PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid knows how dangerous the Tampa Bay Buccaneers can be. His face still contorts when he recalls what happened last December, when he was an assistant with the Green Bay Packers.

Reid, then Green Bay's quarterbacks coach, watched Trent Dilfer and the Bucs finally beat Brett Favre and the Packers on Dec. 7 -- 24-22 on Monday Night Football. Dilfer threw two long touchdown passes to his speedy receivers as the Bucs ended a six-game losing streak against Green Bay.

Things are different now. Reid is the head coach of the Eagles. Dilfer might be playing for his job Sunday when the Bucs play the Eagles at Veterans Stadium.

All that said, Reid still fears Tampa Bay.

"We had a chance to play there on Monday night and it was a disaster for us," Reid said. "They got after us pretty good in that game."

Even after only one game as coach of the Eagles, Reid knows all about disasters. The Eagles (0-1), desperately trying to erase the memories of a 3-13 season, blew leads of 21-0 and 24-6 and lost 25-24 to Arizona on a last-second field goal in the season opener.

Dilfer had a terrible game in the Bucs' season opener, throwing three interceptions in a 17-13 loss to the Giants.

Despite their similar predicaments, the teams' stakes are different. The Bucs (0-1) hope their opening performance was merely a hiccup on the way to the playoffs. The Eagles, rebuilding in every sense of the word, hope they didn't squander a rare chance to keep another season from sliding away.

How important is a victory to the beleaguered Eagles?

"It's so important it's ridiculous," cornerback Troy Vincent said. "Especially after losing last week, being up 21-0 and losing that football game here at home."

Dilfer, who made the Pro Bowl in 1997, will start despite getting pulled for Eric Zeier in the loss to the Giants. Coach Tony Dungy refused to say whether this was Dilfer's last shot to keep the job.

"I don't want to get into the hypotheticals and what-ifs," Dungy said. "We're going up there to win the game. Hopefully we'll do that."

Dilfer said simply, "I'm done with it."

"It's one game," he said. "It's a blemish on your record, obviously, but it doesn't really mean anything more than a loss. It doesn't mean we're bad. It doesn't mean we're unlucky. It doesn't mean momentum has switched. It means we lost one game and you've got to shake it off and move on."

If the Eagles offer little to fear on offense, their defense looks capable of becoming the kind of menacing force that was the hallmark of their few successful teams in recent years. The best matchup to watch will be Tampa Bay's speedy receivers -- Reidel Anthony, Jacquez Green and Bert Emanuel -- against Eagles cornerbacks Vincent, Bobby Taylor and Al Harris.

"They've got a handful of receivers who can really scoot," Reid said.

Taylor is likely to play, but how much pounding his injured ankle can endure on the Vet's unforgiving artificial turf is uncertain. Harris, a speedster who has improved into a solid cornerback since being claimed on waivers from the Bucs last season, started last week against the Cardinals. He may do so again.

"Al is playing exceptional right now," Taylor said. "It's a good situation for the coaches not to have to put me out there when I'm not 100 percent."

Another matchup to watch will be Pro Bowl defensive tackle Warren Sapp against Eagles guard Jeff Dellenbach.

Dellenbach, in his 15th season, was just signed last week as a free agent. He is the latest new starter inserted into the Eagles' struggling, unstable offensive line. He's played against Sapp before and knows he'll face more than just a physical challenge.

"He was calling me grandpa last year," said Dellenbach, 36. "He said he remembered watching me when he was down at the University of Miami and I was with the Dolphins. He said I was no good then and I'm still not any good."

Eagles safety Brian Dawkins, whose left eyelid was torn when his helmet was ripped off against Arizona, probably will play.

TAMPA BAY Season schedule and results

PHILADELPHIA Season schedule and results

September 12 NY Giants L 13-17 September 19 @Philadelphia 1:00pm ET September 26 Denver 1:00pm ET October 3 @Minnesota 1:00pm ET October 10 @Green Bay 8:20pm ET October 24 Chicago 1:00pm ET October 31 @Detroit 8:20pm ET November 7 @New Orleans 4:05pm ET November 14 Kansas City 1:00pm ET November 21 Atlanta 1:00pm ET November 28 @Seattle 4:05pm ET December 6 Minnesota 9:00pm ET December 12 Detroit 1:00pm ET December 19 @Oakland 4:05pm ET December 26 Green Bay 4:15pm ET January 2 @Chicago 1:00pm ET

September 12 Arizona L 24-25 September 19 Tampa Bay 1:00pm ET September 26 @Buffalo 1:00pm ET October 3 @NY Giants 1:00pm ET October 10 Dallas 1:00pm ET October 17 @Chicago 1:00pm ET October 24 @Miami 1:00pm ET October 31 NY Giants 1:00pm ET November 7 @Carolina 1:00pm ET November 14 Washington 1:00pm ET November 21 Indianapolis 1:00pm ET November 28 @Washington 1:00pm ET December 5 @Arizona 4:05pm ET December 12 @Dallas 1:00pm ET December 19 New England 1:00pm ET January 2 St. Louis 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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