Troubled Waters: The Truth Behind Jalen Hurts’ Struggles Against the Buccaneers

It’s no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles have struggled against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in recent years. Since Nick Sirianni was named the team’s head coach and Jalen Hurts was named the full-time starting quarterback, Philadelphia is 1-4 against Tampa Bay.

While it’s easy to state that the Buccaneers are the Eagles’ kryptonite, there is often a lot of context missing from Philadelphia’s struggles against Tampa Bay over the last five seasons. Here’s a closer look at each game between the Eagles and Buccaneers since 2021.

Buccaneers 28, Eagles 22 (October 14th, 2021)

After the Eagles went 4-11-1 during Doug Pederson’s final season as head coach in 2020, the Eagles hired Sirianni to right the ship. Yet expectations were relatively low in the City of Brotherly Love in 2021, as the Eagles had a projected win total of 6.5 games and were 23rd in Super Bowl odds.

Therefore, following a 2-3 start to the regular season, Philadelphia was a 6.5 point underdog against the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers. Yet the Eagles put up an admirable fight against the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers, ultimately losing by a final score of 28-22 and covering the spread.

While Hurts only threw for 115 yards in his first matchup against the Buccaneers, Philadelphia’s wide receiver trio consisted of DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins and Jalen Reagor. Watkins was actually Philadelphia’s leading receiver in the game, as he hauled in three receptions for 44 yards.

The Eagles were also without Lane Johnson against the Buccaneers in 2021. Philadelphia’s starting offensive line included Andre Dillard at left tackle, Landon Dickerson at left guard, Jason Kelce at center, Jack Driscoll at right guard and Jordan Mailata at right tackle.

Buccaneers 31, Eagles 15 (January 16th, 2022)

After the Eagles went 9-8 and exceeded the betting world’s expectations during the regular season, they had to travel on the road to Tampa Bay in the playoffs. The Buccaneers were 7.5 point favorites against the upstart Eagles.

As expected, Tampa Bay dominated Philadelphia in the Wild Card Round. The Eagles struggled to get anything going on the ground, as Hurts was the team’s leading rusher with eight carries for 39 yards.

It was a frustrating performance following a surprising run during the regular season. Yet nobody truly expected the Eagles to win on the road against Brady and company in Tampa Bay.

Eagles 25, Buccaneers 11 (September 25th, 2023)

After acquiring A.J. Brown in 2022 and reaching the Super Bowl, Philadelphia was ready for revenge against Tampa Bay. The Eagles were 5 point favorites on the road in 2023 and easily covered the spread.

Hurts threw for 277 yards as his connection with Brown proved to be too much for the Buccaneers to handle. Brown hauled in nine receptions for 131 yards as the Eagles won by two possessions.

It was clear that things were significantly different when the Eagles were working with a full deck. The starting offensive line was healthy and Brown brought an aspect to Philadelphia’s passing attack that was missing in each of their first two matchups.

Buccaneers 32, Eagles 9 (January 15th, 2024)

While the Buccaneers were unable to cover Brown during the regular season, they wouldn’t have to worry about stopping him in the playoffs. Brown missed the game due to an injury, yet the Eagles were somehow still 3 point favorites over the Buccaneers heading into the Wild Card Round.

Following a 10-1 start to the regular season, the Eagles spiraled out of control down the stretch. Philadelphia lost five of their final six games in the regular season. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay did the exact opposite, winning five of their final six games in the regular season.

It was clear that the momentum carried over into the postseason, especially with Brown out for the Eagles. Tampa Bay had their way with Philadelphia’s defense, jumping out to an early 13-0 lead.

Baker Mayfield threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns as the Buccaneers shutout the Eagles in the second half. Hurts was unable to do much, as Philadelphia’s top wide receivers were DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus and the ghost of Julio Jones.

Buccaneers 33, Eagles 16 (September 29th, 2024)

The Eagles were somehow 1 point favorites heading into their Week 4 matchup with the Buccaneers in 2024. Philadelphia was missing three key starters as A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Lane Johnson were all out due to injuries.

It also didn’t help that Philadelphia’s defense struggled to stop Tampa Bay’s offense. Once they finally did force the Buccaneers to punt, Isaiah Rodgers pushed a defender into Cooper DeJean and Tampa Bay was able to recover the muffed punt.

The Buccaneers held a 21-0 lead over the Eagles before Philadelphia’s offense even had a chance to possess the ball for a third time. Hurts struggled to play catch-up without his top two wide receivers and Johnson, as he was also sacked six times.

The Final Verdict

It’s safe to say that Hurts has faced an uphill battle in nearly all of his losses to the Buccaneers. The Eagles were missing key starters in several of these matchups or were outright underdogs against the greatest quarterback of all-time.

In the only matchup that Hurts has played against Tampa Bay with Brown on the field, Philadelphia won by two possessions. It’s fair to assume that Hurts and the Eagles should be in much better shape against the Buccaneers in 2025.

While the Buccaneers are unfortunately expected to be without multiple starters in Week 4, that’s what the Eagles have been forced to deal with in several of their previous matchups against Tampa Bay. Now we’ll see how the narrative surrounding Hurts will change once the roles are reversed.