens at the beginning of the 2001 season. The Denver Broncos opened vs. the New York Giants and that was most likely due to the grand re-opening of Mile High Stadium. Perhaps that is why the Eagles host the opener in week 1 of this 2003 season.
The last Lombardi Trophy owners to begin the following season on the road were the Dallas Cowboys, who won Super Bowl XXX in January of 1996 to finish the 1995 campaign, then kicked off the 1996 season with a Monday night road game at Chicago. The home underdog Bears didn’t need the 3 points as they dispatched of the Cowboys straight up; 22 – 06.
Regardless of location, the Buccaneers have never started a season with a Monday night game. The 1979 and 1981 seasons each began on Saturday evening for Tampa Bay, but those were not nationally-televised games. The heat and humidity was a contributing factor for those 2 evening games vs. division rival Detroit in ’79, a convincing straight up win and ATS cover by the Buccaneers; 31 – 16 and an easy over as the odds maker had the total pegged at 34 points. In the 1981 Saturday night season opener Tampa hosted the Vikings and covered the number again 21 – 13. The book had the total at 35 in this contest and it slid under the number.
This will be the 4th season out of the last 6 that the Buccaneers have opened on the road. Tampa Bay has won each of its last 2 season-openers on the road; at Dallas, in 2001, a win, but non point spread cover, and at New England in the 2000 season, a win and ATS cover. Oddly enough those were the first 2 season openers where by the Buccaneers were road chalk since they joined the league in 1974. And, the heat and humidity home field advantage hasn’t worked in the Buccaneers’ favor as they lost each of its last two season-openers at home. Last year vs. New Orleans, and vs. the New York Giants in1999. However, in both of those campaigns in which it lost its opener, Tampa Bay advanced at least as far as the NFC Championship Game.
Don’t expect Tampa Bay to be a home dog this season and a strong dose of road chalk is to be expected. Will the points spread “Gawds” be kind to the Bucs this season; time will tell!
The Eagles.
Here is some NFL trivia for you. The Philadelphia Eagles were the first Monday night division home underdog to win and cover vs. a division foe. On the 23 of November in 1972 the Eagles didn’t need the points as they defeated long time division rival the New York Giants; 23 – 20.
I am not a believer in utilizing trends to handicap the pro or college card but the Eagles have done well ATS on Monday night. They haven’t appeared as many times as their other division rivals the Giants, Cowboys or Redskins but when they have played under the Monday night light the eagles have made it count; their ATS record is an impressive 20 – 11 or 64.5% ATS. Philadelphia has also performed well at home posting a 9 – 2 ATS record when a home favorite.
ABC & Monday night football.
So the 34th season under the lights begins with a conference game. This clash between the Bucs and the Eagles marks the 14th time the Monday night season opened with a conference game.
Check back in a few days to see how the previous 13 home/road teams fared; the web master will post a chart of all the week 1 Conference games showing the side and total success of home dogs, etc.
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