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Fitzpatrick throws four TD passes as Bucs upend Eagles, 27-21
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Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times, published 16 September 2018
It took 11 seconds for Ryan Fitzpatrick to prove last week was no fluke. The Bucs' white-hot quarterback connected with DeSean Jackson for a 75-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the game against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was the first of four touchdown passes by Fitzpatrick and, this Sunday, they went to as many different receivers.
Filling in for suspended starter Jameis Winston, Fitzpatrick became the first quarterback in club history to throw at least four TD passes in back-to-back games and led the Bucs to a 27-21 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. The win gave the Bucs their first 2-0 start to the season since 2010, when they went 10-6 under Raheem Morris but narrowly missed the playoffs.
Jackson, who caught three touchdown passes all of last season, made it three touchdowns in his first six receptions in 2018 when he ran past the Eagles defense and Fitzpatrick delivered another perfect strike. Fitzpatrick continued to have the hot hand as he did last week at New Orleans when he passed for a career-high 417 yards and four touchdowns while running for another score.
In addition to the first play Sunday, Fitzpatrick also threw touchdown passes of 75 yards to O.J. Howard, 8 yards to Chris Godwin and 4 yards to Mike Evans in helping the Bucs build a 27-7 lead late into the third quarter. The Bucs defense did a good job against the Eagles and Foles, the Super Bowl MVP, despite playing without starting cornerbacks Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves, who was placed on injured reserve this week.
The Eagles cut the lead to 27-14 on Jay Ajayi's 2-yard TD run late in the third quarter. After Mike Evans lost a fumble, Philadelphia faced fourth-and-10 at the Tampa Bay 35-yard line. But Foles' pass to Corey Clement was broken up by safety Justin Evans. The Eagles made it 27-21 when Foles found Nelson Agholor in the corner of the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 2:46 remaining in the game.
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