The Philadelphia Eagles (4-0) defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers(3-1) 31-25 at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
Before Sunday’s win, Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts had lost their last two matchups in Tampa, including getting routed by the Bucs 33-16 in Week 4 last season.
After leading 24-6 at halftime, the Eagles were able to hold on to get the victory.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate Philly’s ‘Big 3’ and their outstanding performances on Sunday:
-First half version of Hurts. In that first half, Hurts completed 15-of-16 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. However, the second-half version of Hurts wasn’t very good, as he was 0/8 and had zero passing yards. Hurts finished the game completing 15-of-24 passes for 130 yards, and he added 62 yards on the ground.
-Cooper Dejean/Quinyon Mitchell. Dejean seemed like he was all over the field. He finished the game with a team-high nine tackles and two passes defensed. Dejean is a great tackler, and it showed on Sunday. Mitchell was targeted a lot by the Buccaneers, and he had a career-high five passes defensed.
-Cameron Latu blocked a punt, which was scooped up by Sydney Brown and returned 35 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. That blocked set the tone for the Eagles.
According to Elias Sports, Philadelphia became the first NFL team that has blocked a kick (FG or punt) on three consecutive opponent possessions since at least 1978. The Eagles are the fourth NFL team since at least 2000 to produce a field goal block returned for a TD and a punt block returned for a TD in the same season.
Honorable Mention:
-Dallas Goedert had four catches for 37 yards and two touchdowns. Both of his touchdowns were in the red zone. One came from an underhanded pass and another from a shovel pass.
-Zack Baun was another one who was all over the field; he finished with eight tackles and a sack.
-Jihaad Campbell made one of the plays of the game when he intercepted Baker Mayfield in the end zone in the fourth quarter with the Eagles leading 31-23. This was Campbell’s first career interception.
End of the Day:
Despite the Eagles’ historical struggles in Tampa and the intense heat, which felt like 103 degrees on Sunday, they showed resilience. Hurts also faced challenges against Todd Bowles’ defense on the past. However, at least in the first half, the offense was able to move the ball.
Again, it was a tale of two halves for the Eagles’ offense. Against the Rams last week, they struggled in the first half but dominated the second half. In this game, it was the opposite. That has to be fixed.
The passing game still needs to get better. You thought, based on the start the Eagles had on Sunday, that they fixed their offensive woes.
However, the offense is still a work in progress.
Going forward, A.J. Brown has to be more involved in the offense. He had nine targets, but he finished the game with two receptions for seven yards. Additionally, Barkley needs to get unlocked (19 carries, 43 yards, TD), which will eventually happen.
What’s Next:
The Eagles head home to battle the Broncos next Sunday.
One More thing….
-Philadelphia won its franchise-record-tying 10th consecutive game (including playoffs) to improve to 4-0 for the eighth time in team history (also 1954, 1981, 1992, 1993, 2004, 2022, and 2023).
-According to Elias Sports, Nick Sirianni is the third head coach in NFL history with three 4-0 starts in their first five career seasons, joining Paul Brown and George Halas.
-Philadelphia has won 18 contests in a row that were started and finished by Hurts.
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