Jalen Hurts, Eagles outclassed by Tom Brady, Buccaneers

Published Jan. 16, 2022 4:50 p.m. ET

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles looked like a team that didn’t belong in the playoffs.

Hurts threw two interceptions, the NFL’s No. 1 rushing offense was shut down and the Eagles had no chance against Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

After stockpiling wins against losing clubs — Philadelphia was 0-6 against playoff teams — and earning a wild-card berth in Week 17, the Eagles (9-9) were outclassed by the Buccaneers (14-14) in a 31-15 loss Sunday.

First-year coach Nick Sirianni led an impressive turnaround, guiding Philadelphia to seven wins in nine games after a 2-5 start.

But he had no answers against the banged-up Buccaneers, who dominated despite missing several key starters and losing a couple of more in the game.

The Eagles led the league with 159.7 yards rushing per game but managed only 35 in the first half, including 32 from Hurts, when the game was still within reach at 17-0.

Hurts gave Philadelphia its best chance to score late in the second quarter when he hit Quez Watkins for a 35-yard gain to the Bucs 27. But

It was still 17-0 in the third quarter when Philadelphia’s defense forced a three-and-out deep in Tampa’s territory. But Jalen Reagor fumbled the punt and the Buccaneers recovered at the Eagles 48.

That turnover led to a touchdown and Hurts threw

Boston Scott broke loose for a

It was too late to matter.

Hurts finished 23 of 43 for 258 yards. He got away with a couple of dropped picks, including one on the first drive of the third quarter.

Hurts' last pass of the game was caught by Brady on the sideline. Brady turned around and threw it into the stands.

Hurts came a long way in his second season. He threw for 3,166 yards and 16 TDs with nine interceptions, completing 61.3% of his passes in the regular season. He also led the team with 784 yards rushing and 10 TDs.

Still, Hurts will face an offseason of uncertainty as the front office determines whether he’s the starter going forward. The Eagles have three first-round picks and would be in the mix to pursue Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson if those players are available.

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Follow Rob Maaddi on Twitter at https://twitter.com/robmaaddi and his work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/robmaaddi

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More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL

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Jalen Hurts

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