In the only meeting between two undefeated teams in Week 3, the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road.
In Monday night’s 25-11 victory, the Eagles’ defense shut out the Bucs. Running back D’Andre Swift’s second straight game with over 100 yards on the ground demonstrated how strong Philadelphia’s offence was.
Philadelphia Aviators
On a night when quarterback Jalen Hurts wasn’t feeling well, the Eagles pulled off their most spectacular victory of the short campaign.
Adam Schefter, Hurts experienced flu-like symptoms just before the game. In addition to passing and running for a touchdown against the Bucs, he also threw two interceptions during the game. He completed with 277 yards on 23 of 37 passes.
Two takeaways were produced by the defense, and the Eagles’ ground attack ran for 201 yards against a run defense that entered the game ranked fourth in the nation, giving up just 54 yards per game. In terms of yards (131) and receptions (9), wide receiver A.J. Brown likewise had his finest performance of the year.
Even though Hurts and the Eagles haven’t played their greatest basketball yet, they are currently one of just three undefeated teams.
Positive trend: The Eagles, who came into the season with 178 yards per game as the NFL’s second-ranked rushing offence, dominated the ground game once more. Swift had another incredible performance, gaining 130 yards on 16 attempts, to cap off a career-best showing against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2. Swift had previously gained 175 rush yards. With just two touches in the season opener, he has formally established himself as Philadelphia’s leading back.
pivotal play:
In crucial situations, rookies Sydney Brown and Jalen Carter both made outstanding plays on the defensive side of the ball. Mittentally in the second quarter, Brown, the hard-charging Illinois safety, erased what seemed like an easy score for Mike Evans by closing on the ball and forcing an incompletion in the end zone corner. Carter’s career-best start was further cemented later in the quarter when, following a catch over the middle, he stripped an unwary Rachaad White. Overall, this year’s drafting class is showing great early results, and Carter is putting up a strong early case for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Amazing fact: Hurts surpassed Cam Newton (28) on Monday in his 48th game to take the lead in the number of running touchdowns scored by a quarterback in their first 50 career games, with 29.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Despite having the opportunity to defeat the reigning Super Bowl champions and show that they are a legitimate team, the Bucs failed to live up to expectations on this particular night.The offence fell short of expectations, but the defense kept up the pressure, recording two takeaways and multiple red zone stops for the Bucs.
A prime example is the interception of Jalen Hurts by backup cornerback Dee Delaney, who replaced the injured Jamel Dean with 3:46 remaining in the third quarter at the Tampa Bay 1-yard line. Rachaad White, the running back, was stuffed up the gut for a safety one play later. In the second quarter, just after Devin White intercepted Hurts, White fumbled twice on the Tampa Bay 37-yard line.It was that kind of night for the Bucs, as their total yardage was outgained 472 to 174.
QB synopsis: Baker Mayfield and his receivers had a difficult evening. Safety Sydney Brown made an amazing diving play to remove the ball from Mike Evans’ hands in the end zone after early drops by tight end Cade Otton and Evans. Next, on a pass meant for Chris Godwin, Mayfield intercepted the ball for the first time this season, right before halftime. In the fourth quarter, though, Evans and Mayfield would pick up steam, connecting on passes of 24 and 22 yards, respectively, before Evans scored his third touchdown of the game, this one from 1 yards out. With a touchdown and an interception, Mayfield completed 15 of 25 passes for 146 yards.
Regrettable trend: With just 41 running yards on 17 carries for an average of 2.1 yards per carry, the Bucs’ bottom-ranked ground offence from 2022 isn’t showing any signs of improving.
The defence is a plus. The unit held the Eagles, who had scored five red zone touchdowns coming into Week 3, to one touchdown in five trips to the red zone, with White playing with an injured groyne, Dean leaving the game with a shoulder injury, and cornerback Carlton Davis out due to a toe injury.
