In Tampa, Florida, the Philadelphia Eagles asserted their superiority by triumphing over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sole Week 3 clash featuring two undefeated teams. The Eagles’ defense played a crucial role in their 25-11 triumph on Monday night, effectively stifling the Buccaneers. Furthermore, the Eagles’ offense showcased its potency, with running back D’Andre Swift achieving his second consecutive game with over 100 rushing yards.
Philadelphia Eagles (3-0)
The Philadelphia Eagles, boasting an unblemished 3-0 record, secured their most remarkable victory of the early season, despite their quarterback, Jalen Hurts, grappling with flu-like symptoms just prior to the game, as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
While Hurts had a somewhat inconsistent performance against the Buccaneers, managing both rushing and passing touchdowns but also throwing two interceptions, he still completed 23 of 37 passes for a total of 277 yards.
The Eagles beat the Buccaneers to extend their record to 3-0.
— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) September 26, 2023
The Birds are one of three remaining undefeated teams in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/ZQ1MPaDfdy
The Eagles’ defense played a pivotal role by generating two turnovers, and their ground game was highly effective, amassing 201 yards against the Buccaneers’ run defense, which ranked fourth in the league and had been allowing just 54 yards per game. Additionally, wide receiver A.J. Brown had his most outstanding performance of the season in terms of yards (131) and receptions (nine).
Despite not yet reaching their peak performance, Hurts and the Eagles find themselves in an enviable position as one of only three undefeated teams left in the league. One promising trend is the Eagles’ ground game, which entered the game as the NFL’s second-ranked rushing offense, averaging 178 yards per game.
They continued their dominance on the ground, with D’Andre Swift following up his career-best performance from Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings (175 rushing yards) with another exceptional outing, accumulating 130 yards on 16 carries. Swift has firmly established himself as Philadelphia’s primary running back, a notable shift from receiving just two touches in the season opener.
Rookies Jalen Carter and Sydney Brown made two critical defensive plays during the game. Brown, a tenacious safety hailing from Illinois, thwarted what appeared to be an easy touchdown by Mike Evans in the second quarter by closing in on the ball and forcing an incompletion in the corner of the end zone.
Carter, who has had an impressive start to his career, continued to shine when he stripped the ball from Rachaad White, who was caught off guard after making a catch over the middle later in the quarter. Carter is making a strong case for the title of Defensive Rookie of the Year, and this year’s draft class, in general, is showing early signs of promise.
An attention-grabbing statistic is that Hurts now holds the record for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in their first 50 career games, with a total of 29 touchdowns, surpassing Cam Newton’s record of 28 touchdowns, which he achieved in his 48th game. The Eagles’ upcoming game is against the Washington Commanders on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, and it will be broadcast on Fox.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the game with a 2-1 record, carrying a significant opportunity to hand the reigning Super Bowl champions their first loss and validate their own legitimacy. However, they came up short in this endeavor.
While the Buccaneers’ defense successfully secured two takeaways and made crucial stops in the red zone, the offense struggled to fulfill its end of the bargain. A notable instance occurred when backup cornerback Dee Delaney, stepping in for the injured Jamel Dean, intercepted Jalen Hurts at the Tampa Bay 1-yard line with just 3:46 left in the third quarter.
Unfortunately, on the very next play, running back Rachaad White was tackled in the end zone for a safety. Similarly, following Devin White’s interception of Hurts in the second quarter, Rachaad White fumbled the ball two plays later on the Tampa Bay 37-yard line.
This game epitomized the difficulties faced by the Buccaneers, who were outgained significantly, with the Eagles amassing 472 total yards compared to their 174. Regarding the quarterback’s performance, Baker Mayfield and his receiving corps encountered challenges for most of the game. Both Mike Evans and tight end Cade Otton had early drops, and safety Sydney Brown executed an impressive diving play to dislodge the ball from Evans’ grasp in the end zone.
Just before halftime, Mayfield threw his first interception of the season on a pass intended for Chris Godwin. However, Mayfield and Evans managed to establish a connection in the fourth quarter, completing 24 and 22-yard passes before Evans secured a 1-yard touchdown, marking his third touchdown in three games. Mayfield concluded the game with 15 completions on 25 attempts for 146 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
A worrisome trend for the Buccaneers is their ongoing struggle with the ground game. This issue, which had them ranked at the bottom of the league in 2022, showed no signs of improvement as they managed only 41 rushing yards on 17 carries, averaging a mere 2.1 yards per carry.
On a positive note, the defense, despite injuries affecting key players such as White, Dean, and cornerback Carlton Davis, who was sidelined with a toe injury, succeeded in limiting the Eagles. The Eagles, who had scored five red zone touchdowns leading into Week 3, were only able to score a touchdown once in five red zone trips. The Buccaneers’ next game is against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, with the game broadcast on Fox.
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