Eagles remain unbeaten in come-back win over Jaguars
Photo by Kiel Leggere/Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles got off to a rough start Sunday afternoon.
And when I say rough, I mean disastrous.
Things were not looking good for a moment, but then they scored 29 straight points and won their fourth game of the season in impressive fashion. The Eagles spoiled Doug Peterson’s homecoming, as they defeated the Jaguars 29-21 on a rainy day at Lincoln Financial Field.
Here are three takeaways from one of the best wins of the season so far:
Turning over a rough beginning
The first quarter was equivalent to a dumpster fire in football terms. Jalen Hurts threw his worst ball of the season and the defense struggled to find its ground against James Robinson and Jamal Agnew.
The Eagles were at a two-touchdown deficit in bad weather. Everyone and their mama were at least a little concerned.
However, the team-wide confidence and ability to see that deficit and then bounce back in all three phases was really motivating.
Jalen Hurts, to start, overcame an awful interception and looked like the quarterback we have seen the last three weeks, making strong throws that were mostly on-point and completely throwing away the bad play from his name.
The defense also bounced back after a gross second drive where they could not plant their feet, settling down with great play from the d-line to the secondary. The star defenders mustered up clutch plays. For example, James Bradberry’s red zone interception, Haason Reddick’s forced fumbles, and mostly good tackling from all involved.
A big day from Sanders
The Eagles really needed a good running game on Sunday with the rain coming down and the wind blowing. And, boy, did Miles Sanders step up.
Miles Sanders had the best game of his career on Sunday. 27 carries for 134 yards with two touchdowns (including two catches for 22 yards). He had four rushes of 10+ yards including a 35-yarder on a drive that ended in three points. Sanders looked explosive with the ball in his hands, making defenders miss commonly.
After a down season last year, Sanders had bounced back in a big way this year.
Credit to the secondary
I am giving a lot of credit to the Eagles’ secondary, which came into the game without Avonte Maddox and then lost Darius Slay early in the first quarter with a forearm injury.
Both Josiah Scott in the slot and Zech McPhearson at outside corner struggled a bit early, but they quickly settled it and did some decent things.
Adding in CJ Gardner-Johnson and you really have three new pieces in the secondary. But Trevor Lawrence only completed 11 passes — only seven after the first quarter.
Excellent stuff today from the secondary.
