Last week in Pittsburgh, Travis Fulgham, fresh off his go-ahead touchdown in the win over the 49ers, captured the hearts of fans with a breakout performance to the tune of 10 catches on 13 targets for 152 yards and a touchdown.
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin praised Fulgham after the game. Fulgham certainly appeared on the radar of the Baltimore Ravens, the league's top-ranked scoring defense with two-time All-Pro cornerback Marcus Peters on one side of the field and early Defensive Player of the Year candidate Marlon Humphrey on the other.
Fulgham didn't disappoint in his first home game as an Eagle. He paced the offense once again with six receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. He also drew a 49-yard pass interference penalty in Sunday's 30-28 loss to the Ravens.
"It means a lot that Carson (Wentz) trusts me now and we continue to build on it," Fulgham said after the game. "I just wish I could've made more plays for the team, and we just need to do more to get the win."
Through three games, Fulgham leads the Eagles with 284 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 18 receptions.
To put that into context, here's a look at how some other wide receivers performed in their first three games as an Eagle.
• Terrell Owens (2004) – 18 catches/254 yards/5 touchdowns
• Donté Stallworth (2006) – 12 catches/248 yards/2 touchdowns
• Kevin Curtis (2007) – 17 catches/302 yards/3 touchdowns (11/221/3 came in Week 3 win vs. Lions)
• DeSean Jackson (2008) – 17 catches/256 yards/0 touchdowns
• Alshon Jeffery (2017) – 14 catches/186 yards/1 touchdown
Not bad company for the second-year receiver who started the season on the practice squad.
On Sunday, Fulgham's first target didn't come until there was 2:19 left in the first half when he caught a pass over the middle for a 19-yard gain and a first down. He used his 6-2, 215-pound frame to nearly haul in a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the first half that he was upset at himself for not securing.
"I thought I did. I had it at first," Fulgham said. "And I came back down and, unfortunately, I didn't make a play for my team."
With the Eagles down 30-14 in the fourth quarter, Fulgham helped the team storm back. He caught four passes from Wentz for 48 yards on the ensuing drive, finishing it with an 18-yard contested catch for a touchdown on a fourth-and-9 situation.
"Wentz made a check at the line. It was a great check. And he placed the ball at the right spot, floated it up, and let me get a chance to go up and get it," Fulgham said.
After the defense held firm, Wentz went deep to Fulgham down the right side of the field on the first play of the next series. Fulgham drew a pass interference penalty on Peters for a 49-yard gain. Four plays later, Wentz snuck the ball in from the 1-yard line to make it a two-point game.
"He's a baller," Wentz said. "I said last week, I see it in practice. It's good to just see these guys get their chance and make plays. ... There was zero blitz a handful of times today and I just looked to him."
Fulgham has been an integral part of the Eagles' offense that posted 57 points in the past two games. As Eagles Hall of Fame wide receiver and radio analyst Mike Quick noted, Fulgham will be more and more of a focal point for defenses gameplanning against the Eagles.
"I think that Travis is going to have to show over the next couple of weeks still. I'm not sold completely," Quick said on the Eagles Insider Podcast. "I just think that now that teams know something about him, that he's not this anonymous guy any longer, I think that things are going to be more difficult for him."
The next challenge comes on Thursday night in his first NFC East showdown against the New York Giants. Fulgham introduced himself to Eagles fans in prime time in San Francisco. He'll get another opportunity to shine under the lights, but this time with the backing of the home crowd.
