Eagles 9 - 32 Bucs summary, stats, scores and highlights | NFL Wild Card Weekend
The Bucs didn't just beat the Eagles they embarrassed them. This was a wounded team coming into the playoffs and the Bucs put an end to their misery on Monday night. Baker Mayfield ended the night with 337 yards on 22/36 and 3 touchdowns including this 23 yard time to Chirs Godwin in what might have been his biggest game of his career. The Bucs now will head to Detroit next week to take on the LIons while the Eagles will have a long offseason full of speculation surrounding the coordinators and maybe head coach Nick Siriani's future with the franchise.
After a Hurts had an intentional grounding flag in the end zone result in a safety the Bucs had a rapid fire score just two plays later when Trey Palmer made a catch on a short pass, broke a tackle and and took it 56 yards for a touchdown. The Eagles tackling was dreadful all night and resulted directly two of the Tampa Bay TDs.
There are a lot of things that the Eagles have done right over the last two years, but nothing was more dominant than the Brotherly Shove, or the Tush Push. What ever you call it, the Bucs weren't interested. They stood up Hurts on the Two Point Conversion which took the win out of Philly's sails and they never recovered.
Dallas Goedert put the Eagles in the endzone on the play after the Smith catch but that was the one of two times Philadelphia got into the red zone on the night. Hurts had 250 yards on 25-35 passing but the running game never got open on a night in which the passing game was hindered by Brown's absence. On top of that the Eagles went 0/9 on third down and even got a tush push stopped by the Bucs defense who kept them in check all night.
The Bucs scored on each of their first four possessions, but even though they were dominating the first half, the Eagles were still in the game and they proved that on their only good drive of the night.
With no AJ Brown available the Bucs were able to lock in on DeVonta Smith all night, and Hurts had very little options outside of the number 6 in the passing game. Smith ended the night with 148 yards, including this bomb from Hurts to set up their first and only touchdown, but he was the only source of spark on an otherwise dull Eagles offense.
The Tampa Bay Bucs are on to the Divisional Round of the playoffs in their first year of the post Tom Brady era and they are going it on the shoulders his replacement Baker Mayfield.
While the Eagles had their documented troubles coming into Monday night's game, having lost five of their last six before stumbling into the postseason. The Bucs on the other hand won five of their last six, but somehow the Eagles were the favorites coming into Raymond James Stadium.
The Bucs showed us exaclty what they though about being underdogs in their own stadium on the first drive of the night. They drove down the field and kicked a field goal after getting into the red zone. On their next drive, Baker Mayfield hit David Moore on a short crossing pattern that he took to the house after some wretched tackling by the Eagles which would be a common theme on Monday night.
IT'S ALL OVER!!
The Tampa Bay stun the Eagles in a blowout win from Raymond James! The Eagles finish the season losing 6 of their last 7. The Bucs are on to the next round where they will take on the Detroit Lions.
Gainwell up the middle and he picks up 3 yards. That is going to do it!
Gainwell up the middle and he picks up 4 yards.
2nd and 6 from the PHI 38.
TURNOVER ON DOWNS!
Edmonds up the middle and he is taken down after a two yard pick up.
PHI back from their 34.
Edmonds is taken down for a loss of 4 and that will bring up 4th down.
4th and 6 from the PHI 36.
Edmonds up the middle and gets 5 yards, and that will take us to the Two Minute Warning!
3rd and 2 from the PHI 32 after the break.
Edmonds with the carry up the middle and he picks up 3 yards.
2nd and 7 from the PHI 37.
TURNOVER ON DOWNS!
Pass to Smith on the left sideline and he makes the catch but he was pushed out of bounds and that is going to do it!
1st and 10 from the PHI 40.
Pass to the flat for Zaccheaus and he is brought down after a gain of 5.
4th and 13 from the PHI 33.
Goedert makes the catch for an 11 yard gain and a first down but that is coming back after a pass interference call on PHI.
3rd and 18 from the PHI 28.
Hurts finds Swift for a 9 yard pick up out of the backfield.
3rd and 8 from the PHI 38.
