Nick Piccone
Here are some Eagles notes from the game on Sunday, courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Nick Foles reached several career milestones in today’s game: With a 12-yard, second-quarter completion to Nelson Agholor, Foles surpassed Norm Van Brocklin (7,497; 1958-60) for the 9th-most passing yards in Eagles history. Foles also eclipsed 10,000 career passing yards with a 34-yard completion to Zach Ertz in the second quarter. Foles finished the game with 334 passing yards (35-of-48) and 1 TD for a 98.8 QB rating.
• Jay Ajayi scored his team-leading 3rd rushing TD with a 2-yard plunge in the third quarter to cut the score to a 27-14 deficit. Ajayi’s 3 TDs are his most in a season since 2016 (career-high 8 TDs) and the most by an Eagles RB through 2 games to start a season since Ryan Mathews in 2016 (also 3).
• Corey Clement rushed for a 15-yard TD (tied for the longest rushing TD of his career – also 9/24/17 vs. NYG) in the second quarter to tie the game, 7-7. Three of Clement’s 5 career rushing TDs have either tied the game or given the Eagles the lead.
• Nelson Agholor provided the offense with a spark in the second half, hauling in a critical 2-yard TD on 4th-and-goal to cut the deficit to 27-21 with 2:51 to go. On the team’s third-quarter scoring drive (capped by a 2-yard rushing TD by Jay Ajayi), Agholor registered a 50-yard reception. It was his longest catch since posting a 51-yard reception during a career-best 141-yard receiving performance on 12/3/17 at Seattle.
• Zach Ertz led all Eagles receivers in receptions (11) and yards (94), recording his franchise-record 6th-career game with 10+ receptions. Ertz’s 6 career games with 10+ receptions lead all NFL TEs since he entered the league in 2013.
• Fletcher Cox, who sacked Buccaneers QB Ryan Fitzpatrick for a 7-yard loss in the first quarter, leads Philadelphia with 2.5 sacks this season, which are the most by an Eagles defensive tackle since Cullen Jenkins in 2011 (3.0). Cox’s first-quarter takedown of Fitzpatrick moved him into sole possession of 9th place on the Eagles’ all-time sacks list. His 36.5 career sacks are the 2nd-most ever by an Eagles interior defensive lineman, trailing only Andy Harmon (39.5; 1991-97).
• Ronald Darby recorded his first INT of the season when he picked off a ball tipped by Rodney McLeod on a deep pass intended for Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard in the first quarter. It marked Darby’s 6th-career INT and 4th overall with the Eagles. Darby has posted 3 INTs in his last 5 regular-season games dating back to 2017.
• In the fourth quarter, Malcolm Jenkins (9th-career FF) punched the ball out of Buccaneers WR Mike Evans’ hands and was recovered by Jordan Hicks (6th-career FR).
You can follow Nick Piccone on Twitter (@nickpiccone) and Instagram (@picconenick), and e-mail him at [email protected]. Subscribe to The Straight Shooters Podcast (@ShootersRadio) on iTunes here and listen every Friday afternoon at 2:00 P.M. on Wildfire Radio. Click here to read his pro wrestling articles on PhillyVoice.
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