Jalen Hurts leads Eagles on late game-winning drive to beat Titans, advance to 2-0
Sep 20, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Darius Cooper (80) celebrates a touchdown during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Never count out Jalen Hurts. This is something that the Tennessee Titans found out the hard way, as he and DeVonta Smith saved their best for last and drove the length of the field to inside two minutes to secure a 24-20 win, the team’s first road win against this franchise since 1991
Things didn’t get off to a good start for the Eagles when, on the first play, Saquon Barkley left the game with a stinger, and though he returned to the sideline in the second quarter with the cowboy collar protective device. He didn’t return to the game until the third quarter.
Dontayvion Wicks came up with an incredible catch at midfield on a perfect pass from Hurts, setting up a long drive.
As the Eagles were driving and looking to score, Jalen Hurts threw to the goal line; Amani Hooker jumped the route and took the ball back to the Titans’ red zone. Cam Ward punched it in a few plays later on a keeper to give the Titans a 7-0 lead.
In the second quarter, with Barkley on the sideline, Tank Bigsby moved the ball down the field and punched it in for the first score of the game for the Eagles, tying the game at seven.
Later in the quarter, Hurts connected with Smith for a 22-yard touchdown, giving the Eagles a 14-7 lead. The Titans scored a field goal as the half ended to make the score 14-10.
In the third quarter, the Eagles drove into Titans territory, but the Titans held tight and didn’t let them advance, leading to a Jake Elliott field goal, making the game 17-10. Ward marched the ball down the field and scored a touchdown on a play-action bootleg keeper, tying the game at 17.
In the fourth quarter, as the Titans were driving inside the red zone, after what felt like a back-breaking third-and-long run for a first down, with all momentum on the Titans’ side, Ward dropped back, and Jalen Carter swallowed him up, pushing the Titans out of the red zone and stopping the momentum cold.
This made Tennessee settle for a field goal, giving the Eagles just under two minutes to drive the length of the field. The long drives early in the game wore down the Titans’ defense, and the way that Hurts moved the ball down the field showed that Tennessee was not ready for clutch Jalen. Smith came up and saved his best plays for the final moments, with two huge catches in the game-winning drive, but none bigger than the play that set up the final play of the drive.
After Smith put the Eagles on the doorstep, Tennessee sent extra rushers, which opened up the middle of the field for Hurts to hit Darius Cooper at the back of the end zone. Cooper got both feet down, securing the Eagles to take the 24-20 lead.
The defense got two huge stops, ending the game with an exciting comeback win in the fourth, 24-20, pushing the Eagles to 2-0 on the season
This was the Eagles’ first win on the road against this franchise since 1991, when they were the Houston Oilers. This is the first road win in Nashville for the Eagles, and the way they won the game was the best way for them to make a statement.
The defense bent, but didn’t break all game, and when they needed a stop the most, Carter provided the play that turned momentum around. By the time the Eagles got the ball back with under two minutes remaining, the momentum had shifted, and the calm on the Eagles’ offense was evident. The only play that the Titans could hang their hat on during the last drive was a play where they got to Hurts, but even with that, he still managed to get the ball out and stop the clock.
This was Hurts’ 12th fourth-quarter comeback win and his 15th game-winning drive. It begs the question: who else would you want as the architect of a game-winning drive? If the answer is anyone but Hurts, you’re going to have to show your math.
Steve Hamilton
Steve may have been born in California, but don’t let that fool you. After dating a local woman and clashing with her and her family over sports for decades, he has an affinity for Philly sports. Balancing love for Philly and Bay Area sports teams may seem impossible; we can all agree that the Cowboys are the true evil.
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