After an international trip barely resulting in a win, the Philadelphia Eagles hope they’ve worked out the kinks enough to defeat the Atlanta Falcons.
Philadelphia Eagles Saquon Barkley (26) celebrates with teammates after a touchdown run against the Green Bay Packers during an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)
By Chris Murray
For the Philadelphia Sunday SUN
Despite losing the turnover battle, playing on a field that left a lot to be desired, and other self-inflicted wounds, the Philadelphia Eagles managed to get out of their own way just long enough to escape Sao Paolo, Brazil with 34-29 win over a tough Green Bay Packers team.
Of course, the big focus, or better yet, the biggest concern for Birds fans coming into tonight’s home opener at Lincoln Financial Field against the Atlanta Falcons, was quarterback Jalen Hurts’s uneven performance.
In the win, Hurts completed 20 of 34 passes for 278 yards for touchdowns but committed three turnovers-two interceptions, and one lost fumble.
“We had some adversity early in the game,” Hurts said after the game. “I definitely could have avoided some of those things. I put us in a bad spot at times.”
On the one hand, there is a legitimate concern. Hurts has had 23 turnovers in his last 18 games, including last season. That trend can’t continue if the Eagles are going to make a run to the Super Bowl.
“We all have a lot of things to clean up that we want to do better,” said Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni following the game. “But in those scenarios, take what the defense gives us is probably going to be the main coaching point that we’re going to talk to (Hurts) about.”
Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said Hurts’ interceptions in the season-opener against Green Bay are not a part of any long-term trend.
“Yeah, I think sometimes the first game. And, we had two 3rd-and-extra-long opportunities where you practice some of those during training camp, and I think we just got a little aggressive, myself play calling, and ultimately just the throw. But not overly concerned,” Moore said.
“They’re outliers in many cases, I think as we all have seen [QB] Jalen [Hurts] in those circumstances, so we feel optimistic we’ll be just fine moving forward, and we’ll be able to adjust.”
All that said, Hurts had enough good moments in that game to figure out a way to help the team overcome his mistakes to win the game. He had touchdown passes of 18 yards to Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and 67 yards to A.J. Brown.
“(Hurts) made a lot of big-time plays that put the game in our favor,” Sirianni said.
If Hurts has proved nothing else during his time with the Eagles is his ability to bounce back from his own adversity. After his second interception, which occurred in the end zone early in the fourth quarter, Hurts led the Eagles on a 16-play, 7:25 that led to a Jake Elliot field goal to give the Birds a 34-29 lead while leaving the Packers virtually no time to mount a comeback.
But Hurts was able to overcome that adversity after the first two turnovers thanks to a gritty defense that forced the Packers to kick field goals instead of getting touchdowns that would have put the Birds in a deeper hole.
“They showed up and had my back big time in that moment after those two turnovers,” Hurts said. “In the end, everything comes down to how respond to it. … I’m just happy about how we weathered the storm as a team.”
Eagles linebacker Zack Baun led the way for the Birds defense with 15 total tackles and 11 solo tackles.
“Well, first off, he did good,” said Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. “Just when I watched his play in New Orleans, like I think I said to you guys before, the way they adjusted their defense in New Orleans, on occasion he would end up as an inside linebacker, not very often, and from those few plays, I thought he could do it.”
Meanwhile, rookie Quinyon Mitchell looked like a seasoned veteran and had an impressive performance. He was targeted 10 and allowed five receptions for 86 yards. He had two passed defended. That’s not a bad outing for a rookie.
“The moment is never too big for him, ” Sirianni said. “He’s just very calm and confident which you need to be as a corner. You need to have a short memory and be confident in yourself… He’s been able to go against A.J. and Devonta throughout training camp. He gets to go up against two of the best receivers in the game.”
It also helped the Eagles had Barkley in their backfield. The former Penn State star gained 109 yards rushing on 24 carries and scored two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 23 yards and a touchdown.
Barkley became the first Eagles player since Terrell Owens to score three touchdowns in his debut with the team. One of the things that will no doubt help the offense will be Barkley’s ability to run the ball, especially late in the game.
“You gotta give credit to the offensive line because it starts with offensive and Jalen making the right reads and putting us in the right position,” Barkley said. “It doesn’t hurt to have Dallas Godert, A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith. I’m probably not even in the top three in the scouting report, so it makes my job a lot easier.”
If Hurts can regain his efficiency in the passing game in 2022, the Eagles are going to be a legit Super Bowl contender.
Check out tonight’s home opener against the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field beginning at 8 pm on 6ABC and ESPN to see if that happens. You can also listen to the action on 94.1 WIP.
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