QB Fitzpatrick passes Bucs past Eagles
TAMPA — Courtesy of DeSean Jackson, Ryan Fitzpatrick rocked a pair of sunglasses and a partially zipped jacket revealing a couple of gold chains and a large pendant resting on his chest.
“It’s nothing,” the Tampa Bay quarterback said of the garb after throwing for more than 400 yards and two touchdowns for the second straight week, leading the Buccaneers to a 27-21 victory over the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.
“I think we just have to stay humble,” Fitzpatrick added, a smile crossing his face. “We’ve got to make sure we know how to handle success and all those things. We can’t change who we are.”
Filling in for suspended quarterback Jameis Winston, Fitzpatrick completed 27 of 33 passes for 402 yards and has the suddenly explosive Bucs off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2010.
Jackson scored on a 75-yard reception on the first play of the game, giving him three TDs in two games after having three all last season.
O.J. Howard also had a 75-yard TD catch in the first half for Tampa Bay, which stunned New Orleans 48-40 on the road in its season opener.
“I think we just developed a lot of confidence in the offseason and through training camp with how we worked, and the way things were going, and the rapport with the guys,” the 35-yearold Fitzpatrick said. “I think that confidence has carried over into the season.”
Nick Foles threw for 334 yards for the Eagles (1-1), who rallied from a 20-point, third-quarter deficit.
The Super Bowl MVP’s 2-yard TD pass to Nelson Agholor on fourth down trimmed Tampa Bay’s lead to 27-21 with 2:46 remaining. Fitzpatrick didn’t give the Eagles’ injury-decimated offense a chance to finish the comeback.
“We didn’t win every single game last year. I think people forget that,” Foles said, trying to put the loss in perspective. “There’s a lot of expectations for us, but we can’t put that kind of pressure on ourselves.”
Fitzpatrick, a 14-year veteran and one of four players in NFL history to throw TD passes for seven franchises, produced a couple first downs on Tampa Bay’s last possession to drain all but 19 seconds off the clock.
“We had our shots. I just feel like if we had got that ball back one more time, we would have a chance to try to win it,” Eagles tackle Jason Peters said. “But we were pinned back there with 20 seconds left and we didn’t have a lot of options.”
Chris Godwin and Mike Evans had TD receptions of 8 and 4 yards, respectively, for the Bucs. Jackson, who had two TD receptions before leaving the season opener with a concussion, finished with four catches for 129 yards.
The Eagles drove 78 yards in 13 plays to pull even with Tampa Bay in the second quarter, only to watch Howard turn a short pass into another long TD by eluding two defenders and turning up the left sideline. Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby was unable to chase down the 6-foot-6, 251-pound tight end.
Foles finished 35 of 48 with no interceptions. Corey Clement scored on a 15-yard run in the first half, and former Dolphin Jay Ajayi’s 2-yard TD run began Philadelphia’s rally from a 27-7 deficit.
Philadelphia’s defense, coming off sacking Matt Ryan four times and holding the Falcons quarterback to his lowest completion percentage in seven years, was torched for 271 yards passing and three touchdowns in the first half alone.
The Bucs played without both starting cornerbacks: ex-Dolphin Brent Grimes (groin) missed his second straight game and Vernon Hargreaves III (shoulder) is on injured reserve after getting hurt at New Orleans.