The game film is unlikely to be featured in highlight reels but make no mistake, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was a fan of the effort it took to secure a 25-11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Monday.
Hurts and assorted other Eagles admitted afterward they battled flu-like symptoms as well as 90-degree temperatures at opening kickoff at Raymond James Stadium.
Asked if the illness impacted him, Hurts responded “We won.”
“This ain’t the first game where I’ve dealt with this, and I’ve had to play with something like this,” said Hurts, who threw for 277 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. “And it always happens on Monday night for whatever reason. I was just happy to make it through.”
Hurts got the ball to A.J. Brown, who appeared unhappy during a sideline “discussion” with Hurts the previous game, a team-high nine times for 131 yards Monday. Brown had registered just four receptions for 29 yards the previous week in a win over Minnesota.
Head coach Nick Sirianni had a tough time explaining how Brown was the recipient of Hurts’ first two passes against the Bucs.
“We always are trying to get A.J. involved,” Sirianni said. “We’re trying to get all those guys going. And I know sometimes it might appear that way but we’re taking what (the defense) gives us. They were giving us some one-on-ones on the outside with A.J. so we took them. We’re always going to want get A.J. involved. It just so happened he had the first two catches of the game, and he kept rolling from there.”
Sirianni certainly appreciated Hurts’ body of work, which included 10 carries for 28 yards and a touchdown and just one sack.
“He took completions that were being given to him,” Sirianni said. “He spread the ball around. A.J. had a really good game. Dallas (Goedert) made some really key catches. DeVonta (Smith) had some big catches. And so, I thought he did a good job of managing the game and playing a good game. We can’t turn the ball over. He’ll want those back. But other than that, I thought he was good.”
Sirianni also is adamant that the Eagles’ offense has shown the improvement he’s looking for.
The proof is in the Birds’ 3-0 record. The San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins are the only teams with unblemished records after three weeks.
“I think we’re a balanced offense right that was able to get a lead tonight and then lean on the run game,” Sirianni said. “Shoot, at the end of that game for nine minutes we were able to hold on to the ball. We threw it, what, twice?”
The drive was three passes and 12 runs, and it consumed the last 9:22 of regulation.
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After getting just one carry for three yards in the opener, D’Andre Swift has gone over 100 yards two weeks in a row.
Swift had 16 carries for 130 yards Monday after his breakout game of 28 for 175 yards and a touchdown the previous Thursday.
“The opportunities were there today, and the O-line just did a great job to make my job easy,” Swift said. “I just go through my keys pre-snap and trust my eyes.”
The Eagles finished with 201 rushing yards after just 75 at intermission against a solid Bucs run defense. All of that in the oppressive Florida heat. Swift is averaging 6.8 yards per carry this season.
The players’ halftime conversation was short and sweet.
“Just stick to what we do,” Swift said. “We knew it was going to come down to the run game to finish the game off.
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Almost lost in linebacker Nick Morrow’s tackle of running back Rachaad White for a safety and an interception by safety Reed Blankenship was the second-quarter pass breakup by rookie Sydney Brown.
The third-round pick out of Illinois dove and extended his arms to get a piece of a ball that Mike Evans had in his hands in the end zone. It forced the Bucs to kick a game-tying field goal instead of grabbing a second-quarter lead.
Brown played just 12 of 47 defensive snaps against the Bucs, reportedly because he injured a hamstring. Make no mistake, that huge breakup didn’t go unnoticed by the coaching staff.
“We have confidence in him from practice but also confidence from the games that he’s played,” Sirianni said. “And sometimes that confidence is built through special teams. How many times in the NFL have you seen a guy make his early on in his career and then take off when he gets his opportunity?”
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In addition to Hurts (flu) and Sydney Brown, safety Justin Evans sustained a neck injury that limited him to six snaps. Left guard Landon Dickerson had a knee contusion limiting him to 55 of the 80 offensive snaps.
Sua Opeta played the remaining 25 snaps at left guard.
