Fake tush push and special teams TD help Eagles beat Bucs 31-25 to stay undefeated

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles used a fake tush push, another special teams touchdown and a late defensive stop to stay undefeated.

Jalen Hurts tossed two touchdown passes, Sydney Brown returned a blocked punt for a score and the Eagles beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-25 on Sunday for their 20th victory in 21 games.

The only loss in that span for the reigning Super Bowl champions was against Washington last December in a game Hurts left with a concussion in the first half.

Chase McLaughlin’s 65-yard field goal for Tampa Bay on the final play of the first half was the longest in NFL history in an outdoor stadium.

Playing with an injured biceps that limited in him in practice this week, Baker Mayfield had TD passes of 77 yards and 72 yards but threw an interception on first down from the Eagles 11 with his team down 31-23 midway through the fourth quarter.

The Bucs had another chance with the ball at Philadelphia’s 40 and just under two minutes left. But Mayfield was sacked by Moro Ojomo and a fourth-and-9 pass went for only 2 yards.

Eagles punter Braden Mann ran out of the bounds for a safety to end the game.

Mayfield had led Tampa Bay (3-1) to game-winning scores in the final two minutes in each of its first three games.

Saquon Barkley ran in from the 6 on a fake tush push to give the Eagles a 31-13 lead in the third quarter after Bucky Irving lost a fumble at Tampa Bay’s 25.

The Eagles lined up to run their signature short-yardage quarterback sneak on third-and-1. Instead of keeping the ball and getting an assist from behind, Hurts turned and handed to Barkley, who easily ran untouched into the end zone.

The Buccaneers answered quickly on Mayfield’s 72-yard TD pass to Irving. After a defensive stop, McLaughlin made a 58-yard field goal to get Tampa Bay within one score at 31-23 early in the fourth quarter.

Special teams got the Eagles (4-0) started with another scoring play, a week after Jordan Davis blocked a field goal for a scoop and score to seal a win against the Rams.

Cameron Lafu broke through the offensive line up the middle and blocked Riley Dixon’s punt. Brown picked it up and returned it 35 yards for a 7-0 lead.

Hurts flipped an underhanded 2-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead. He scrambled 29 yards on the previous play to set up the score.

Hurts shoveled a 5-yard TD pass to Goedert to extend the lead to 21-3 in the second quarter.

The Buccaneers finally got going on offense when Mayfield heaved a deep pass to Emeka Egbuka that eluded two defenders and went for a 77-yard TD that cut it to 24-13 in the third quarter. It was the longest catch by a rookie in Tampa Bay’s 50-year franchise history.

Record kick

McLaughlin’s 65-yarder was just shy of tying Justin Tucker’s NFL-record 66-yarder for Baltimore. Tucker made his against Detroit in 2021 in a dome. Brandon Aubrey made a 65-yarder for Dallas last year with the retractable roof closed at AT&T Stadium.

Injuries

Eagles: RT Lane Johnson (shoulder) left in the third quarter and DT Jalen Carter (shoulder) exited in the fourth.

Buccaneers: Edge Haason Reddick (stinger), CB Jamel Dean (hip/groin), CB Benjamin Morrison (hamstring), DL Greg Gaines (pec) and S Rashad Wisdom (quad) left in the second half.

Up next

Eagles: Host Denver next Sunday.

Buccaneers: Visit Seattle next Sunday.