GAME RECAP FROM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The loudest ovation of the game from Eagles fans came on a routine 5-yard run by Miles Sanders.
Oh, the fans in their green jerseys stood and cheered, sarcastic ones directed at coach Nick Sirianni for calling only the third running play of the game and with Philadelphia trailing by 21 points late in the third quarter.
Sirianni has ignored the run game in his first season — so much so that Sanders, an 867-yard rushing, six-touchdown featured back last season — has been about as vital to the offense this year as those biting fans.
Maybe it’s time for Sirianni to mix up his offense.
“We have to be able to get them touches in there,” Sirianni said.
Leaning almost exclusively on Jalen Hurts, the Eagles failed to generate much offense until too late and lost 28-22 to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night.
Consider, when Leonard Fournette scored on a 1-yard run early in the third for a 28-7 lead, the Buccaneers wrapped a 79-yard scoring drive. A that point, the Eagles had 77 total yards.
Hurts underthrew receivers all night — the security guard who ducked when the QB fired the ball into the stands on a rushing touchdown never had to worry — and the Eagles have lost four of their last five games
Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell had only 69 carries over the first five games. The duo ran the ball on just 22.5% of Philadelphia’s offensive plays. Hurts had 43 rushes himself. Some were scrambles but many are designed runs or run-pass options.
Sanders finished with 56 yards and Hurts had 44 for all the carries and yard rushing.
“We’re trying to call the best play for us in that particular time,” Sirianni said. “We had called runs today. They weren’t real great for us. That’s why we went for a little more RPOs.”
The numbers didn’t get any better against Tampa Bay. Sanders had five carries through three quarters, Gainwell none.
Philly fans were still cheering Sanders for his small rush when he got the ball again on the next play — and lost 2 yards. The Eagles had 99 yards of total offense over the first three quarters. As for Brady, well, the seven-time Super Bowl champion went 11 for 12 for 121 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone.
“RUN THE BALL!! Run the ball!!!” tweeted Brian Westbrook, third on the team’s career rushing list.
It was that kind of game for the Eagles.
The Eagles gave up points on the first drive of the game for the fifth time in six games. Jake Elliott missed a 46-yard field goal when the Eagles still had a pulse. The Eagles stopped Tampa Bay on a drive in the second quarter (a potential interception was overturned on review) and forced the Buccaneers to punt — and Hurts gave it right back when an underthrown ball was intercepted by Jamel Dean.
Hurts, though, kept the Eagles in the game with his legs and his 1-yard run and 2-point conversion toss late in the fourth made it 28-22.
“We’re always going to be thinking about how do we get him to be the passer first,” Sirianni said. “The secondary part is to be the runner.”
Against Brady, it’s not enough. Brady finished 34 of 42 for 297 yards, two touchdowns and an interception
Sirianni has yet to win a home game in three tries and with straight road games ahead, he won’t get another chance until Nov. 7 against the Chargers.
At this rate, by the time the Eagles come home, their season could be about over.
-- DAN GELSTON, The Associated Press
PREGAME
Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-1) look to notch their fifth win of the young season when they travel to Philly for a matchup against Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday Night Football to get Week 6 underway. This game kicks off on Thursday, October 14 at 5:20 p.m. PT/8:20 p.m. ET from Lincoln Financial Field with a live national TV broadcast on FOX and NFL Network.
• You can watch the game live for FREE with Amazon Prime or with fuboTV (free trial)
LATEST LIVE UPDATES, SCORE & VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
Follow along with the latest live updates, including the latest score and stats from the game as well as video highlights and more provided above. Oddsmakers have the Bucs as favorites in this one.
Latest line/betting odds:
Moneyline: TB -290 | PHI +230
Spread: TB -7 | PHI +7
O/U: 53
HOW TO WATCH
What: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off against the Philadelphia eagles in Week 6 of the 2021 NFL football season.
When: Thursday, October 14 at 5:20 p.m. PT/8:20 p.m. ET
Where: Lincoln Financial Field | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: FOX, NFL Network and Amazon Prime
How to watch the game live online for free: You can watch the game live for FREE with Amazon Prime (sign up for Prime). If you don’t have a Prime account, you can also watch this game live with fuboTV (free trial), Hulu + Live (free trial) or Sling TV (promotional offers) if you prefer those platforms and their pricing plans. You can also watch this match live on FOX Sports Live with your cable or satellite provider login information.
More ways to watch: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast / Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, Cox, DIRECTV, Dish.
Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
- What is Philo? The cheapest live TV streaming service: Cost, what it includes
- How to watch DAZN on your TV: What is it, what does it cost and include? Boxing fights, MMA and more
- How to watch ESPN+ on TV: What is it, what does it cost and include?
- What is Paramount Plus and what does it cost? What live sports, movies and TV shows does it include?
Ad Choices