In a rematch of last season’s Divisional Round matchup, the Philadelphia Eagles (3-0) defeated the Los Angeles Rams(2-1) 33-26 at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
After trailing 26-7 in the third, the Eagles finished the game scoring 26 straight points.
Let’s take a moment to appreciate Philly’s ‘Big 3’ and their outstanding performances on Sunday:
-Jalen Hurts, well, at least the second-half version of Hurts. The Eagles had only 33 total yards in the first half, and after Hurts lost a fumble in the third quarter, the Rams would score a touchdown, and Los Angeles led 26-7.
From there, Hurts and the offense woke up; he completed 17-of-24 passes for 204 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winning four-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith on fourth down late in the fourth, which punctuated a 17-play, 91-yard drive.
It was the first time in Hurts’ career that he registered 200-plus passing yards and 3-plus passing touchdowns in the second half/OT of a game.
Hurts finished the game completing 21-of-32 passes for 229 yards, four total touchdowns(3 passing).
The Eagles have now won 17 games in a row that were started and finished by Hurts.
-A.J. Brown, well, at least the second-half version of Brown. After getting shut out in the first half, he caught six passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in the second half. This offense is at its best when Brown is getting his touches.
-Jordan Davis! The Eagles don’t defeat the Rams without the play of Davis. The fourth-year defensive tackle made a huge stop on Kyren Williams on fourth down in the fourth quarter, and he blocked two field goals, including a walk-off block that he returned 61 yards for a touchdown to close the show.
Honorable Mention:
-DeVonta Smith had 60 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions (five catches on third and fourth down).
-Linebacker Zack Baun got his first pick of the season, which helped set up the Eagles’ first touchdown in the opening quarter.
End of Day:
The offense finally woke up! Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo took the shackles off of Hurts in the second half, and everybody saw what they thought they would see when the season started.
Philadelphia started throwing the ball downfield, and Brown was involved. A wide receiver as good as Brown should have a lot of targets. He’s a game-breaker, and a game-breaker needs an opportunity to make plays.
The defense bent a lot, but they did a good job of making the Rams settle for field goals. If they didn’t, the Rams could have blown the game wide open.
Back to Hurts, he has proven that he can win in any fashion. In fact, all he does is win. He’s a winner, and winners find ways, and the Eagles found a way today.
Saquon Barkley(46 yards on 18 carries) and the running game will have to do better, and it will get better. Hopefully, Lane Johnson’s(neck) injury won’t keep him out for long, but if it does, Fred Johnson seems like an adequate replacement.
What’s Next:
Philadelphia goes on the road to face the Buccaneers next Sunday.
One More thing…
-The Eagles improved to 3-0 for the third time under Nick Sirianni (also 2022 and 2023). Sirianni is the first head coach in Eagles history to have three 3-0 starts with the franchise.
-Philadelphia has registered 12 consecutive wins at Lincoln Financial Field (including playoffs), representing the club’s longest winning streak in the history of the venue (since 2003).
-According to Elias Sports, the Eagles, who are 636-635-26 as a franchise in the regular season, own an all-time winning record in the regular season for the first time in team history.
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