Eagles- Bucs Stock Market: Cooper, Quinyon, And 30 Minutes Of Football

The Eagles pulled off a bit of a “Freaky Sunday” situation in Tampa, topping the Buccaneers 31-25 at Raymond James Stadium in the oppressive Sunshine State heat.

A week earlier, Philadelphia roared back from a dismal first half offensively and a 19-point deficit to top the Los Angeles Rams, 33-26, on a walk-off blocked field goal returned for a touchdown.

Committed to the “Freaky” franchise bit, the Eagles raced out to an 18-point halftime lead against the Bucs, spearheaded by a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, only to allow Tampa back into the game with a dismal second half offensively featuring minus-1 yards in total offense.

You can set your clock to the result, though, Philadelphia’s 20th win in 21 games since it last played in Tampa during Week 4 of the 2024 season.

Here’s the weekly stock market for the 4-0 Eagles:

THE BULLS

Cooper DeJean’s Tackling - The second-year star led the Eagles with nine tackles and wraps up more securely than the average linebacker in the modern NFL. DeJean is miles ahead of most of his peers when it comes to securely taking down ball carriers in space.

Cameron Latu - The tight end turned fullback and special teams demon set the tone today with a blocked punt that Sydney Brown scooped up for an easy touchdown. He also delivered a bruising lead block on one of Dallas Goedert’s TD receptions, and had an impressive special teams takedown.

PD Q - For some reason, Bucs QB Baker Mayfield decided to test Quinyon Mitchell way too much on Sunday rather than try to target Kelee Ringo, who got the start due to injuries to Adoree’ Jackson and Jakorian Bennett.

Mitchell, who is rapidly turning into one of the best cover corners in the NFL, responded with a career-high five passes defended.

THE BEARS

Playing 60 minutes of football - For all their success, the Eagles can’t seem to find the formula to keep it up for a full four quarters. Rarely do you see the kind of polar opposites that were Jalen Hurts’ first half vs. his second.

Philadelphia’s QB1 completed 15 of 16 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the first 30 minutes. In the second, he didn’t complete a pass, finishing 0 for 8. Hurts was excellent against Todd Bowles’ blitzes in the first half and regressed back to QB whom the Tampa Bay coach had dominated in previous seasons.

Splash Running Plays - Saquon Barkley rushed 19 times for 43 yards, with the highlight being a tweak off the Tush Push when the All-Pro waltzed in from six yards out for a TD in the third quarter.

Overall, it's been troubling that the Eagles have not gotten Barkley loose very often in the first four games.

Downfield Passing - The Eagles were unable to build on their second half against the Rams and get star receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith more involved in the passing game.

The two stars combined for just four receptions, and Brown had just two on nine targets. The All-Pro declined interview requests after the game and posted some intriguing thoughts on social media, which are almost surely related to the Eagles' ineffective passing game.

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