Jalen Hurts and the Eagles survived scorching temperatures, two interceptions, and a late Titans lead to finally win in Nashville, 24-20, on Sunday.
With 1:56 left and the Eagles trailing 20-17, Hurts drove the offense 62 yards in eight plays and hit Darius Cooper for a 3-yard touchdown with nine seconds remaining. A 19-yard completion to DeVonta Smith set up the winning score.
The game was played under a heat advisory, with temperatures on the turf reported well above 100 degrees.
If possible the heat was turned up when the underdog Titans took a late lead and Hurts had to navigate a Jeffery Simmons-led minefield with no timeouts.
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The Bulls
Playing Quarterback – Hurts answered Simmons’ pregame comments that Tennessee wanted to “make Hurts be a QB” and keep him from escaping the pocket. After two picks, the Eagles QB1 closed the game like an elite, franchise quarterback, completing six-of-eight passes for 61 yards on the game-winning drive without a timeout at his disposal.
Hurts finished 26 of 37 for 264 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions and has lifted the Eagles to their latest 2-0 start with his big-play ability.
“There’s ups and downs in every game, and we talked a lot last week and, and every week it’s gonna be important to be able to play the next play,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “And when your quarterback and your captain of your football team is doing those things, I mean, you got
no better example. We love to look for examples of overcoming adversity, or playing clutch in moments, or playing through pain, or whatever it may be.
“… It’s just a great example of your habits take over in these moments, right? You can’t expect to be somebody different if you haven’t practiced that the entire time, and that’s who Jalen is.”
DeVonta and Co. – While Hurts will get the headlines you could call the final effort the DeVonta drive. Smith delivered a No. 1 receiver performance with 10 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, including the 19-yarder and three consecutive receptions that put Philadelphia at the three-yard line, setting up the kill shot to Darius Cooper. Without Dallas Goedert, who left the game with a knee injury, and Saquon Barkley, who was limited with a stinger, you have to wonder how well-regarded defensive minds like Robert Saleh and Gus Bradley allowed Smith to beat them late.
Dontayvion Wicks added five receptions for 74 yards for the Eagles while Cooper’s game-winner was his first career touchdown catch and it might be time to install a meritocracy and allow the the 2025 undrafted free agent to play more.
Jake the Make is back – The heat helped but Jake Elliott also provided hope that he’s back to form with a 58-yard field goal that just cleared the crossbar. Long distance has been such an issue for Elliott over the past two seasons, it was a major positive to see trust in the veteran kicker and Elliott validating that trust.
The Bears
Philadelphia’s revamped interior offensive line – Cam Jurgens sliding to left guard after Landon Dickerson’s IR placement, with Drew Kendall at center—faced a tough test against Simmons and the Titans front. It wasn’t pretty and perhaps that should have been expected but the Eagles need to figure this out quickly if they want to reach their goals.
Attrition piling up: Barkley left after the first play with a stinger, missed most of the first half, and returned later but with minimal impact. Goedert also exited with a knee injury and did not return; while Jalen Carter, already playing through a wrist injury and tweaked his calf. The latter could have been heat related.
The running game – Things on the ground stalled at 89 yards as a team, with Tank Bigsby leading the way at a minimal 33 yards and a score. If Barkley is unavailable for any stretch of time, the Eagles could be in for some major issues in the backfield.
Stagnant stocks
Makai Lemon – The rookie first-round wide receiver stayed quiet. He did have one reception for 14 yards so he’s finally in the black. That said, his run/screen off orbit motion was as ugly as ever, ending up recorded as a running play that lost five yards. Why the Eagles think Lemon is a manufactured-touch player is mystifying.
Sean Mannion – Mannion’s overhyped scheme (that’s not his fault) is run-of-the-mill 2026 NFL stuff that everyone is this league has seen dozens of times. That means lulls and the first-year play-caller has yet to consistently unlock the passing attack or the ground game in two close wins. However, success on the scoreboard can generate a buy-in so hope is alive.
“When we talk about those moments, end of the game, two-minute drives and game-winning drives. You don’t think about the moment itself,” Hurts said. “You think about what led you to that moment, the foundation and throwing at UCF, spending time in Houston, talking through tape, breaking things down, getting on the same page, just the chemistry and trying to build that. The effort to build that chemistry is very important for moments like this.”
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