Hurts is sacked by Gaines for a loss of 7 yards on first down!
2nd and 17 from the PHI 29.
PHI start their drive from the 25 and Swift gets the pass out of the backfield for 11 yards.
1st and 10 from the PHI 36.
The Eagles brought the house but Mayfield was ready for it. He lobbed it up to Godwin in single coverage for the 23 yard TD to put the sword to the Eagles necks.
TOUCHDOWN TAMPA BAY!!!
The Eagles brought the blitz and Mayfield threw one up to Godwin who stopped on a dime as his defender blew past him and he makes the uncontested catch in the backfield!
TB lead 32-9 with 5:42 to go!
White cut it to the right side but the Eagles had that sniffed out and he is taken down for a loss of one.
3rd and 7 from the PHI 23.
White up the middle and he picks up four as the clock winds under 7:00.
2nd and 6 from the PHI 22.
White moves the chains with a two yard pick up on the left side.
1st and 10 from the PHI 26.
Slant pattern to Evans on the right side and he makes the sliding catch for a gain of 9 yards.
3rd and 1 from the PHI 28.
White gets hit in the backfield and he gets back to the line of scrimmage for no gain on first down.
2nd and 10 from the PHI 37.
White with the run to the left side and he picks up 8 yards to move the chains.
1st and 10 from the PHI 37.
Back shoulder throw on the right side and Evans makes the adjustment for a pick up for 19 yards!
2nd and 1 from the PHI 45.
Edmonds was stopped for no gain and a flag flies for holding on TB.
1st and 20 from the TB 36.
Mayfield steps up in the pocket and finds Otton at the marker for a gain of 5 yards and a first down.
1st and 10 from the TB 46.
Handoff to Edmonds up the middle and he is wrapped up after a gain of 1.
3rd and 4 from the TB 41.
Mayfield finds Godwin on the left side for a gain of 5 yards before getting pushed out of bounds.
2nd and 5 from the TB 40.
Mayfield over the middle and he finds Durham wide open for an 18 yard pitch and catch!
1st and 10 from the TB 35.
TURNOVER ON DOWNS!!!
Hurts going to the endzone for Smith who had the pass batted down by Davis!
TB ball from the 17, up 16 with 12:00 to go.
Elliott hit the field goal from 40 yards but an offside on TB is going to give PHI 5 yards and they are going to go for it!
4th and 5 from the TB 12.
Hurts finds Swift out of the backfield again and he picks up 11 yards but that will be well short of the marker.
4th and 10 from the TB 17.
After a false start on PHI back them up to 2nd and 22, Hurts finds Swift out of the backfield and he is taken down after a gain of 2.
3rd and 20 from the TB 27.
Hurts finds Goedert on the slant pass for 7 yards, but and ineligible man down field is going to bring that play back.
2nd and 17 from the TB 29.
Swift gets the handoff out of the shotgun and he is dropped for a two yard loss.
2nd and 12 from the TB 24.
Hurts rolls right and finds Smith who made a tough catch on a high pass for 15 yards.
1st and 10 from the TB 22.
Hurts goes to the air on the first play of the 4th and he throws it away after rolling to the left side.
2nd and 10 from the TB 37.
Pass over the middle for Smith and he caught it in stride, taking it 19 yards down the field on the final play of the third quarter!
1st and 10 from the TB 37 to start the 4th.
Swift gets it again and he is eaten up at the line of scrimmage.
2nd and 10 from the PHI 44
PHI get the ball from their 27 and Swift finds a hole and picks up 17 yards on the carry.
1st and 10 from the PHI 44.
Three plays after the safety it's Palmer shredding this Eagles defense! Philly has missed tackle after tackle and that might be what costs them this game.
TOUCHDOWN TAMPA BAY!!!
Mayfield finds the rookie Palmer on the short out route to the right side and he breaks the first tackle and races to the endzone for a 56 yard catch and run!
TB lead 25-9 with 1:19 to go in the 3rd Quarter!
TB get the ball back from their 38 after the safety and White picks up 6 yards on the first down run to the left.
2nd and 4 from the TB 44.
SAFETY!!!
