The Eagles absolutely routed the Buccaneers last night. They had 472 yards of offense to the Bucs’ 174, with 75 yards of Tampa's total coming after the game was out of reach. D’Andre Swift rushed for 130 yards on just 16 carries. A.J. Brown caught nine passes for 131 yards. The Eagles secondary, down a few guys, held the Bucs’ Mike Evans to just 60 yards receiving, most of which came on the meaningless final drive. The 25-11 win, on the road, makes Philly one of three undefeated teams left in the NFL.
And, oh goodness, this game was a wreck. The Eagles converted just one of their five red zone opportunities into a touchdown. Jalen Hurts has turned it over in all three games this season. The Eagles could’ve been up 10-0 or even 14-0 after their first two drives; instead the game was close until late in the second quarter.
Don’t take my word for it. The local media is covering this, too! Reuben Frank at NBC: “It was another mixed bag for Jalen Hurts. The two interceptions were bad. He now has three INTs in three games. He had three in his first 13 games last year.” Jeff McLane at the Inquirer wrote that “the 3-0 Eagles won’t be able to overcome the inconsistencies of their quarterback and their passing offense against better opponents.”
The chat at PHLY’s postgame pod was frequently ominous. For example: “Hurts and passing offense is still concerning.” Here’s another: “Jalen apparently has the flu so he gets a pass again this week, but next week is gonna be under a watchful eye.” And a third: “Jalen has the flu apparently, so he gets one more week pass.”
Those comments were more direct than reports of Hurts’s illness in the press, which said he had “flu-like symptoms.” This is so common. I always think of “flu-like symptoms” as “worse than a cold, not as bad as the flu,” but I also have no idea if that is what reporters mean with that usage. It all makes me think back to one of the most incredible performances in NBA history, when Michael Jordan scored 38 points in the famous Flu-Like Symptoms Game.
Hurts will likely be fine, of course. And there’s a lot to be thrilled about. The defending NFC champs are averaging 26 points a game, the defense has looked solid, two guys from Philadelphia had big games for the offense last night, Jalen Carter looks great. The Eagles are possibly the best team in the league. Maybe one week they’ll even put together a performance worthy of praise.
