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Philadelphia Eagles: Here’s why Fitzpatrick offers a tougher matchup than Winston does

By Justin Grasso

NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 9: Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs the ball during a game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 9, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Buccaneers defeated the Saints 48-40. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 9: Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs the ball during a game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 9, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Buccaneers defeated the Saints 48-40. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – SEPTEMBER 27: Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 of the New York Jets throws a pass as Brandon Graham #55 of the Philadelphia Eagles defends during their game at MetLife Stadium on September 27, 2015 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – SEPTEMBER 27: Ryan Fitzpatrick #14 of the New York Jets throws a pass as Brandon Graham #55 of the Philadelphia Eagles defends during their game at MetLife Stadium on September 27, 2015 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

Ryan Fitz versus the Birds:

The 35-year-old former seventh-round pick has played in the NFL for a long time. Fitzpatrick’s debut came in 2005. Obviously, we will avoid looking that far back into his history against the Eagles since that was a completely different era. Let’s start by going back to 2011 when Fitzpatrick was in his prime with the Buffalo Bills. Again, a completely different time in the NFL, as the Eagles were close to the end of the road with Andy Reid.

2011: 193 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 77.8% (season-high)

2014: 203 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT, 48.1%

2015: 283 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT, 60.3%

Overall Record: 1-3-1

Okay, these recent stats against the Eagles are not that great. Granted, Fitzpatrick is a last resort for bad offenses without a true starting quarterback, so we didn’t expect much. But knowing that he has a losing record against the Eagles does make us sleep better at night after seeing what he did in the Bucs system. Don’t count him out just yet, though.

Something clicked in the Bucs offense last week. Fitzpatrick went off by completing 21 of his 28 attempted passes for 417-yards and four touchdowns. And we must note that it was on the road. I wouldn’t bet on Fitzpatrick duplicating that performance against the Eagles, who are a better defense. But this Buccaneers passing game should not be slept on by the Eagles because the Buccaneers have a weapon that the Eagles have struggled to contain over the years.

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