Fake tush push and special teams TD help Eagles beat Bucs 31-25 to stay undefeated

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Philadelphia Eagles don't need a tush push when the fake is even more effective.

Saquon Barkley scored on a fake tush push, Jalen Hurts threw one of his two touchdown passes on another variation of the play, and another special-teams score helped the Eagles beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-25 on Sunday for their 20th victory in 21 games.

After Baker Mayfield tried to rally the Buccaneers, a late defensive stop allowed the reigning Super Bowl champions to stay undefeated.

“It’s a great team win," Hurts said. “Another gritty win. We know this has been a challenging environment. I’m proud of the way we competed. A lot we can improve on but it’s always good to get a win out there and they don’t come easy.”

Philadelphia's only loss over the past 365 days was against Washington last December in a game Hurts left with a concussion in the first half.

Chase McLaughlin’s 65-yard field goal for Tampa Bay on the final play of the first half was the longest in NFL history in an outdoor stadium.

Playing with an injured biceps that limited in him in practice this week, Mayfield had TD passes of 77 yards and 72 yards but threw an interception on first down from the Eagles 11 with his team down 31-23 midway through the fourth quarter.

“Obviously, he’s got to take better care of the ball. Baker will be the first one to tell you that," Bucs coach Todd Bowles said.

The Bucs had another chance with the ball at Philadelphia’s 40 and just under two minutes left. But Mayfield was sacked by Moro Ojomo and a fourth-and-9 pass went for only 2 yards.

Eagles punter Braden Mann ran out of the bounds for a safety to end the game.

“It's better to learn winning than it is to learn losing,” Ojomo said about the Eagles' struggles in victory.

Mayfield had led Tampa Bay (3-1) to game-winning scores in the final two minutes in each of its first three games.

Barkley ran in from the 6 on a fake tush push to give the Eagles a 31-13 lead in the third quarter after Bucky Irving lost a fumble at Tampa Bay’s 25.

The Eagles lined up to run their signature short-yardage quarterback sneak on third-and-1. Instead of keeping the ball and getting an assist from behind, Hurts turned and handed to Barkley, who easily ran untouched into the end zone.

“Great call,” Barkley said of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo's decision to fool the Buccaneers. “It’s an answer we have. It definitely makes teams more aware of it now.”

The Buccaneers answered quickly on Mayfield’s 72-yard TD pass to Irving. After a defensive stop, McLaughlin made a 58-yard field goal to get Tampa Bay within one score at 31-23 early in the fourth quarter.

Special teams got the Eagles (4-0) started with another scoring play, a week after Jordan Davis blocked a field goal for a scoop and score to seal a win against the Rams.

Cameron Lafu broke through the offensive line up the middle and blocked Riley Dixon’s punt. Brown picked it up and returned it 35 yards for a 7-0 lead.

Hurts flipped an underhanded 2-yard touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead on another play where the offense lined up in a tush push-type formation without anyone in the backfield. He scrambled 29 yards on the previous play to set up the score.

Hurts shoveled a 5-yard TD pass to Goedert to extend the lead to 21-3 in the second quarter.

The Buccaneers finally got going on offense when Mayfield heaved a deep pass to Emeka Egbuka that eluded two defenders and went for a 77-yard TD that cut it to 24-13 in the third quarter. It was the longest catch by a rookie in Tampa Bay's 50-year franchise history.

“We talked about starting fast, and we quite obviously did the opposite," Mayfield said. "You can’t expect to beat a team of that caliber when you start slow like that.”

All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs and standout wide receiver Chris Godwin made their season debuts for the Buccaneers. Godwin finished with three catches for 26 yards.

Hurts was 0 for 8 in the second half and the Eagles finished with minus-1 yard of offense. They had 200 total overall.

McLaughlin's 65-yarder was just shy of tying Justin Tucker’s NFL-record 66-yarder for Baltimore. Tucker made his against Detroit in 2021 in a dome. Brandon Aubrey made a 65-yarder for Dallas last year with the retractable roof closed at AT&T Stadium.

Eagles: RT Lane Johnson (shoulder) left in the third quarter and DT Jalen Carter (shoulder) exited in the fourth.

Buccaneers: WR Mike Evans (hamstring) didn't play. ... Edge Haason Reddick (stinger), CB Jamel Dean (hip/groin), CB Benjamin Morrison (hamstring), DL Greg Gaines (pec) and S Rashad Wisdom (quad) left in the second half.

Eagles: Host Denver next Sunday.

Buccaneers: Visit Seattle next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) is taken down by Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) after a catch during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving (7) is tripped up by Philadelphia Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba (24) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) reacts after a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs the ball for a first down during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

The U.S. Coast Guard boarded the tanker, named Veronica, early Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media. The ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” she said.

U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”

Several U.S. government social media accounts posted brief videos that appeared to show various parts of the ship’s capture. Black-and-white footage showed at least four helicopters approaching the ship before hovering over the deck while armed troops dropped down by rope. At least nine people could be seen on the deck of the ship.

The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.

The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, the ship was partially filled with crude.

Days later, the Veronica became one of at least 16 tankers that left the Venezuelan coast in contravention of the quarantine that U.S. forces have set up to block sanctioned ships, according to Samir Madani, the co-founder of TankerTrackers.com. He said his organization used satellite imagery and surface-level photos to document the ship movements.

The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.

According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the Treasury Department for being associated with a Russian company moving cargoes of illicit oil.

As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”

Speaking to reporters at the White House later Thursday, Noem declined to say how many sanctioned oil tankers the U.S. is tracking or whether the government is keeping tabs on freighters beyond the Caribbean Sea.

“I can’t speak to the specifics of the operation, although we are watching the entire shadow fleet and how they’re moving,” she told reporters.

But other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

Associated Press writer Ben Finley contributed to this report.

This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro’s capture and the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, not the Galileo.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)