Jason Kelce couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dominate his beloved Philadelphia Eagles in last Sunday’s 33-16 loss.
Philadelphia endured an awful start to the game, going down 21-0 just 51 seconds into the second quarter. The NFC East powerhouse finally got their first points less than two minutes before halftime when Jalen Hurts connected with Parris Campbell for a one-yard score.
The Eagles faced the Buccaneers without their two top wide receivers, AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, who were sidelined with injuries. Their absence, Kelce, 36, said in the latest episode of the “New Heights” podcast, made him a little nervous with the Week 4 clash approaching.
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But, the retired center continued, he didn’t expect his former side to play as badly as it did early on. “It was an insane start to the game,” Kelce said.
“The most one-sided start to the game I’ve seen in a long time.” Kelce gave credit to the Buccaneers for taking advantage of the soft coverages Philadelphia had been utilizing during the first weeks of the 2024 NFL season.
He lauded Baker Mayfield for his outstanding effort orchestrating the Bucs’ offense with the former No. 1 overall pick going 30-for-47 (63.8 percent) for 347 passing yards and two touchdowns on Sunday. Meanwhile, Kelce pointed out, the Eagles were toothless to start the game with Jalen Hurts suffering three straight three-and-outs.
Saquon Barkley #26 of the Philadelphia Eagles walks off the field prior to an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (
Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
The seven-time Pro Bowler said his mind was blown seeing Tampa Bay boast over 250 total yards while Philly had none at some point in the first half. His brother, Travis, had a similar reaction.
“I don’t think I’ve ever even heard of that,” the Kansas City Chiefs tight end said. Kelce said he wasn’t too worried about the Eagles, emphasizing the amount of talent they have on the roster while pointing out it’s still early into the season.
But he admitted to being frustrated while watching the game. “I damn sure know that the guys out there were frustrated and pissed,” he added.
The retired NFL star also sent a warning to the Eagles, saying they better not get complacent facing a seemingly easy schedule after their Week 5 bye. Philadelphia faces teams with a combined 3-13 record in its next four games.
However, the stretch includes matchups with the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Jacksonville Jaguars.