Hurts backed up into the endzone and got swallowed up by Nelson! He tried to throw it at the last second but a flag flies for an intentional ground penalty resulting in a safety!
TB lead 18-9 with 2:18 to go in the 3rd quarter!
Hurts finds Goederts on the left side for a 10 yard pick up as the TE tapped his toes in bounds.
3rd and 6 from the PHI 14.
PHI get the ball from the 10 and Gainwell gets the handoff to the right side and nothing was there so he tried to switch fields to the left side but he was cut down for a loss of 6!
2nd and 16 from the 4.
Mayfield is sacked as Williams came out of nowhere and that 9 yard sack is going to back the Bucs out of FG range!
4th and 10 from the PHI 45!
White is stopped for a short gain of a yard.
3rd and 1 from the PHI 36.
Mayfield on the roll out to the left side and he finds Godwin on the sideline for 8 yards.
2nd and 2 from the PHI 37.
White get the handoff up the middle and he bursts through a hole for a gain of 12 yards and a first down.
1st and 10 from the PHI 45.
TB get the ball back from their 36 and Mayfield finds Otton on another short pass to the right side for 7 yards on first down.
2nd and 3 from the TB 44.
Blitz came off the edge and Hurts had to get rid of it on a short pass to Gainwell on the left side but he was dragged down after a gain of 2.
4th and 4 from the PHI 24 and the Eagles will punt.
Swift gets the handoff out of the shot gun and he picks up 2 yards on the run to the left side.
3rd and 6 from the PHI 22.
Swift gets the handoff and he picks up two yards up the middle on first down.
2nd and 8 from the PHI 20.
Hurts looking over the middle for Goedert and that pass falls incomplete but a flag flies for pass interference!
1st and 10 from the PHI 18.
Hurts tucks it and runs to the right side picking up 5 before running out of bounds.
3rd and 9 from the PHI 14.
Hurts with a quick flick to Smith in the flat and he was wrapped up for a loss of 4 yards!
2nd and 14 from the PHI 9.
PHI take over from the 13 and Hurts scrambles up the middle for 13 yards, but two flags were thrown, a holding call and an unnecessary roughness call called on each team and that will force a redo of the play as the penalties offset.
1st and 10 from the PHI 13.
This time the pressure does get to Mayfield and he is crushed for a 10 yard loss on the sack by Cox and Smith.
4th and 17 from the TB 45.
Mayfield extending the play and rolls right, letting a pass go down the sideline for White who was open but that pass got away from him.
3rd and 7 from the PHI 45.
Roll out from Mayfield and he hits Otton for a short gain of 3 on the left side.
2nd and 7 from the PHI 45.
TB get hte ball from their 46 and a quick pass to Otton on the right side goes for 10 yards after he stretches for the first down.
1st and 10 from the PHI 48.
Pressure came again, and this time Hurts is sacked by Kancey for a loss of 9 yards!
4th and 20 and the Eagles go three and out!
Pressure was coming and Hurts let it go for Watkins who was blanketed by Dean.
3rd and 11 from the PHI 24.
Swift gets the handoff out of the shotgun and he is swallowed up for a loss of one.
2nd and 11 from the PHI 24.
WE ARE BACK IN TAMPA BAY FOR THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION!
PHI get the ball from the 25 to start the third quarter.
After the TD, the Bucs did the impossible by stopping Eagles tush push on the two point conversion. It's a one score game with 30 minutes to go in the final game of Wild Card Weekend.
A play after the Smith catch Hurts sold the play action and found Goedert for the 5 yard TD. Hurts was 14/20 for 165 yards but the run game has been non existent. PHI have 17 yards on 5 total carries.
After seeing the Bucs score on their opening the Eagles finally started to open up the offense thanks to this deep shot to Smith to get the PHI inside the 5. With no AJ Brown, the Eagles are going to have to rely on Smith and Jones even more tonight.
The Bucs came out and drove right down the field but had to settle for a field goal in the red zone. On their next drive, it was Mayfield finding Moore on a rapid fire 45 yard TD catch and run, that came right after a drop from Mike Evans that would have been a TD. Mayfield has been great, his receivers haven't. He's 11/24 for 174 yards and a TD, and his receivers have five drops.
