The Philadelphia Eagles remain the NFL’s team to beat through the first quarter of the season. While their performance hasn’t been flawless or always pretty, the Eagles managed to defeat one of their biggest threats: the previously unbeaten Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It’s no secret that Philadelphia has struggled in Tampa in recent years. They ended their 2023 season with a blowout playoff loss at Raymond James Stadium and suffered another defeat there in Week 4 last year. Those two losses were by a combined score of 65-25.
Entering today’s game, it was once again scorching hot—88 degrees with a heat index feeling well over 100 degrees—and the Eagles still outplayed the Buccaneers, leading by as many as 18 points. Through the first quarter of the season, the Eagles entered the late afternoon games of Week 4 as one of just two undefeated teams in the NFC.
While the execution hasn’t been perfect, the Eagles remain the team to beat in the NFL as the undefeated reigning Super Bowl champions.
> “It was a great team win,” said Jalen Hurts after the game. “Another great win, finding a way to win. This has been a challenging environment to play in. A really good opponent for us over the years. Just proud of the way we competed. Didn’t quit, found a way situationally to an extent.”
Although the Eagles haven’t looked as dominant as they did last season—when they won 16 of their final 17 games, including four playoff games by a combined score of 145-77 (an average margin of 19.3 points per game)—they have repeatedly proven they can close out games against top-tier opponents. They secured victories over the Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs in three consecutive weeks.
The Chiefs have been the AFC’s dominant team since Patrick Mahomes took over at quarterback. The Rams proved to be Philadelphia’s biggest postseason threat last year, and the Buccaneers have been a persistent challenge for the Eagles in recent seasons.
This season, the Eagles have won all four of their games by one possession, even overcoming a 19-point deficit in their win over the Rams last week. In other words, they’re proving they can win in every way imaginable—a key test of a true champion.
Philadelphia’s success stands out in a league that hasn’t looked very impressive lately. The Los Angeles Chargers, one of the NFL’s other remaining unbeaten teams, recently lost against a rookie quarterback making his first career start after an injury sidelined Malik Nabers. Meanwhile, the Green Bay Packers fell to the hapless Cleveland Browns.
> “We played a hell of a game today,” said offensive tackle Jordan Mailata after the win. “That was a great team. The Bucs, they’re not bums. Winning games in Tampa is a big deal, because we haven’t. We’ve been humiliated, we’ve been on that side of the ball.”
Demonstrating further how the Eagles are winning in every way imaginable, Hurts had an outstanding individual performance. He threw two touchdown passes with a 104.5 passer rating and rushed for 62 yards—the most by any Eagles player in the game. Remarkably, he did not complete a single pass during the entire second half, a critical time when the Buccaneers were attempting to mount an 18-point comeback on their final drive.
Considering Tampa Bay had won their first three games of the season with clutch, game-winning drives late in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia’s ability to close them out speaks volumes.
> “Every game is circled, and they’re all circled with their own reasons why,” said Hurts. “I think being able to come find a win in a very competitive and tough environment against a really good team, a well-coached team, that’s something you take pride in. Again, you always take pride in things that you know you can improve on, the things you know you see on film when you watch it, and say, ‘We can be better here.’ There’s pride in everything overall.”
Saquon Barkley, the NFL’s reigning Offensive Player of the Year, scored a touchdown but was held to just 43 rushing yards on 2.3 yards per carry. Yet, the Eagles still won comfortably.
> “I don’t care what it looks like,” Barkley said after the game. “Whether it’s me rushing for 20 yards or 200 rushing yards, we’re 4-0.”
It’s obviously a long season, and Philadelphia still has plenty to clean up. The key word consistently mentioned in the locker room was “execution.” Still, defeating three top-tier teams during arguably their roughest stretch so far in the 2025 regular season sends a clear message: Philadelphia isn’t playing around when it comes to their mission of repeating as Super Bowl champions.
> “It’s a matter of how you look at it,” Hurts said. “I think we were in a good place at 2-2 last year. We had a lot of opportunity in front of us. I think we’re in a good place now, no different because we have a lot of opportunity in front of us. So we’re looking at the standard of execution. Regardless of where you are, when you’re this early in the season you’re still searching to try and elevate and play to a standard and play to a standard of execution. So great opportunity in front of us as a team to continue to build, continue to grow, have a desire to learn and support the collective of what we do. I’ve said before, talent wins you games but a certain level of team, collective play, collective attacking and intelligence in the game—that wins you championships. We just want to continue to build in that direction.”
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