Jalen Carter’s family threw a tailgate party. Then the Eagles rookie feasted on the Bucs in his homecoming.

TAMPA, Fla. — Translucent blue plumes of smoke wafted out of a black barbecue pit in a parking lot situated about a half-mile from Raymond James Stadium on Monday afternoon.

A few dozen of Jalen Carter’s family members and friends huddled under three canopies to get out of the Florida sun, eager to prepare their plates as Carter’s mother, Tonique Brown, bustled around the tents and called everyone together for a prayer.

The Eagles’ 25-11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers served as the closest thing Carter, an Apopka, Fla. native, will get to a homecoming in the NFL, so Brown and a group of 50-plus family and friends made the 90-minute trip to Tampa to see her precocious son play his third NFL game. Brown had customized pins, candied apples, and cupcakes with Carter’s picture on them made for the tailgate and a menu of southern-style barbecue at the ready, fitting for the momentous occasion.

“Everybody was calling,” Brown said. “They were like, ‘It’s his first homecoming game in Florida.’ I said, ‘OK, it’s so hot out here that I don’t want to do anything, but we have to do it.’ ... Especially for my elderly and disabled family, they’re able to come to this local game without having to go through airports and different travels. So it definitely means a lot.”

Once the large group migrated to the stadium and got situated behind the Eagles sideline, Carter did more than his part to make the trip worthwhile. The Eagles rookie defensive tackle played a pivotal role in the game and continued to be the type of impact player so few defensive line prospects have managed to be in their first season.

Moments after he spotted his family in the stands, Carter forced fumbles on back-to-back plays toward the end of the second quarter and finished with a team-high five pressures, according to Next Gen Stats.

The first forced fumble came on a half-sack split with Carter’s mentor and fellow defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. Carter drew a double team, but split through the two Tampa Bay linemen while Cox took advantage of the one-on-one matchup to meet his new running mate at the quarterback. Baker Mayfield fumbled, and Buccaneers center Robert Hainsey recovered the loose ball.

The following play, Carter truly made his mark. Cutting off his rush as Mayfield tossed a pass to running back Rachaad White, Carter burst upfield and jarred the ball loose with a perfectly placed punch that James Bradberry came up with. Late in the third quarter, Carter bowled through a double team with Tampa Bay backed up on its 1-yard line, helping Nicholas Morrow knife into the backfield to force a safety.

It was a performance Carter’s brother, Luke Huey, had said he expected because of the turnout from his hometown.

“I know him seeing us, even though he may not see us, he’ll know we’re there,” Huey said. “So I think he’ll have a big game today.”

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Carter’s start to his NFL career, especially at a position that usually takes a year or two to fully adjust to, has been dominant. According to Next Gen Stats, his 15 total pressures rank second among all defensive tackles behind only Javon Hargrave, whom he replaced after Hargrave signed a four-year, $84 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency. Carter has also managed to get pressure against double teams six times this season, which trails only Micah Parsons, according to NGS.

Just before the forced fumble, which set the Eagles offense up with a short field and led to a field goal to close out the half, Carter said his fellow defensive tackle and former college teammate Jordan Davis was the one who picked out his family in the stands and pointed them out.

Carter caught wind of just how many people would be there to see him the morning before the game. Brown made a point of handling the planning without his involvement but finally filled him in the morning before the game while visiting him at the team hotel.

“He never knows a lot about what’s going on on my end,” Brown said. “His focus has always been school and football. So now that he’s on another level, his focus is just to remain focused.”

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After the game, Carter said he got back to his phone just in time for it to be inundated with calls and texts from the large group in attendance, capping off a memorable night for the 22-year-old.

“It made it a lot sweeter,” Carter said. “It meant a lot, they called me as soon as I got in the locker room. I couldn’t even get a chance to shower. ... I play for them and I play for my team.”

Once he was showered and ready to leave the locker room, all that was left for Carter was to find out if anyone saved him a plate.

“I heard they had good food!”