Eagles defeat Titans 35-10 thanks to Hurts’ three touchdown passes and one touchdown rush.
On Sunday, December 4, 2022, in Philadelphia, Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles scores a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans.
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Tennessee Titans 35-10 on Sunday, with the help of Jalen Hurts, who improved his chances of winning the MVP award by throwing for 380 yards and three touchdowns while also adding a score on the ground, and A.J. Brown, who caught two of those touchdown passes against his former team.
For the first time since 2004 and the fourth time in team history, Hurts has guided the Eagles to an 11-1 start. The NFL title was won by the 1949 Eagles. Both the 1980 and 2004 squads suffered Super Bowl defeats.
The Eagles appear to have all the makings of a Super Bowl-winning squad.
All they truly required to get toward a playoff place was Hurts.
The quick, sure-handed quarterback had his third game in a row with four total touchdowns and set a career record with 29 total touchdowns. For most quarterbacks, his first half performance was quite impressive: 268 passing yards, two touchdown passes, and one rushing score.
Derrick Henry, who had 11 carries for 30 yards, was held in check by the Eagles defence, which also held Ryan Tannehill to 141 passing yards and a score. Despite suffering their second straight loss, the Titans (7-5) still hold a commanding lead in the AFC South.
Late in the second quarter, after a field goal pulled Tennessee to within 14-10, the Titans punted five straight times before turning the ball over on downs.
Hurts was going to look for Brown, that much was certain. Brown was selected by Tennessee in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he quickly rose to the top of the receiving corps. In each of his first two seasons, he exceeded 1,000 receiving yards; in his third, he had 869 in just 13 games. Brown requested a raise that would have made him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league, but the Titans resisted and traded him to Philadelphia on draught night.
Philly’s first genuine victory of the year came from that trade.
Brown has exceeded expectations, and sure, the Eagles gave him a guaranteed $57 million. Against the Titans, Brown had eight catches for 119 yards. DeVonta Smith, a different wide receiver, had five catches for 102 yards.
Hurts and Brown connected on an apparent 40-yard touchdown throw that was ruled to be incomplete due to a foul when the score was tied 7 each. Brown had previously embraced the goal post after scoring to mark the occasion. Not to worry. Hurts immediately responded by hitting Brown, who had just bowled over defender Kristian Fulton, for a 40-yard touchdown and a 14-7 advantage.
Hurts opened the game with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Smith and ended the first half with a 2-yard run for a 21-10 advantage.
The ensuing Hurts-to-Brown touchdown was a monster. Hurts sent the ball out to the corner of the end zone, where it grazed Tre Avery’s facemask before Brown caught it for the 29-yard touchdown and a 28-10 advantage in the third.
The only mystery remaining was whether Hurts would make another drive after Miles Sanders’ 3-yard touchdown run in the fourth made the score 35-10. He refused. The game was beyond your grasp. The team’s all-time best season is still very much within reach.
COSTLY TD
The lone touchdown for the Titans came at a high cost. After taking a hard helmet-to-helmet collision while leaping to score the 25-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Tannehill in the first quarter that tied the game at 7 all, receiver Treylon Burks was sent to the hospital for a concussion evaluation.
Marcus Epps, an Eagles safety, received a warning for unnecessary roughness. Both teams’ players knelt while Burks lay on his back. The 22-year-old receiver eventually left on his own and sought assistance in the locker room.
INJURIES
Titans: Burks, Fulton (groin) and LB David Long all suffered injuries.
Eagles: WR Quez Watkins (shoulder) and LB Shaun Bradley (hamstring) were hurt.
FLAG FOOTBALL
In the first half, the Eagles were flagged nine times for 60 yards while the Titans were flagged four times for 59 yards.
Titans: Play Jacksonville at home on Sunday.
The Eagles take on the New York Giants on Sunday in the first of three straight road games. They then travel to Dallas and Chicago.
