Devon Allen, Cam Jurgens Provide Lightning in Eagles 21-20 Win Over Browns

It was a solid team victory for a game played by the backups, with two safeties and a linebacker helping seal the win with fourth-quarter plays

After two sun-splashed practices against the Cleveland Browns, rain fell prior to the start of their preseason game on Sunday afternoon at First Energy Stadium on the shores of Lake Erie.

The lightning, however, was provided by a pair of Eagles.

First, center Cam Jurgens pancaked poor safety D’Anthony Bell on a downfield block during a big run from Boston Scott on the Eagles’ first possession.

Later, Devon Allen showed the speed he is known for as an Olympic hurdler by getting well beyond the Browns’ secondary for a 55-yard touchdown pass from Reid Sinnett.

That play, which came with 3:42 left in the third quarter, stood up as the game-winner, thanks to some solid defensive plays in the fourth quarter by safeties Jaquiski Tartt and Reed Blankenship and linebacker Shaun Bradley.

Eagles beat the Browns 21 to 20. The Birds scored 3 touchdowns

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— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 21, 2022

This was a game for the reserves, though. None of the Eagles’ starters played.

“I really felt like we got two good days of work,” said head coach Nick Sirianni, referring to the joint practices the teams had on Thursday and Friday leading up to their second exhibition game.

“We really look at those joint practices as a game. How often do you play a game on Thursday, play a game Friday then come back and play a game Sunday?”

Expect the starters to sit next Saturday in Miami when the Eagles play the Dolphins in the final preseason game after practicing against them on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

Gardner Minshew played the entire first half and was superb, finishing 14-for-7 with 142 yards, leading touchdown drives on the team’s first two possessions.

“All I want to do is get better, man,” said Minshew. “In my mind, I’ve proved to myself that I can play in this league. That’s all that matters. I know that if I continue to get better, then I have a chance to have a really good career in this league.

“So, just continue to get better and learn from the opportunities like we had today, learn from the guys around me. So just very excited to be here and to be moving forward with the Eagles.”

The first TD drive featured Boston Scott, who had 10 carries for 33 yards and a 1-yard TD.

Look at this Cam Jurgens block on the Boston Scott run 🔥🔥#PancakeCam 🎥
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— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 21, 2022

The second TD march featured Kenny Gainwell, who had 11 rushes for 46 yards, including a 16-yard pickup on a third-and-13 draw to keep the drive alive. He ended it with a 2-yard touchdown.

“We were just able to pound it a little bit,” said Sirianni. “Maybe it wasn’t always pretty and clean, but we were kind of going, putting our heads down and running. They made it work. Sometimes it was muddy, sometimes it was clean, but they ran really well.

“I thought Boston had a great first series, it was a 13-play drive, get him out of there after that. Then Kenny had what, a 12-play series? I thought that was good, I said get him out after that. So, good week for those guys.”

Sirianni talked about the block that Jurgens delivered to spring Scott and the play by Allen.

“A lot of times your interior guys on screens are guys that are getting out first and have to be able to block in space and yeah, of course, he did a good job of that and we know important that is for that position,” said Sirianni about Jurgens. “I was pleased with it. I have to watch the tape, but I thought he did a nice job when he was in.”

As for Allen, it was his first catch since 2016 when he played at Oregon, before taking the next five years off to focus on his Olympic hurdling career.

“That was a sweet play, wasn’t it?” said the coach about Allen’s catch. “That was awesome. I’m happy for him. I think it’s hard to do what Devon’s done. He hasn’t played football in a while and he’s getting into it. He’s getting into the groove. There’s no denying, OK he hasn’t played football in five years, but the whole time we thought he was really fast, and he is.

“What a great ball by Reid (Sinnett). What a great catch and route by Devon, but that protection was sweet. That was really good to hold the pocket, because that was a long-developing play, and the protection was right on. I have to look at the tape for exactly what happened. 

"They may have blitzed on that left side, but we handled it really nice. Tribute to the offensive line. I think we were all high-fiving them on that sideline, too.”

Devon Allen hauls in a 55-yard TD catch that stood up as the game-winner in the Eagles' 21-20 victory over the Browns in the preseason / USA Today

Allen celebrated by air hurdling in the end zone.

Sirianni wants to see something different, though.

“I said in (the locker room), ‘Hey, we have to get a new celebration because you’re a football player now,’” said the coach.

Blankenship and Tartt may have rescued the win early in the fourth quarter.

The Browns had reached Philly’s 43 when John Kelly swept the left side on third-and-three. Before Kelly could get to the first-down spot, Blankenship drilled him out of bounds.

On fourth-and-one from the 41, Ugo Amadi blitzed but whiffed on the tackle in the backfield. Kelly appeared to make the first on second effort, but Tartt hammered him before he could.

Then it was Bradley on another drive that saw Cleveland try for a fourth-and-9 from the Eagles’ 47 with 3:14 to play. Bradley read Josh Rosen’s eyes and never let the ball reach the target. It may not have been completed anyway, but the Eagles' LB made sure it wasn’t.