The Philadelphia Eagles were cruising. They were painting a masterpiece in the Florida heat, a first-half performance so clean it could have been hung in a museum. Jalen Hurts was surgical, the play-calling was inspired, and a 21-point lead felt like a foregone conclusion.
It was the kind of dominant football that makes you settle into your recliner, confident the rest of the game is a mere formality. But then, the script flipped completely. The precision vanished, replaced by a struggle that turned a potential blowout into a white-knuckle ride.
That comfortable lead nearly evaporated completely on Sunday. The Eagles ultimately secured a 31-25 victory over the Buccaneers, but the post-game conversation wasn't about the win. It was about the alarming second-half collapse. And head coach Nick Sirianni didn’t hide from the truth about Jalen Hurts' performance in the game.
He stated, "I thought, you know, again, I'll have to watch the second half. In the first half, he was 14—what, 15 of 16? That's good. That's pretty darn good. And then the second half, you know, again, we didn’t coach well enough. We didn’t play well enough in the second half." True that! The numbers tell a stark tale of two different teams.
It was not only Hurts but the whole offense. Its production fell off a cliff after halftime.
- First Half: 201 total yards, 24 points.
- Second Half: -1 total yard, 7 points.
And Hurts transformed from a pinpoint passer to a quarterback who couldn't complete a single throw after halftime, finishing 0-for-8.
- Hurts in the First Half: 15-for-16, 130 yards, 2 TDs. Near-flawless execution.
- Hurts in the Second Half: 0-for-8, 0 yards, 0 TDs. No completions, but no mistakes.
The offense suddenly looked as lost as a rookie in his first preseason game. So, what caused this dramatic Jekyll and Hyde performance that nearly cost them the game?
A Win Marred by Questions
The Eagles' survival was a direct result of their defense and special teams making clutch plays. Rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell was a savior, intercepting Baker Mayfield in the end zone to snuff out a potential game-tying drive. This defensive grit covered for an offense that produced five second-half three-and-outs. The offense's inability to sustain a drive kept the defense on the field and gave the Bucs life.
Sirianni pinpointed the core issue, explaining, "It's hard to do [up] tempo when you're not successful on first and second down." Meanwhile, star running back Saquon Barkley also faced a brutal day, managing only 43 yards on 19 carries.
He shouldered the blame for the stagnant ground game, noting, "When the run game is going bad, I gotta own it. But the beauty of it is I’m not running the ball great, and we’re 4-0." His positivity highlights the strange reality of the Eagles' season. They are a perfect 4-0, yet they have not played a complete, dominant game.
The Eagles are winning on grit, clutch plays, and sheer talent, papering over concerning inconsistencies. And they eventually remained undefeated by exorcising some demons in a stadium that has haunted them. However, the second-half vanishing act against Tampa Bay is a troubling trend they cannot ignore.
Read more: Baker Mayfield scoffs at Eagles' tactics after Vic Fangio lauded Bucs QB
They are winning, but they are flirting with disaster. They know the second-half blues will get them booed off winter’s bigger stage. So the film session will sting, the play sheet will shrink, and Sirianni will keep asking for four quarters.