Fake tush push and special teams TD help Eagles beat Bucs 31-25 to stay undefeated

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles don't need a tush push when the fake is even more effective.

Saquon Barkley scored on a fake tush push, Jalen Hurts threw one of his two touchdown passes on another variation of the play, and another special-teams score helped the Eagles beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-25 on Sunday for their 20th victory in 21 games.

After Baker Mayfield tried to rally the Buccaneers, a late defensive stop allowed the reigning Super Bowl champions to stay undefeated.

“It’s a great team win," Hurts said. “Another gritty win. We know this has been a challenging environment. I’m proud of the way we competed. A lot we can improve on but it’s always good to get a win out there and they don’t come easy.”

Philadelphia's only loss over the past 365 days was against Washington last December in a game Hurts left with a concussion in the first half.

Chase McLaughlin’s 65-yard field goal for Tampa Bay on the final play of the first half was the longest in NFL history in an outdoor stadium.

Playing with an injured biceps that limited in him in practice this week, Mayfield had TD passes of 77 yards and 72 yards but threw an interception on first down from the Eagles 11 with his team down 31-23 midway through the fourth quarter.

“Obviously, he’s got to take better care of the ball. Baker will be the first one to tell you that," Bucs coach Todd Bowles said.

The Bucs had another chance with the ball at Philadelphia’s 40 and just under two minutes left. But Mayfield was sacked by Moro Ojomo and a fourth-and-9 pass went for only 2 yards.

Eagles punter Braden Mann ran out of the bounds for a safety to end the game.

“It's better to learn winning than it is to learn losing,” Ojomo said about the Eagles' struggles in victory.

Mayfield had led Tampa Bay (3-1) to game-winning scores in the final two minutes in each of its first three games.

Barkley ran in from the 6 on a fake tush push to give the Eagles a 31-13 lead in the third quarter after Bucky Irving lost a fumble at Tampa Bay’s 25.

The Eagles lined up to run their signature short-yardage quarterback sneak on third-and-1. Instead of keeping the ball and getting an assist from behind, Hurts turned and handed to Barkley, who easily ran untouched into the end zone.

“Great call,” Barkley said of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo's decision to fool the Buccaneers. “It’s an answer we have. It definitely makes teams more aware of it now.”

The Buccaneers answered quickly on Mayfield’s 72-yard TD pass to Irving. After a defensive stop, McLaughlin made a 58-yard field goal to get Tampa Bay within one score at 31-23 early in the fourth quarter.

Special teams got the Eagles (4-0) started with another scoring play, a week after Jordan Davis blocked a field goal for a scoop and score to seal a win against the Rams.

Cameron Lafu broke through the offensive line up the middle and blocked Riley Dixon’s punt. Brown picked it up and returned it 35 yards for a 7-0 lead.

Hurts flipped an underhanded 2-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead on another play where the offense lined up in a tush push-type formation without anyone in the backfield. He scrambled 29 yards on the previous play to set up the score.

Hurts shoveled a 5-yard TD pass to Goedert to extend the lead to 21-3 in the second quarter.

The Buccaneers finally got going on offense when Mayfield heaved a deep pass to Emeka Egbuka that eluded two defenders and went for a 77-yard TD that cut it to 24-13 in the third quarter. It was the longest catch by a rookie in Tampa Bay's 50-year franchise history.

“We talked about starting fast, and we quite obviously did the opposite," Mayfield said. "You can’t expect to beat a team of that caliber when you start slow like that.”

All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs and standout wide receiver Chris Godwin made their season debuts for the Buccaneers. Godwin finished with three catches for 26 yards.

Hurts was 0 for 8 in the second half and the Eagles finished with minus-1 yard of offense. They had 200 total overall.

McLaughlin's 65-yarder was just shy of tying Justin Tucker’s NFL-record 66-yarder for Baltimore. Tucker made his against Detroit in 2021 in a dome. Brandon Aubrey made a 65-yarder for Dallas last year with the retractable roof closed at AT&T Stadium.

Eagles: RT Lane Johnson (shoulder) left in the third quarter and DT Jalen Carter (shoulder) exited in the fourth.

Buccaneers: WR Mike Evans (hamstring) didn't play. ... Edge Haason Reddick (stinger), CB Jamel Dean (hip/groin), CB Benjamin Morrison (hamstring), DL Greg Gaines (pec) and S Rashad Wisdom (quad) left in the second half.

Eagles: Host Denver next Sunday.

Buccaneers: Visit Seattle next Sunday.

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