Eagles Hold Off Bucs, Escape Week 4 Meltdown
The talk about a football team that had 19 of its previous 20 wasn’t too positive. The Philadelphia Eagles traveled to Raymond James Stadium with a 1-4 record against the…
The talk about a football team that had 19 of its previous 20 wasn't too positive.
The Philadelphia Eagles traveled to Raymond James Stadium with a 1-4 record against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under Nick Sirianni, but they escaped with a 31-25 victory in Week 4.
The tale of two halves narrative, however, repeated itself in reverse order. The Eagles started slow against the Los Angeles Rams and stormed back for a win in Week 3. They jumped on the Bucs early but allowed them to creep into striking distance in an unimpressive second half.
A Dominant First Half
The Eagles hit the ground running. Sydney Brown picked up a blocked punt after the first possession and returned it for a 35-yard touchdown.
Jalen Hurts and the offense handled the Tampa Bay blitz effectively with a short, efficient passing game. The Eagles also created two explosive pass plays, one to Dallas Goedert and one to DeVonta Smith, in the first half.
A dominant effort in all three phases of the game pushed the Eagles to a 24-3 lead. A 65-yard field goal trimmed the Philadelphia lead to 18 at the half.
An Ugly Second Half Escape
The Bucs flipped the script on the Eagles in the second half. Baker Mayfield threw for 77 and 72-yard touchdowns to propel a comeback effort that made a Florida crowd of Eagles fans quiver.
However, the Eagles stood tall with splash plays on defense that halted the Bucs in a comeback push.
Jalyx Hunt and Jihaad Campbell converged on Bucky Irving to force a fumble in the third quarter that put the Eagles in position for their only second half score.
Campbell then intercepted a Baker Mayfield pass in the end zone to stall another drive in the fouth quarter.
The Bucs neutralized the Eagles on offense throughout the second half and retrieved the ball to give Mayfield one last chance. A key sack by Moro Ojomo pushed Tampa Bay backwards and helped the Eagles escape after an ugly second half.
