TAMPA, Fla. — Jalen Carter looked into the stands behind the Eagles’ bench and saw about 40 family and friends who came from Apopka, Fla., his hometown 98 miles away. He peered at the big screen in Raymond James Stadium and saw Warren Sapp, the Hall of Fame defensive lineman from his high school who starred on that field.

And Carter responded with the type of performance that makes comparisons seem less like hyperbole and more like forecasting. 

The Eagles advanced to 3-0 with a 25-11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a night when the defense excelled, limiting Tampa Bay to 174 yards, forcing two turnovers, and recording a safety. The star of the unit might have been the first-round pick, who forced two fumbles and pushed through blockers to help lead to the safety. He also shared a sack and had a quarterback hit.

“It made it a lot sweeter,” Carter said of playing that way in his closest game to his hometown.

Carter’s most memorable play came when he chased Bucs running back Rachaad White from behind and punched the ball loose — literally clenching his first and knocking the ball away from the unsuspecting running back.

“I’ve seen it growing up, a lot of NFL players punch out the ball, chase it down,” Carter said. “I turned around and saw him catch the ball and was like, ‘Oh, if he cuts back my way…’”

Right before the play was when he spotted his family. He didn’t even get a chance to look at the crowd afterward. His teammates swarmed him in celebrations.

There were high expectations of Carter entering the season, considering he was viewed as perhaps the top player in the draft and fell to No. 9 only because of off-the-field questions. Teammates gushed about his potential during training camp. His first snap in the preseason season included a quarterback hit. But even the most optimistic expectations might not have totally accounted for the way he’s played through three games, when he’s helped replace Javon Hargrave with the type of interior presence that keeps opposing coordinators sweating at 3 a.m.

And it has not just been Carter. Jordan Davis is emerging into a force in Year 2, and he attributes a major part of the progress to playing next to his college teammate. At one point, Davis turned to Carter and said, “Man, I love you,” realizing how fortunate they are to play with each other. The pair helped force a safety in the second half after the Bucs intercepted the ball at their 1-yard line. Carter said it reminded him of a play they made together against South Carolina in 2021.

Fletcher Cox shared a sack with Carter. Even Marlon Tuipulotu recorded a sack. 

“The play doesn’t care who makes it,” Davis said. “We’re all ballers.”

The same applies to the back end. Reed Blankenship returned from an injury to record a critical interception — the second of his career. The Eagles limited Mike Evans to 60 yards and Chris Godwin to 32 yards with a patchwork secondary. It was the first game without Avonte Maddox, and the Eagles used a combination of James Bradberry and Sydney Brown in the slot. Justin Evans left in the first quarter, with Terrell Edmunds filling in. It was the second consecutive week without Nakobe Dean, and Nicholas Morrow wore the green dot and made the tackle on the safety. 

Entering the season, the Eagles’ defense seemed to be a bigger question than the offense. They replaced both starting safeties and both starting linebackers, and Hargrave was the top free agent to depart. Plus, there was a new defensive coordinator (Sean Desai) and changes to the scheme. Yet through three games, the passing offense is still finding its way. The defense has areas it must improve, but the takeaways (eight) have helped paced the Eagles. The defense has not allowed a point in the first quarter. Most of the points allowed came in the fourth quarter. Through three quarters, the Eagles are allowing only 10.3 points per game.

Sirianni credited fundamentals and toughness as the critical factors. In the locker room, one particular area keeps getting credit: the defensive line. Carter’s emergence into a difference-maker as a rookie combined with the development of Davis and Milton Williams and the steady production from Fletcher Cox has given the Eagles rare depth — and that doesn’t even take into account one of the top group of edge rushers in the NFL.

“I just think that everything starts with the big guys up front,” Jalen Hurts said.

Some of that was already expected. The way Carter played in front of a national audience made it more noteworthy. What mattered most to Carter, though, was the local audience. 

He smiled at the mention of fans from Apopka who tailgated together before the game and phoned him even before he changed out of his uniform. And he played that way in the shadow of Sapp’s No. 99 hanging above him on a night when the imagination might wander to how Philadelphia will one day view Carter’s No. 98.