Screen pass to Watkins and he is dragged down after a gain of 4.
That will take us to the end of the first half that was dominated by the Bucs, but the Eagles are still in this game.
It's 16-9 after 30 minutes from Tampa Bay.
Hurts finds Goedert for a short gain of two yards as he steps out of bounds at the PHI 32.
3rd and 8 with 22 seconds to go in the half.
Hurts going down the sideline for Smith who made the leaping catch but couldn't get both feet down.
2nd and 10 from the PHI 32.
Hurts finds Smith on the right side and he pulls it in for the 13 yard gain and a first down. Timeout Eagles with 32 on the clock.
1st and 10 from the PHI 32.
Hurts was flushed out of the pocket to the right side and he had to throw it out of bounds.
2nd and 10 from the PHI 19.
Gainwell got the first down with a short run of one after losing his footing.
1st and 10 from the PHI 19.
WR screen to the right side for Gainwell who gets 9 yards on first down.
2nd and 1 from the 18.
Covey fumbled the punt return but had to jump on it to avoid a turnover deep in PHI territory.
1st and 10 from the 9 with 1:33 to go in the half.
Mayfield is wrapped up by Graham for a loss of 7 and the Bucs will have to punt. Timeout PHI with 1:42 to go in the half and they have a chance to cut into this lead.
4th and 17 from the TB 48.
Pass to White over the middle but that hit off his hands and fell incomplete.
3rd and 10 from the PHI 44.
Long ball for Godwin on the seam route but that pass was over thrown by Mayfield.
2nd and 10 from the PHI 44.
Play action from Mayfield and he had time to watch Otton get open on the left side for a gain of 21 yards! That takes us to the Two Minute Warning with the Bucs back in PHI territory.
1st and 10 from the PHI 44 after the break.
Mayfield was under pressure and just had to throw it out of bounds.
2nd and 10 from the TB 36.
TB get the ball back from the 25 and White gets 11 yards on the left side to start the drive.
1st and 10 from the TB 36.
The Eagles have been out played in this first half, but they are down by just a TD with three minutes to go in the first half.
On one of the first passes down field from Hurts, he finds Smith for a big gain to set up the Goedert TD on the next play.
TOUCHDOWN PHILADELPHIA!!!
Hurts sold the play action and that left Goedert wide open for the 5 yard TD on the right side.
An offside on the PAT moved the ball to the 1 and PHI the tush push but they are stopped!
TB lead 16-9 with 3:06 to go! Huge momentum swing for TB after the PHI TD.
Hurts with a bomb downfield and Smith makes the catch inside the 10 yard line for a 35 yard completion!
1st and Goal from the TB 5.
Handoff to Swift and he picks up two on first down.
2nd and 8 from the PHI 40.
Pump fake from Hurts and that got Jones open for a 14 yard chunk and a first down.
1st and 10 from the PHI 38.
Out route from Jones and Hurts found him for a four yard gain.
2nd and 11 from the PHI 24.
PHI gets the ball from their 25 and Hurts' pass to the flat for Goedert is incomplee. A flag flies for ineligible man down field which will back the Eagles up.
1st and 15 from the 20.
PHI gets the ball from their 25 and Hurts' pass to the flat for Goedert is incomplee. A flag flies for ineligible man down field which will back the Eagles up.
1st and 15 from the 20.
FIELD GOAL!!!
McLaughlin drills the 48 yard field goal for his third of the night and he puts the Bucs up 13.
TB lead 16-3 with 5:35 to go in the first half.
Slant pattern from Evans and Cunningham read it and almost picked it off.
4th and 5 from the PHI 30.
Short pass to the right side for Otton and he is taken down after 5 yards.
3rd and 5 from the PHI 30.
Pass to the flat for Edmonds falls incomplete in the backfield.
2nd and 10 from the PHI 35.
Pitch to White on the left side and he finds a hole for a gain of 7 yards and a first down!
1st and 10 from the PHI 35.
