The Philadelphia Eagles move to an impressive 4-0 following a 31-23 win over the Buccaneers. It wasn't pretty, but with Flyers hockey on the horizon, it was certainly gritty.
First quarter breakout
The game started off in explosive fashion. Instead of waiting for the offense to make a statement, it was the defense and special teams units that once again stepped up big.
A solid effort from the secondary helped bring Baker and co. to a standstill on the opening drive, but a special teams effort on the following punt sent the Eagles careering into a 7-point lead. Cameron Latu blocked the kick, only for the ball to pop up into the hands of Sydney Brown, who carried it all the way to the endzone. Is there a better special teams group in the NFL?
The Eagles' offense then decided to chip in with a touchdown of their own on the following drive. Everyone seemed to get involved, from A.J Dillon, to DeVonta Smith, and the TD Scorer Dallas Goedert. Jalen Hurts rushed the ball 28 yards down the field on a scramble before a quick pitch at the goal-line to the veteran tight end, giving Philadelphia a sizeable 14-point lead 7 minutes into the opening quarter.
With emotions at a new high following a string of taunting calls, Mayfield and the offense rallied down inside the red zone. It ran predominantly through Bucky Irving, who continues to prove himself as one of the NFL's most efficient north-south runners, but it wasn't enough to get Tampa bay into the endzone, with the team settling for 3 points to get them on the board. This was a field goal the Eagles were unable to block, which weirdly came as a surprise at this point.
Settling in
The tempo seemed to slow after the opening explosion of big plays. The Bucs were still unable to generate anything substantial. Baker Mayfield was able to find Egbuka for a deep pass on a broken play, before a dropped deep pass from the returning Chris Godwin all but killed that drive on the spot.
Philadelphia remained in control of the game, asserting its dominance on the ground and looking to control the clock. This did become harder due to the Bucs' rampant front four, but they couldn't stop a big day from the tight ends. Dallas Goedert, after notching a touchdown, continued to be a reliable option for Jalen Hurts, who then went to Grant Calcaterra just one play later during their third drive to push them into enemy territory. DeVonta Smith hauled in another trademark mid-air snag to move the Birds inside the 10, and we all knew how it would end..or did we?
The Eagles were out to prove they didn't need a tush push, and instead pitched it to Goedert again who drove into the endzone on a shovel to extend the lead to 21-3 midway through the second stanza. The playcalling creativity was exceptional, with Kevin Patullo diving deep into his bag of tricks to silence naysayers.
On a side note, Cooper DeJean started putting together one of the finest games of his career. He was frequently targeted as it became clear the Bucs were sorely missing Mike Evans, and he gave up next to nothing. Outstanding half from the second-year player.
Tyler Steen went down with an injury towards the end of the second quarter, which isn't what the team needed. The 25 year-old has been steady in his first season as a starter. Veteran Matt Pryor stepped in to replace him.
The Eagles tacked on another 3 points through a Jake Elliott field goal, leaving the Bucs with no timeouts and 80 yards to go if they were to somehow score a touchdown. Up to that point, they had just 84 yards of offense through the entire half. A dominant defensive display by Philadelphia.
Eagles feel the effects of the Tampa Bay heat
The Buccaneers came out of the gate swinging. After thwarting the opening Eagles drive of the second half, they sparked into life with a big kickoff return, down 21 points, and in need of an immediate answer. The Eagles blew up a 4th and short attempt to keep their control of the game, but the offense started to falter, and that had to change.
After another stalled Eagles drive, the Bucs found an ounce of life. A huge catch by Egbuka saw him walk it into the endzone after both Mukuba and Blankenship ended up on the floor having tried to disrupt the pass.
The Eagles had seen this story before. From here on out, the intent simply had to be to stay with what's worked all game, not get too cute and gift away possessions on quick three and outs. -2 yards of offense through the opening two drives of the second half had given Tampa Bay a lifeline, one they needed to revoke.
Despite the Birds stalling out again, they were gifted an unconventional fumble from Bucky Irving, handing them possession back inside Bucs territory. A beautifully orchestrated, hard-hitting ground attack pushed the ball inside the 10. Another third and short that would've otherwise seen a 'Tush Push' deployed ended up with a crafty outside rush for Saquon who pranced like a Gazelle in for 6 to make it a 31-13 game.
Tampa Bay wouldn't quit, however. A 72-yard touchdown catch from Bucky Irving re-gained the ground they just gave up, and once again, we had a ballgame.
The final dance
The Eagles' offense began to look fatigued. The juice it hard early on replaced by inconsistencies. Only adding fuel to the building fire was Jalen Carter's injury. He was taken out of the game during a Bucs drive that kicked off the fourth quarter and his absence was immediately felt.
The fatigue wasn't just hampering the offense. Kelee Ringo was flagged for holding a wide receiver on a cruicial third down. Quinyon had a call that somehow slipped under the radar just a few drives earlier, and the impact of the sweltering heat was beginning to set in.
But just when hope was beginning to fade, a tipped Baker Mayfield pass destined for the endzone fell into the palms of a roaming Jihaad Campbell. The rookie capitalized on the ball tipped by Blankenship and sent a jolt of energy through an otherwise lifeless unit. Good teams find a way to win, and the Eagles had been fighting to simply not lose. Was this going to be the turning point?
The Eagles had a chance to ice the game, but a quick 3 and out left travelling fans questioning what was happening. The blitz pickup became increasingly worse, and the Bucs had yet another shot to move down the field and bring themselves back into this game.
After a gruelling drive downfield, Moro Ojomo came up with a huge sack to force Tampa Bay into 3rd & 23 with 1:45 remaining. Rachaad White recovered 14 yards of that deficit, and on 4th & 10, Mayfield threw a ball towards Cade Otton, but it was forced out of his hands from Nickerson, securing the win for Philadelphia.
It was a game made up of big-time moments and a second half of once again, surviving by the scruff of their neck. The Eagles move to 4-0 and that is frankly all that matters, but the noises surrounding an offense that continues to stall out in the back-end of games will do anything quieten over the next few days.
