The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback threw for 290 yards with receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith combining for 219 yards receiving and two touchdowns in 27-13 win.
PHILADELPHIA – About that passing game…it’s not broken, after all.
Jalen Hurts completed his first nine passes and threw for a pair of first-half touchdowns to spark the Eagles to a 27-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.
The win was the Eagles’ 10th in a row and that is a new franchise record. It also helped pull their record even with the Detroit Lions, who lost to the Bills on Sunday. Both Philly and Detroit are now 12-2. The victory also kept the Steeles winless in South Philly since 1965. They are 0-11 since then.
The Eagles will play their final regular-season road game of the year next Sunday at the Washington Commanders.
Saquon Barkley’s heroics weren’t required in this one. He was held to 65 yards on 19 runs. Kenny Gainwell was a force, though, especially in the passing game, where he had three catches for 40 yards. He also ran seven times for 20 yards.
The Eagles dominated the Steelers in time of possession. Pittsburgh led the NFL in that stat, averaging more than 32 minutes per game. They had it for just 20:08 to the Eagles’ 39:52.
The Eagles flexed their might after taking over on their own 2-yard line when, for some reason, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin opted to punt on fourth-and-7 from Philly’s 46-yard line and 10:40 to go. Pittsburgh never got the ball back as the Eagles ran the final 10:40 off the clock and used 22 plays to do it.
Playing with a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, Hurts accounted for three touchdowns and now has 32 total TDs this season. He found his receiver for both touchdowns, connecting with A.J. Brown from 5 yards out to open a 10-3 lead with 1:13 to play in the first quarter.
The quarterback then hit DeVonta Smith from 2 yards on a third-down throw to make it 17-3 with 9:07 left in the second quarter.
Known for a fan base that travels well, there weren’t many Steelers fans at the Linc and the ones that were there didn’t have much reason to waive their terrible towels.
The Eagles defense held Pittsburgh without a first down until there were slightly more than nine minutes to play in the second quarter. Russell Wilson, who had been 6-0 against the Eagles with all the wins coming while he was with the Seahawks, and his offense mustered just 80 yards in the opening half.
Pittsburgh even got a pair of first-quarter turnovers but could do very little with them. The first came on a Hurts fumble. The Steelers took over at Philly’s 45 but went backward, with Josh Sweat sacking Wilson to force a punt.
Cooper DeJean then fumbled the ball back on the punt to give Pittsburgh the ball at the 11. They ran lot seven yards and settled for a 37-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3.
The Eagles defense was led by Nakobe Dean, who had 10 tackles while playing with elbow brace on his right arm, and Nolan Smith who notched another sack and now has 5.5 this season. Sweat’s sack was his team-high eighth.
The Steelers had just 10 first downs to Philly’s 26. The Eagles dominated in total yards, too, collecting 401 while holding Pittsburgh to just 163.
TURNING POINT
Darius Slay fumble recovery. The Eagles cornerback was in the right place at the right time to recover Najee Harris’ fumbled toss after Pittsburgh had reached the Eagles’ 26 trailing 20-13 midway through the third quarter. The Steelers running back dropped the ball and then kicked it forward, where Slay pounced on it. The Eagles cashed the turnover into a touchdown, motoring 74 yards in 13 plays and 6:33 with Hurts scoring on a 1-yard tush push. to go up 27-13 with 14:20 to play in the game.
STUDS
Kenny Gainwell. The backup running back stepped into a starring role and made some nifty moves after catching the ball. One on, he juked past Cory Tice for a first down. His best came on the final play of the third quarter, juking his way to a first-and goal at the 1 on a third-and-9 throw.
Jalen Hurts. Any questions about the passing game were answered early, with the QB completing his first nine throws. By halftime, he was 12-for-13 with 146 yards and two passing scores. He finished 25-for-32 for 290 yards and a passer rating of 125.3 It was the first time he threw more than 30 times during the team’s winning streak.
A.J. Brown. The receiver was targeted early and often. He finished with eight catches on 11 targets for 110 yards. 112 yards on 11 catches, with 12 targets. One of his bigger catches came with just over nine minutes left in the game and the Eagles backed up at their own 7 and facing a third down. Hurts found him for a 28-yard gain.
DeVonta Smith. The receiver had 11 catches on 12 targets for 109 yards.
Jake Elliott. Show the kicker some love. He made both field goals and three PATS.
DUDS
Tyler Steen. The offensive lineman entered early in the third quarter and was called for two penalties on the Eagles first possession of the half. The first was declined, the second came after the Eagles got to the 14-yard line. The Eagles could not overcome the penalty and settled for a 41-yard field goal and 20-13 lead with 7:52 to play.
Jalen Carter. The defensive tackle was flagged for a personal foul during a Steelers punt with 10:29 to play. The mistake put the Eagles at their own 3-yard line to start a late-game drive. The mistake prompted a screaming match between head coach Nick Sirianni and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt.
Branden Mann. The punter shanked a 29-yarder near the end of the first half that gave Pittsburgh the ball at Philly’s 45. They marched to a field goal with 37 seconds to play to send the teams into the locker room with the Eagles ahead 17-13.
INJURIES
-Sydney Brown suffered a concussion on the opening kickoff and was ruled out for the game.
-On the first possession of the third quarter, Landon Dickerson left with a knee injury, giving way to Tyler Steen. Dickerson didn’t return.