White is stopped at the line of scrimmage and that is going to bring up an interesting decision on 4th down.
4th and 1 from the PHI 42.
Screen pass set up to Godwin and he takes it 9 yards up the right side.
3rd and 1 from the PHI 42.
Mayfield over the middle to a wide open Otton and that pass went right through his hands.
Could have been a big gain, but instead its 2nd and 10 from the TB 49.
Thompkins was in motion from left to right makes the catch in the backfield and he turns up field, spins out of a tackle and picks up 10 yards and a first down!
1st and 10 from the TB 49.
White gets the handoff up the middle and he is stopped after a short gain of 1.
2nd and 9 from the TB 39.
Mayfield had some pressure around him so he tucked it and ran for a gain of 9 yards as he slides for a first down.
1st and 10 from the TB 38.
Mayfield takes a shot down the left sideline looking for Evans and he stretched for it but couldn't make the finger tip catch.
3rd and 6 from the TB 29.
TB get the ball from the 25, and Mayfield finds Thompkins on a screen pass to the left side for 4 yards.
2nd and 6 from the TB 29.
FIELD GOAL!!!
Elliott drills the 47 yarder to put the Eagles on the board for the first time. It's something, but it's not what they would have preferred.
TB lead 13-3 with 11:31 to go in the first half.
TB brought the blitz and Hurts' throw off his back foot was too high for Smith are the marker.
4th and 8 from the TB 30.
Hurts rolls right and he is pushed out of bounds for no gain.
3rd and 8 from the TB 30.
Hurts finds Watkins on the shallow route and he picks up to on the right side.
2nd and 8 from the TB 30.
Smith makes the catch on the short right side cuts back, turns to the right sideline and takes it for 12 yards and another first down.
1st and 10 from the TB 32.
This time Hurts hits Smith in stride and he breaks it up first for 31 yards!
1st and 10 from the TB 44.
PHI get the ball back from the 25 needing some points on this drive.
Hurts going to the air on first down, but his pass to Smith on the slant pattern was incomplete as Hurts was feeling the pressure.
2nd and 10 from the PHI 25.
FIELD GOAL!!!
McLaughlin comes on for the second time tonight and this time he drills it from 54 yards out!
TB lead 13-0 with 14:03 to go in the first half.
Mayfield going over the middle for Moore and that was almost picked off by Cunningham!
4th and 13 from the PHI 36.
Mayfield tried to step up in the pocket but was tripped up by Sweat for a four yard sack.
3rd and 13 from the PHI 36.
White up the middle for a yard and that will bring us to the end of the first quarter!
The Bucs have dominated the first 15 minutes, and they are knocking on the door again. 2nd and 9 from the PHI 32 after the break.
Pass over the middle to Otton and Mayfield hit him in stride which let him run for. gain of 24!
1st and 10 from the PHI 33.
White was stopped in the backfield and this time he is dropped for a loss of 3.
2nd and 13 from the TB 43.
Edmonds moves the chains with a short gain of a yard up the middle.
1st and 10 from the TB 46.
End around to Palmer who was able to race around defenders in the backfield and turn it into a 9 yard gain.
2nd and 1 from the TB 45.
Mayfield hits Edmonds out of the backfield and he turns up the right sideline for a gain of 8 yards.
1st and 10 from the TB 36.
TB get the ball back from the 24 and Edmonds gets the handoff up the middle and picks up 4 yards on first down.
2nd and 6 from the TB 28.
Out route from Goedert and Hurts gave him a chance to make the catch, but he couldn't reel it in.
4th and 3 and the Eagles will punt.
Play action from Hurts who found Watkins for a gain of 4 yards on the left side.
3rd and 3 from the PHI 32.
PHI get the ball back from the 25 and Swift gets the handoff up the middle for a gain of 3.
2nd and 7 from the PHI 28.
Mayfield laid one right in the hands of Evans for a TD on the throw before this. This time Moore made the catch and had some work to do but took it into the endzone for a 44 yard TD!
TOUCHDOWN TAMPA BAY!!!
