TAMPA – The Eagles learned their lesson the hard way.
If you’re coming after the champion, you better not miss.
The Eagles missed over and over again. So their NFC wildcard playoff game fell apart quickly and embarrassingly in an onslaught of missed throws, mistakes and poor defense in their 31-15 loss Sunday.
Jalen Hurts threw two interceptions. All-Pro center Jason Kelce committed two holding penalties. Jalen Reagor fumbled away one punt and almost lost a second.
And, well, Bucs quarterback Tom Brady doesn’t need many extra chances. He played in his 46th career playoff game, after winning 7 Super Bowls, and he torched the Eagles by completing 29 of 37 passes for 271 yards and 2 touchdowns.
For the Eagles, it was the first playoff experience for Hurts, wide receiver DeVonta Smith and several others.
They clearly weren’t ready.
Hurts completed 23 of 43 passes for 258 yards with a touchdown and the two interceptions. And after rallying the Eagles into the playoffs with his play down the stretch, it’s possible that questions will once again arise as to whether the Eagles need to address the quarterback position in the offseason.
Smith, the Eagles’ leading receiver who set the franchise rookie receiving record with 916 yards, wasn’t even targeted until the final minutes of the first half.
He finished with 4 receptions for 60 yards, many coming in the fourth quarter when the game was well out of reach.
And yet, before the game, it seemed like everything was working in the Eagles’ favor.
The windy conditions seemed conducive to the Eagles’ running attack, which led the NFL with an average of 159.7 yards per game. And the Eagles had their top running back Miles Sanders in the lineup after missing two games with a broken hand.
Sanders had just 3 yards on 4 carries in the first half, and finished with 16 yards on 7 carries. As a team, the Eagles rushed for 95 yards, again with most coming long after the game was decided.
Tampa Bay was without four of its top six offensive playmakers. It hardly mattered. Brady picked the Eagles apart anyway.
The Bucs took a 17-0 lead with 9:16 left in the second quarter. Hurts ran for 11 yards on the first play following the kickoff, coming one yard short of the Eagles’ total offensive output up until that point.
The Eagles twice tried to cut into that lead late in the first half. The first time, they turned the ball over on downs. The second time, and Hurts threw an interception from the Bucs’ 21 trying for Smith in the end zone.
The crushing blow, or at least the final crushing blow, came on the first play after Hurts’ second interception gave the Bucs the ball at the Eagles’ 36 midway through the third quarter.
Brady hit Mike Evans deep down the left side for a touchdown. It was 31-0 with 5:18 left in the third quarter and the Eagles were done.
That is, other than Boston Scott’s 34-yard touchdown run with 12:08 left in the game and Kenny Gainwell’s 16-yard TD reception.
So now the Eagles’ offseason will begin.
In one sense, the Eagles did well to make the playoffs by going 7-3 in their final 10 games following a 2-5 start.
In another, the Eagles only beat one team with a winning record all season, and went 0-6 against playoff teams.
The differences between the Eagles and the elite teams were as evident as the way Brady completed pass after pass to open receivers.
Fixing that difference is the Eagles’ offseason task. And they’ll have three first-round picks and money to spend in free agency.
Ryan Kerrigan sighting
Josh Sweat was ruled out before the game after he was hospitalized Tuesday with a “life-threatening” situation, an Eagles’ spokesman said (more on this below).
That left Ryan Kerrigan, who had been a free-agent disappointment this season, with just 3 tackles and no sacks in the regular season, to replace him.
But Kerrigan had 1.5 sacks and matched his season total with 3 tackles.
Reagor fumbles away punt
Jalen Reagor’s struggles continued. And that includes punt returns.
The Eagles had forced a punt from deep in Bucs’ territory early in the third quarter, trying to cut into the 17-0 deficit.
Reagor, however, dropped the punt near midfield and Tampa Bay recovered. The Bucs went on to score on Brady’s 2-yard pass to Rob Gronkowski.
Just like that, the Eagles’ chance to get back into the game was ruined.
Reagor fumbled another punt deep in Eagles’ territory in the fourth quarter. He recovered that one.
Eagles fall behind early
The scenario couldn’t have been worse for the Eagles in their hopes to upset the Buccaneers.
They gave up a long Tampa Bay scoring drive on the opening possession, then went 3-and-out on their first possession.
Jalen Hurts had 7 yards passing, and the Eagles had 10 yards rushing at the end of the first quarter.
There was also a poor punt by Arryn Siposs, his third under 30 yards in two games. And another methodical Tampa Bay scoring drive that put the Eagles behind 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bucs had 137 yards of total offense, the Eagles’ 17.
Eagles’ sack leader out with illness
The Eagles announced Sunday before the game that defensive end Josh Sweat, tied for the team lead with 7.5 sacks, isn’t playing after having “a life-threatening situation” on Tuesday.
He was admitted to the hospital that night for what the team called “an emergency procedure.”
On Friday, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Sweat had some “abdominal pain” earlier in the week, but was feeling better, and was listed as questionable for the game.
“In the following days, Josh and our medical team did everything possible to help him return to play,” an Eagles spokesman said. “It was determined by the doctors today that he was not quite ready.”
Sweat had 4 sacks in the previous three games in which he played. He was named as a Pro Bowl alternate last month.
Sweat was tied with defensive tackle Javon Hargrave for the team lead in sacks. No one else had more than 3.5. Among the defensive ends, Derek Barnett has the next most sacks, with only 2.
Eagles going with 6th starter at RG
In addition, starting right guard Nate Herbig was ruled out with an ankle injury.
Sua Opeta is expected to start in his place. Opeta would be the sixth different player to start at right guard this season, behind Brandon Brooks, Landon Dickerson, Herbig, Jack Driscoll and Jack Anderson for the meaningless season finale against Dallas.
The other inactives are QB Reid Sinnett, DB Andre Chachere, RB Jason Huntley, DB Kary Vincent and DB Tay Gowan.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
