Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) went from staring at a brutal loss inside a stadium that has been a house of horrors to a thrilling 24-20 victory thanks to a magnificent last-minute drive ending in a game-winning touchdown grab by Darius Cooper in the back of the end zone to pull off the stunning victory.
Offensively, the Eagles were impressive overall in the first 30 minutes of the game. They dominated the time of possession, having the ball for over 20 minutes compared to the Titans six minutes while racking up 15 first downs, more than the 10 they had in the entire win against Washington. They also doubled the Titans in plays ran, 40 to 20.
The team’s first drive went 15 plays for 64 yards with Jalen Hurts going 3-for-3 on third down pass attempts keeping the drive alive, completing two of them to Tay Wicks, including a 27-yard pickup early in the drive and one to DeVonta Smith on a 3rd and 8.
However, on third and goal from the Titans’ eight yard line, Hurts forced a throw to Smith in the end zone and was intercepted by Amani Hooker who returned it 92 yards to set the Titans up on the Eagles’ 10-yard line.
Tennessee capitalized on the turnover with a quarterback sneak from Cam Ward for the game’s first points.
Hurts bounced back nicely though after the 14-point swing, completing 12 straight passes while leading the Eagles to a pair of touchdowns.
On the ensuing drive, the quarterback marched the Eagles 65-yards on 11 plays that ended on a two-yard rushing score from Tank Bigsby who ran for 27 yards on 10 carries while hauling in two passes in the first half for an injured Saquon Barkley who suffered a stinger on the first play of scrimmage for the Eagles. Barkley returned in the second half but finished the game with just nine yards on four carries.
After the defense forced a punt. Hurts and the Eagle were at it again with another clock-chewing drive.
Hurts orchestrated a 14-play, 81-yard scoring drive ending on a fantastic throw on the run to Smith for a 22-yard touchdown to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead with under two minutes left in the half.
The Titans kicked a field goal in the final seconds of the half to make it a 14-10 game.
The Eagles started the half with the football and had an ugly three-and-out that had a pair of penalties on the offensive line including a holding on Tyler Steen and a sack for a loss of 11 yards to end the drive.
After the defense forced a three-and-out of its own, the offense was unable to get back into rhythm for a second straight drive, giving up pressure, but Jake Elliott was able to salvage the possession with a booming 58-yard field goal to make it 17-10 midway through the third quarter.
Ward and the Titans wouldn't go away. The second-year quarterback led the Titans 69 yards down the field on 12 plays, taking 7:05 off the clock to tie the game with a one-yard scramble to the end zone for his second rushing score of the game to tie it at 17-17 with under a minute left in the quarter.
On their first possession of the fourth quarter, Hurts and the Eagles started to move the ball but on a 3rd and 12, Hurts underthrew Smith who had a step on his defender down the sideline.
The Titans flipped the field and took advantage of a questionable decision by Nick Sirianni to accept a penalty which gave Tennessee two chances to convert 2nd and 23, which they did thanks to a Tyjae Spears 27-yard run after they gained six yards on the previous play setting up a Josh Slye 32-yard field goal to make it a 20-17 Eagles deficit with 1:56 left in regulation.
Hurts and the Eagles remained composed and moved methodically down the field, thanks to clutch catches by Wicks and Smith to set up the stage for the unlikely hero in Cooper, who was wide open in the back of the end zone, catching his first-career touchdown pass for the decisive score.
For a second consecutive week, Hurts carried the Eagles to a victory with his play. Overcoming two interceptions in the win on Sunday, he delivered accurate throws while standing tough in the pocket facing pressure to produce the game-winning drive.
Jalen Hurts finished with 264 passing yards completing 26 of his 37 passes with a pair of touchdowns and two interceptions.
Barkley missed the entire first half due to the stinger in his neck. He went into the locker room and had a neck pad installed onto his pads to help give the running back extra protection.
Tight end Dallas Goedert exited the game in the first half (knee) and was questionable to return. He never entered the game again, standing on the sideline with his helmet off.
The Eagles' struggles in third quarters which stemmed from last season continued once again on Sunday. Philadelphia had three drives in the quarter, two of which resulted in three-and-outs while scoring only because of Elliott's long field goal.
Through the first two weeks of the season, the Eagles have scored just six total points in the third quarter.
Sticking with the theme of the number three, the Eagles were extremely successful on third downs on Sunday, converting 11 of 18 in the win.
As we've seen in the past, these first four games of the season act like preseason games for the Eagles in terms of the team trying to get in sync. However, the second half struggles offensively and the defense being worn out due to the heat and being on the field much longer in the second half was problematic for Philadelphia.
The Eagles will get an extra day of rest with a Monday Night Football clash set in Chicago to take on the Bears who may be without starting quarterback Caleb Williams, who was carted to the locker room in their 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
