Jalen Hurts Tosses Four TDs, Philadelphia Eagles Rally Late to Top Washington Commanders
For a team that headed into Week 8 atop the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles had more critical offensive mistakes and a surprising lack of a running game in Sunday's meeting with the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field.
But behind four passing touchdowns from Jalen Hurts and a 21-point fourth quarter, the Eagles overcame early miscues and rallied to top Washington, 38-31.
After falling behind 14-3 in the first half, the Eagles (7-1) scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter after Washington (3-5) had taken a 24-17 lead to begin the final frame.
Commanders quarterback Sam Howell had a day against an Eagles secondary that was looking a bit healthier along with welcoming the addition of Kevin Byard. Howell finished 39 of 52 passing for 397 yards, four touchdowns and one pick.
He dueled with Hurts, who went 29 of 38 for 319 yards. four touchdowns and no picks.
Jalen Hurts
© Brad Mills, USA TODAY
The Eagles were haunted by more turnovers, as a pair of fumbles from Hurts and Kenneth Gainwell both came inside the Washington five-yard in the first half. Luckily, another big and record-setting day from receiver A.J. Brown helped the Eagles snag some much-needed momentum in key spots when it seemed like the Commanders might put their foot on the gas.
Brown finished with eight catches for 130 yards and two scores in another dominating effort. He passed Calvin Johnson (2012) and Pat Studstill (1966) for the most consecutive 125-yard receiving games (six) in NFL history,
Brown was the only spark the offense had in the first half. But with him leading the charge via another receiving touchdown to begin the third quarter, the offense followed suit and finally came alive in the second half. Not committing anymore critical goal-line turnovers certainly helped.
Brown continued to make it look easy on his second touchdown of the game, as he fought off two defenders for a 25-yard score to tie things up at 17-17. The Commandeers delivered an impressive response with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown catch from tight end Logan Thomas.
The back-and-forth continued. Hurts got ample time in the pocket before finding DeVonta Smith wide open for a 38-yard game-tying touchdown before the midway point of the fourth quarter.
And in a game where the Eagles secondary struggled to stop Howell early, safety Reed Blankenship helped erase any bad memories with a 17-yard interception return that set up Julio Jones for a six-yard touchdown, his first as an Eagle. This gave the Eagles a 31-24 lead, and they never looked back.
Philly pass rusher Haason Reddick played the role of closer once again, sacking Howell on fourth down to help set up a game-sealing seven-yard rushing touchdown from D'Andre Swift.
The Eagles will host the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9.