Mayfield found Moore on the crossing route to the left side and he makes one move around a defender, cuts back to the middle and races to the end zone for a 44 yard TD!
TB lead 10-0 with 5:47 to go in the 1st quarter.
White gets three yards on the run up the middle on first down.
3rd and 7 from the the PHI 44.
Mayfield going for Evan inside the 5 yard line had it laid in his hands, but he dropped it! Don't see that often from the Bucs all time leading WR.
2nd and 10 from the PHI 47.
TB start the drive from the 21 but a false start backs them up five yards. After the flag, Mayfield hits Moore on a streak up the right hash and he gets 22 yards before a flag flies for a face mask on PHI.
1st and 10 from the PHI 47.
Hurts was hit as he let it go for Goedert down the right sideline and that pass was batted away to force 4th down!
4th and 2 from the PHI 44.
Play action from Hurts and he finds Goedert on a short pass to the left side for a gain of 4 yards.
3rd and 2 from the PHI 44.
Hurts goes to the air for the first time tonight and eh finds Jones on the out route to the left sideline.
2nd and 6 from the PHI 40.
Swift gets the handoff out of the shotgun and shoots through a hole for a 2 yard gain and a first down.
1st and 10 from the PHI 36.
Here come the Eagles starting their drive from the 25, and Swift takes the opening handoff for 9 yards on the left side.
2nd and 1 from the PHI 34.
FIELD GOAL!!!
The Bucs have to settle for a red zone field goal and McLaughlin bangs it home from 28 yards for the game's first lead.
TB lead 3-0 five minutes into this game.
Mayfield looking for Palmer in the corner of the endzone but that pass was thrown behind the receiver.
4th and 3 and the Bucs will kick a FG. They can't get stuck kicking too many field goal against this Philly offense.
Mayfield taking a shot to the endzone for Otton on the slant route but that pass bounced off his hands and fell incomplete.
3rd and 3 from the PHI 10
Mayfield steps up in the pocket and he tucks it for a gain of 7 yards on first down.
2nd and 3 from the PHI 10.
Short pass behind the line of scrimmage to White who was wrapped up in the backfield but shook the tackle and got the first down on a gain of 3 yards.
1st and 10 from the PHI 17.
Short pass on the shallow route to the right side and that bounces off Otton's hands.
3rd and 3 from the PHI 20.
White up the middle again and he falls forward for a gain of 7.
2nd and 3 from the PHI 20.
White was patient behind the line after getting held up but found his hole and picked up a first down with a gain of 4 on the right side.
1st and 10 from the PHI 27.
White gets the handoff up the middle and he picks up 8 yards on first down.
2nd and 2 from the PHI 31.
Baker going down the middle again and this time it's Evans dragging it in for a gain of 21.
1st and 10 from the PHI 40.
Mayfield going over the middle for Otton and he hit him in stride for a gain of 15 yards and a first down.
1st and 10 from the TB 40.
Mayfield going to the air for the first play of the game but his pass to Evans was over thrown down the left sideline.
2nd and 10 from the TB 25.
WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM TAMPA BAY!!!
The Bucs begin the night with the ball and they start their first drive from the 25.
Tonight's odds
The Eagles may come into the playoffs struggling but they are three point favorites in Tampa Bay with the Over/Under set at 43.
The Eagles have been terrible over the last month and a half, but they are in the playoffs where they get to start from scratch. I think they take it to the Bucs tonight.
PHI wins 31-14.
Wild Card's causing a stir in NFC
It’s has been a wild Wild Card weekend that has seen plenty of surprises since the Houston Texans mopped the floor with the Browns. The Chiefs froze the Dolphins in a frigid KC and yesterday the NFC Wild Cards gave the division winners hell to open the first round of the playoffs. The Packers stomped the Cowboys, leading by as many as 32 points and hanging 48 points on the two seed in the NFC. Matt Stafford and the Rams went into Detroit and hung tight with the Lions until the very end. If LA would have got into the end zone on any one of their three red zone possessions it might be the Rams looking to get back to the Super Bowl instead of the Lions snapping a three decade winless streak in the postseason.
