Jalen Hurts and the Eagles dominate ‘Clash of the Titans’

If there were any doubts that the Eagles could beat a physical team that was a playoff contender, Sunday swiftly ended those concerns. Jalen Hurts tallied over 380 yards of passing and accounted for four touchdowns (three passing & one rushing) and the Eagles dominated the Tennessee Titans by a score of 35-10.

As it happened: Eagles demolish the Titans

“We played good in every phase of the game. There are some ways to clean that up. That’s a really good football team we played.” Nick Sirianni said after the game.

A relentless pass rush and smart decisions by the quarterback had the Eagles looking like the top-seeded team their record has shown them to be. Philadelphia got the scoring started early Sunday afternoon when Jalen Hurts completed a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 34-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith.

After both teams traded off three-and-outs, the Titans went on a 10-play, 71-yard response that saw Tennessee convert two third downs and a fourth and medium. Rookie wide receiver Treylon Burks hauled in a difficult touchdown catch to tie the score while also getting popped by Marcus Epps on the play.

Burks ended up leaving the game, but not before tying the score at 7.

The day belonged to Jalen Hurts and the passing offense though. Facing one of the worst secondaries in football, Hurts found AJ Brown twice in the second quarter, one of which was reviewed to be an incomplete pass, to give the Eagles a 14-7 lead.

Even with a frustrating nine penalties in the first half with a majority of the coming on pre-snap struggles, Jalen Hurts shined in the first half. After Tennessee knocked in a field goal to cut the Eagles’ lead to 14-10, Hurts and the offense went on a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. Hurts scampered in with a two-yard touchdown run, his ninth of the season, to extend Philadelphia’s lead to 21-10.

“Human nature is going to take over. You try to not get up and down in games, but I thought he handled his business like a pro.” Sirianni told reporters about his receivers big game against his former team.

Momentum would stay on the Eagles’ sideline to start the second half. After forcing a three and out where Ryan Tannehill was swallowed by Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat, Hurts found Brown again on a beautiful deep ball that fit right into the bread-basket of the Eagles’ #1 receiver.

Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat would bury Tannehill again with the third quarter ending that led to another Eagles touchdown, this time by Miles Sanders, and the rout was on in South Philly. With a 25 point lead late in the final quarter, most of the starters for both teams exited the game and Philadelphia coaxed to another win at home.

The win moves the Eagles to 11-1 with a date with their rival New York Giants at MetLife Stadium next Sunday.

Game Notes

Facing the team that traded him on draft night, AJ Brown was superb on Sunday finishing with 119 yards and 2 touchdowns.
An unsung hero for Philadelphia was the emergence of Britain Covey in the punt-return game. Covey averaged over 20 yards per return and repeatedly set the Eagles’ offense up with excellent field position. Sirianni called the entire special teams unit “phenomenal” on Sunday.
Speaking of rookies, after Kyzir White left the game with an injury, Nakobe Dean made his first appearance on defense, forced a penalty, and made two tackles. The team’s third-round pick played the rest of the way in the second half in the win.
Much was made about the Eagles’ poor run defense, but they put together their best all-around game of the season. The NFL’s leading rusher, Derrick Henry tallied just 30 yards rushing on under 3.0 yards a carry. Philadelphia also recorded six sacks with two coming from Sweat and Reddick.