Philadelphia Eagles Survive Two Turnovers, Lead New York Jets at Halftime
The Philadelphia Eagles had barely kicked off Sunday's matchup with the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium before suddenly becoming the last undefeated team left in the NFL.
And after one half of play against the Aaron Rodgers-less Jets, the Eagles proved that they're still well on their way to remaining unbeaten regardless of their imperfections. Despite two first-half turnovers, the Eagles led 14-9 at halftime.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts made some highlights en route to finishing the half 18 of 25 passing for 172 yards, one touchdown and one pick. He added four carries for 21 yards and a touchdown.
Philly receiver A.J. Brown added five catches for 89 yards while D'Andre Swift had four carries for -2 yards but had a team-high six grabs for 35 yards and a touchdown.
The Eagles' first drive of the game was a lengthy, 19-play possession that went 90 yards and took up 9:54 of game clock. The Eagles seemed like they'd get nothing out of it, as Hurts was halted at the goal line on 4th and goal, but an official review determined he barely got the ball over the plain. This gave Philly a 7-0 lead.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) looks to pass against New York Jets cornerback Michael Carter II (30) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium.
© Brad Penner, USA TODAY
The small stroke of luck was a bit short-lived for Philly and instead flipped to the Jets. After Greg Zuerlein hit a 43-yard field goal to make it a 7-3 game, the Jets defense got the ball back the offense off of a wacky takeaway after Hurts' pass was tipped around and intercepted by New York defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Luckily for Philly, the Jets turned it over on downs four plays later.
Once the Eagles got the ball back, a 49-yard catch-and-run from Brown helped set up Swift for a nine-yard touchdown catch to extend Philly's lead to 14-3. The Jets got into the red zone on their ensuing drive, but only answered with a field goal to make it a 14-6 game.
The Eagles could've blown the door open to end the half, but Swift fumbled in the open field after making a catch with 1:53 left in the second quarter. Off the takeaway, New York drained the rest of the clock and set up for a third Zuerlein field goal as time expired to make it a 14-9 Eagles lead at halftime.
Philadelphia will receive the second-half kickoff.
