Another week, more Fitz-magic! Bucs QB Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 4 touchdown passes, including a couple of 75-yard scoring strikes, as the Bucs took their home opener, a 27-21 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles.
Filling in for suspended quarterback Jameis Winston, the 35-year-old Fitzpatrick completed 27 of 32 passes for 402 yards and has the suddenly explosive Bucs off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2010.
DeSean Jackson scored on a 75-yard reception on the first play of the game. O.J. Howard also had a 75-yard TD catch in the first half for Tampa Bay, which stunned New Orleans 48-40 on the road in its season opener.
Nick Foles threw for 338 yards for the Eagles (1-1), who rallied from a 20-point, third-quarter deficit.
The Super Bowl MVP's 2-yard TD pass to Nelson Agholor on fourth down trimmed Tampa Bay's lead to 27-21 with 2:46 remaining. The Bucs didn't give the Eagles' injury-decimated offense a chance to finish the comeback.
Fitzpatrick, a 14-year veteran and one of four players in NFL history to throw TD passes for seven franchises, produced a couple first downs on Tampa Bay's ensuing possession to drain all but 19 seconds off the clock.
Chris Godwin and Mike Evans had TD receptions of 8 and 4 yards, respectively, for the Bucs. Jackson, who had two TD receptions before leaving the season opener with a concussion, finished with four catches for 129 yards.
The Eagles opened the season with Foles throwing for just 117 yards in an 18-12 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
They drove 78 yards in 13 plays to pull even with Tampa Bay in the second quarter, only to watch Howard turn a short pass into another long TD by eluding two defenders and turning up the left sideline. Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby was unable to chase down the 6-foot-6, 251-pound tight end.
Foles finished 34 of 46 with no interceptions. Corey Clement scored on a 15-yard run in the first half, and Jay Ajayi's 2-yard TD run began Philadelphia's rally from a 27-7 deficit.
