September 29, 2025

Game ball, three stars, and snap count analysis: Week 4, Eagles at Buccaneers

One more look back at the Eagles' up and down performance against Tampa.

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

Kim Klement Neitzel/Imagn Images

The Buccaneers targeted Quinyon Mitchell all day, because... ???

In their Week 4 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Philadelphia Eagles played 57 snaps on offense and 72 snaps on defense. Let's just get right to the snap counts, some notes, and some special recognition.

Quarterback

• 57 snaps: Jalen Hurts

Notes: Hurts' stats, by half:

Jalen Hurts	Comp/Att (Comp %)	Yards (YPA)	TD-INT	Rating
First half vs. Bucs	15/16 (93.8%)	130 (8.1)	2-0	140.1
Second half vs. Bucs	0/8 (0%)	0 (0.0)	0-0	39.6

Hurts was great in the first half. He found the open receivers and completed passes to all areas of the field. He also made a bunch of plays with his legs, running four times for 42 yards.

He was not good in the second half, and I believe it was a simple matter making throws in which he didn't give his receivers realistic chances of making plays on the ball.

For example, below, the Eagles are up 24-6, second drive of the second half. Double move (out and up) by A.J. Brown. It's there. Brown is running by the corner, who is still trying to accelerate. He's going to be beaten with plenty of separation, and the safety has no chance of getting over in time. Hurts is normally a good deep ball thrower, but this wasn't even close. If they hit this it's probably a blowout.

There are others, but I thought that was a noteworthy missed opportunity.

Running back

• 48 snaps: Saquon Barkley

• 8 snaps: A.J. Dillon

• 3 snaps: Will Shipley

Notes: As we noted in our postgame "10 awards" post, Barkley was averaging 6.0 yards per carry after four games last year. This year he's averaging 3.1.

But what is also possibly alarming is that his workload hasn't waned. He had 85 touches after four games last year. He has 91 this year.

Wide receiver

• 55 snaps: A.J. Brown

• 52 snaps: DeVonta Smith

• 31 snaps: Jahan Dotson

• 5 snaps: John Metchie

Notes: Brown had two catches for seven yards. He then sent a cryptic tweet:

I'm not going to try to decipher that.

At least Brown got nine targets, even if he had no chance of catching a few of them in the second half. Smith only got two targets, finishing with two catches for 29 yards. He did not speak in the locker room after the game.

I don't think I'm going out on a limb in suggesting that the receivers are frustrated with the offense through the first four games.

Tight end

• 43 snaps: Dallas Goedert

• 28 snaps: Grant Calcaterra

• 8 snaps: Cameron Latu

• 4 snaps: Kylen Granson

Notes: Goedert was the beneficiary of a couple of easy TD catches. He caught a little underhanded flip for a TD on the Eagles' first offensive score of the game, and an Andy Reid-style shovel pass for a TD. The tight end had four catches on four targets for 37 yards. He did take a big hit to his hip area, and had to leave the game briefly, so we'll see if he shows up on the injury report again this week. He did return to the game later.

Offensive line

• 57 snaps each: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens

• 52 snaps: Tyler Steen

• 43 snaps: Lane Johnson

• 14 snaps: Fred Johnson

• 5 snaps: Matt Pryor

Notes: Lane Johnson went down for the second straight week. He injured his left shoulder.

Steen also got hurt. He was grabbing at his left knee, went to the medical tent, and then left the field, just before the end of the first half. He did return to the field in the second half, wearing a sleeve on that knee.

Edge defenders

• 52 snaps: Jalyx Hunt

• 36 snaps: Za'Darius Smith

• 30 snaps: Josh Uche

• 15 snaps: Patrick Johnson

• 4 snaps: Ogbo Okoronkwo

Notes: The Eagles only have five sacks as a team this season. The edge rushers as a group have a grand total of 0.5 sacks.

Interior defensive line

• 49 snaps: Jalen Carter

• 48 snaps: Moro Ojomo

• 39 snaps: Jordan Davis

• 22 snaps: Byron Young

• 2 snaps: Ty Robinson

Notes: Ojomo made a huge play in this game, sacking Baker Mayfield on the Bucs' final drive, on a 2nd and 12 play, setting up a 3rd and 21. The Eagles then got the game-winning stop thereafter.

Davis made another good chase-down play on Mayfield on a fourth down, kind of like he did with Matthew Stafford a week ago. He prevented Mayfield from running for a first down, and forced a throw that was broken up by Kelee Ringo.

I noticed Carter winning some reps on the interior, but he has not yet been the elite, dominant player we saw last year, in my opinion. He does have heart, though, and loves to play. He was begging to get back in the game after injuring his shoulder, and eventually did. He was a factor on Ojomo's sack and Campbell's INT.

Linebacker

• 72 snaps: Zack Baun

• 70 snaps: Jihaad Campbell

• 1 snap: Jeremiah Trotter

Notes: Baun and Campbell continue to make plays. Baun had eight tackles and a sack, while Campbell had a monster interception of Mayfiled in the fourth quarter to stop a potential game-tying drive.

Campbell did get beaten for a long TD on a deep route down the sideline by Bucky Irving, but that's a tough ask for a rookie linebacker. He either didn't get help on that play, or was put in a bad position by the scheme.

Cornerback and safety

• 72 snaps each: Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Andrew Mukuba, Reed Blankenship

• 59 snaps: Kelee Ringo

• 3 snaps: Parry Nickerson

• 1 snap each: Sydney Brown, Marcus Epps

Notes: Mitchell got targeted quite a bit, which was an odd choice by the Bucs, seeing as Ringo was starting in place of Adoree' Jackson. The Bucs didn't have much success when throwing Mitchell's way:

Quinyon Mitchell allowed just 2 receptions for 6 yards on 6 targets across 22 matchups against Emeka Egbuka, with all six targets coming in tight windows.

Those six tight window targets are tied for the most in any WR-CB matchup in a game since 2018.

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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 28, 2025

That was his best game of the season.

DeJean also probably deserves some recognition here for making physical tackles all day.

I'll be curious to get a closer look at Ringo's afternoon at some point this week. He missed a few tackles, but certainly didn't wreck this game in coverage.