Jalen Hurts has built his reputation on calm composure. Sunday against the Rams, that mask slipped if only for a moment. During the Eagles’ dramatic 33-26 comeback win, FOX cameras caught Hurts animated on the sideline, gesturing and jawing in ways that seemed out of character for the typically stone-faced quarterback. Afterward, Hurts admitted as much.
The Basics: Eagles at Buccaneers
Who: Eagles (3-0,1-0 Road) vs. Buccaneers (3-0, 1-0 Away)
ATS 2025 Eagles 2-1, Buccaneers 2-1
When: Sunday 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL
TV: FOX
Betting: Eagles -3.5 ; Total: 43.5
Money Line: Eagles: -195, Buccaneers: +165
Series record: Buccaneers lead 13-11.
Last meeting: Buccaneers beat Eagles 33-16 on Sept. 29, 2024, in Tampa Bay.
Last week: Eagles beat Rams 33-26; Buccaneers beat Jets 29-27.
Eagles offense: overall (27), rush (14), pass (29), scoring (8)
Eagles defense: overall (11), rush (18), pass (24), scoring (15)
Buccaneers offense: overall (15), rush (7), pass (22), scoring (13)
Buccaneers defense: overall (11t), rush (6), pass (19), scoring (17)
Turnover differential: Eagles plus-2; Buccaneers plus-2.
“Getting out of character,” he said, when asked about those sideline flashes.
On Wednesday, he went deeper.
“It takes discernment,” Hurts explained. “I think it takes discernment, for one. I think secondly, I’ve come up here every preseason and told you guys that every year is going to demand a different version of myself. I’m mindful of all of those different things. It’s just a matter of feeling that and hopefully with the preparation and the thought that you put in before you walk into a situation, you like to think you’re thinking right. You can experience things and you can learn from them. That was a moment, that was a moment for all of us, not just myself where we’re trying to get things going and there’s an eagerness for that.”
Hurts got fiery in the huddle, but when the game hung in the balance, he reverted to the steady, unflappable presence his teammates count on. After Philadelphia blocked the Rams’ potential game-tying kick in the closing seconds, players and coaches erupted in joy on the sideline. Hurts? He didn’t flinch. His expression never changed. Everyone else went crazy while QB1 looked like it was just another snap in practice. The YouTube clip of that moment says more about Hurts’ DNA than a thousand words ever could:
Giving Credit Where It’s Due
Hurts also made sure others got their flowers. After a dismal first half in which the offense sputtered, the passing game flipped the script in the second half. Hurts has heard the criticism of first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and he was quick to push back.
“We had to,” Hurts said of the turnaround. “We put ourselves in a position and we approached the game in a different way and you have games like that. I think as a unit, we found a way to get it going. And I give a lot of credit to KP (Kevin Patullo) in that. Give a lot of credit to KP in that. Being able to adjust and see and get us in the direction that we need to be.”
That support from Hurts felt intentional – a clear vote of confidence for a coordinator who’s been under heavy fire.
The Heat is On
Now the Eagles turn the page to Tampa, where Sunday’s forecast calls for 91 degrees with a real-feel temperature pushing 99. It was in this same September heat last year that the Bucs overwhelmed the Eagles 33-16. Under head coach Todd Bowles the Bucs are 4-1 vs Hurts and the Eagles all-time. It was markedly hot last year in Tampa almost a year to the day that they played eachother last. The Birds were without Lane Johnson, Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown but truth be told it looked like their entire defense missed the flight to south Florida last September as the Bucs built a 24-0 lead before the Eagles offense had run their 10th play.
Nick Sirianni decided to change the script this time. Instead of flying down Saturday, the Birds touched down Friday.
“Everything we do is to try (and make sure that) our process is right to give ourselves the best chance to win,” Sirianni said. “If your process is off, then you don’t have as much of a chance. That was part of our process when we studied some things in the offseason with the heat and everything like that. Get out there a day earlier to acclimate, one less day off the plane before you play a game. So, those are a couple things to name a few.”
Players are doing their part, extra time in the sauna, steam room, and hot tub to get used to sweating – hydration and diet are locked in as usual. Jordan Davis even pointed back to the long, grinding drives of training camp as good heat prep.
Not everyone is convinced. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio downplayed the benefit.
“I don’t know,” Fangio said when asked if flying early would help. “It is too late to do anything right now for it as far as prepping for it. You don’t practice in heat one day and say you’re acclimated or take a pill and say you’re acclimated. The key will be, I mean, it’s a mindset, No. 1. No. 2, we need to not let them have 8, 10, 12 play drives on us.”
Hurts’ take? As usual, simple.“Just gotta go out there and play,” he said. “I don’t want to make it more than what it is.”
Familiarity Breeds Contempt
And then there’s Todd Bowles. As I mentioned Tampa’s head coach seems to have the Eagles’ number as he owns a 4-1 career record against Hurts and the Birds, including that playoff blowout in January 2022. He knows how to muddy games, disguise looks, and force Hurts to beat him left-handed.
For Hurts and Philadelphia, Sunday will test both their stamina in the Florida heat and their poise against a defense that has given them fits. The Eagles fly south with a quarterback who can get fiery when needed – and icy when it matters most.