AJ O-U-T
The Eagles were playing for the NFC East title last week against the Giants which means they had to play with their stars in efforts to earn a home game in the first round of the playoffs. They got crushed by New York, and to make things worse AJ Brown got hurt late in the game. He got his leg rolled up on and he will miss tonight’s game against the Bucs. The diagnosis is a knee sprain that is not considered to be a major injury, but it remains to be seen if he will be able to play next week should the Eagles advance. De’Vonte Smith, Darius Slay and Deandre Swift were all listed as questionable but are expected to play tonight.
First match up of the season
The Eagles handed the Bucs their first loss of the season in Week 3. Obviously both teams were in very different situations that early in the season. The Eagles were in the midst of a two and a half month stretch in which they lost just one game and there problems that have presented themselves over the last five games of the season had yet to present themselves. The Bucs were still finding their feet early in the season and the Eagles breezed pass them, going up 22-3 heading into the final quarter. Hurts had 277 yards and a TD with two INTs while AJ Brown had 131 yards on 9 catches and DeAndre Swift had 130 yards on 16 carries in their 25-11 win to move to 3-0 on the season.
What's Mayfield got cooking?
Baker Mayfield has bounced around the league over the last few years. After getting drafted by the Browns and putting his body on the line for that franchise for four years he was sent to Carolina where he got sucked into the black hole that is the Panthers organization. He got shipped to LA in the middle of the season last year, and had a brief but nice stint with the Rams. The Bucs picked him up this year and he earned the starting spot with his play and his leadership in the locker room. He had the best season of his NFL career, throwing for 4,044 yards and 28 TDs and just 10 INTs. This is just his third postseason start, in he is 1-1 in his previous two games having beaten the Steelers and then losing to the Chiefs in 2020.
Hurts to ease the pain?
Last year Jalen Hurts was in the MVP conversation as the Eagles rolled through the regular season and eased into the Super Bowl with a couple of blowout wins in the playoffs. All though the Eagles started the season 10-1, Hurts hasn’t looked as comfortable as he did running the Philly offense this year. It’s true that the offensive coordinator has changed, and Hurts has needed some time getting used to Brian Johnson’s scheme. The Eagles QB1 has 3,858 yards passing and 25 TDs but has thrown 15 INTs which is the third most in the NFL.
How the Bucs got here
In the first year of the Post Tom Brady era, the Buccaneers were locked in a QB controversy during the preseason. Baker Mayfield won the job as he made his way from LA to the Bay, but that wasn’t going to solve the defensive issues that Bucs had last year. Todd Bowles fixed those holes in the defense and Baker’s offense got off to a great start going 3-1 in the first month of the season. Tampa would go on a mid season slump losing six of their next seven but Mayfield’s perseverance and tenacity was infectious in the locker room and he willed this team into the playoffs by winning five of the last six games to wrap up the NFC South with a 9-0 win over the two win Panthers in the final week of the season.
How they Eagles got here
The Eagles came into this season as the defending NFC Champs, and despite losing their offensive and defensive coordinator from last year, they were one of the favorites to make a repeat run to the Super Bowl. Things started off great for Jalen Hurts and Philly who started the season 10-1 but collapsed in the final six games of the season going 1-5 to lose the lead in the NFC and the division. The Eagles enter the playoffs licking their wounds but may have got the easiest match up of any Wild Card team in the NFC.
We are live from Raymond James
Hello everyone and welcome to the Tampa Bay where the Bucs have earned the privilege to host the first round of the playoffs despite having a worse record than the Philadelphia Eagles. Tampa Bay went on a late season run to win their division and set up a match up with last years winners of the NFC. The Eagles were on pace to be the top team in the conference again this season, but tanked to end the season, losing hold of the one seed, home field advantage and eventually the division which is why they have to hit the road tonight against the Bucs.
Eagles vs. Bucs live
It’s the final kickoff to what has been wild first round of the NFL Playoffs and we have one of the most vulnerable teams to qualify for the postseason taking on a team that won a battle of futility in the NFC South. Last year’s NFC Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, head south to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from Raymond James Stadium and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s final Wild Card round matchup.