D'Andre Swift had another huge night for the Philadelphia Eagles, rushing for more than 100 yards for the second consecutive game in a dominant 25-11 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James on Stadium Monday night.
Swift rushed for 130 yards in the victory, setting the pace for an Eagles rushing attack that put up more than 201 yards for the second consecutive week. Neither Swift nor Kenny Gainwell racked up a rushing touchdown for the Eagles, but Jalen Hurts recorded a rushing score to put the Eagles up, 20-3, on the first drive coming out of halftime.
Hurts has 29 rushing touchdowns in his career, the most in NFL history through a player's first 50 career games (and Hurts has only played 48 career games). He finished 22 of 36 for 273 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions (70.7 rating), finding A.J. Brown eight times for 127 yards.
Baker Mayfield struggled against the Eagles pressure throughout the night, even though he was only sacked two times and hit five times. The Eagles took away the run game for the Buccaneers, holding Tampa Bay to 41 yards on the ground. Nicholas Morrow had a safety in the third quarter for the Eagles, capping a dominant night for the run defense.
Mayfield finished 15 of 25 for 146 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but the touchdown came midway through the fourth quarter when the game essentially was out of reach. Mike Evans scored the only touchdown for the Buccaneers.
Philadelphia outgained Tampa Bay, 472-174, in the win, holding the Buccaneers to 4.0 yards per play.
The Eagles move to 3-0 for the second consecutive season, the first time the franchise has accomplished that since 1992-1993.
Why the Eagles won
They ran the ball and stuffed the run, which are always recipes for building and controlling a lead. Jalen Hurts was once again spotty on downfield targets, tossing two picks, but it didn't really matter. While he helped offset it with a perfect touchdown loft to Olamide Zaccheaus, he got even more help from D'Andre Swift, who routinely exploded through clear rushing lanes to eclipse 130 yards. The defense was the real star, however, limiting Tampa to three points and fewer than 100 total yards until late in the contest. Jalen Carter wreaked more havoc up front, Reed Blankenship read Mayfield on an easy pick, and the entire front seven forced a safety to seal the deal.
Why the Buccaneers lost
The offense finally found a challenge it couldn't meet. Baker Mayfield hung in there once again, but this time, he couldn't develop his Mike Evans connection until it was too late, faced with steady push from Philly's defensive interior and getting zero help from a bottled-up ground game led by Rachaad White. Evans dropped a few catchable balls early, which didn't help, but all in all, Todd Bowles' squad just had no answers for jump-starting the offense. The "D" was OK on the back end, picking off Hurts twice and nearly coming down with at least one other turnover, but Bowles' unit was also a sieve against the run, allowing wide-open holes through which Swift stole the show.
Turning point
Down 10-3 after the Eagles' 84-yard scoring drive that ended with Hurts' pass to Zaccheaus, the Bucs had a chance to respond and even things up. Instead, with rain pouring at Raymond James Stadium, Mayfield fired a short pass in the direction of Chris Godwin, failing to register that Blankenship had swooped in front. The easy interception didn't result in immediate Eagles points, as the teams traded additional giveaways right afterward. But it ensured Philly could keep the lead for good.
Play of the game
Hurts didn't have a fantastic night going up against the Bucs' secondary, but he was MVP-level good on the TD pass to Zaccheaus, in which he kept his eyes downfield in a nearly spotless pocket to unload the ball with perfect touch:
What's next
The Eagles (3-0) will return home for an NFC East showdown with the Commanders (2-1), who fell to the Bills on Sunday. The Buccaneers (2-1), meanwhile, will hit the road for a matchup with the Saints (2-1), who were edged by the Packers in Week 3.