Not only did the Eagles win a second-straight game Sunday, they managed to win a game in which even their fiercest critics were impressed.
OK, it was the Giants. No one outside of New York … and certainly no one inside of New York … is ever impressed with them.
But the Eagles didn’t fool around and generally didn’t stand around offering Daniel Jones and his anemic offensive line any time to try to make a game of it, which is exactly how the Eagles acted while barely beating the absolutely anemic Cleveland Browns the week before.
What stood out in this victory was, of course, the running game. No doubt spurred by the fact that his old Giants team had essentially urged him to go shopping for a free agency deal, Saquon Barkley had a magnificent game, rushing for 176 yards and a touchdown against a Giants defense that, unlike the club’s offense, is one of the more effective in the league. And Barkley did that over essentially three quarters of work.
In addition, Jalen Hurts found enough wrinkles in the “tush-push” play to dart, twist, turn and shove his way to two rushing touchdowns, even though the Eagles didn’t have left tackle Jordan Mailata (hamstring) available for the game, and lost right guard Mekhi Becton (concussion) during it.
Along with that, Hurts converted a fourth-and-2 at the Giants’ 5, scrambling for a four-yard gain to keep an eventual scoring drive going. His one touchdown pass on the day, a 43-yarder to A.J. Brown, came on a fourth-and-3 earlier in the game. Hurts was only 10 of 14 for 114 yards and the one TD, but that’s primarily because the vaunted Giants D couldn’t stop the run.
“You want to be able to win in multiple ways,” Hurts said. “As we continue to build I think we’ll see that even more. That’s what the good offenses have; they’re capable of doing both. They’re not one-dimensional. We’ll continue to build our toolbox, our portfolio, if you will, of what we can do and how efficiently we can do all these things.”
Of all the offensive strides the Eagles made on the day, however, one stood out above all else: Against a competent defense, Hurts didn’t turn the ball over for a second straight week. Heading into the Cleveland game the week before, he had turnovers for 10 straight games, dating to early December of last season. He also led the league in turnovers from 2023 through the early weeks of 2024. But his numbers of five fumbles and four interceptions through the first four games haven’t changed as the Eagles have risen to 4-2 on the season.
“Every team in the league out there wants to defensively take the ball away, be explosive on offense and obviously take care of the football,” Hurts said after the game at MetLife Stadium. “We’re still testing our efficiency in those matters and I think we’re climbing in the right direction. We just need to continue to build.”
Head coach Nick Sirianni is hoping Hurts’ ongoing climb out of the turnover hole continues as the Birds continue to improve.
“Jalen plays the hardest position in sports, in my opinion. These guys are coming down there trying to kill you, and he’s got to make split decisions on where to go with the football based on a defense that’s trying to deceive you of what they’re playing,” Sirianni said Monday. “(He) has to be accurate with the throw on top of that, while somebody is right on the hip of the receiver at times, and sometimes they’re open by a bunch, too. It takes a ton of reps. It takes a ton of study. Jalen has done so much of that. He knows how important it is to take care of the football, but he also knows how important it is to win the explosive play battle.
“There’s a lot that plays into it. I think he’s been playing good football and taking care of the ball. We have this two-game win streak, and he’s touching the ball every play, so he’s a big part of that and a big reason why.”
As for Hurts’ gains (and tush-push TDs) on fourth downs, Sirianni has long recognized that’s a big part of the Eagles’ attack plan that has to continue to improve with Jason Kelce playing in dozens of TV commercials as opposed to playing center.
“Shoot, you saw yesterday. That led to 21 points,” Sirianni said. “If you didn’t have that confidence in the guys, then that is potentially nine points, right? Or you punt on one of them because you’re a little bit out of range. I think that’s huge. … You’ve got to have faith in the guys to be able to do that. It’s been a big key to our success these last couple years, that success on fourth down turning three points into seven points.”
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NOTES >> The Eagles are making strides defensively in what last season was their most vulnerable position, the defensive backfield. Sirianni credited rookies DeJean Cooper (second-round pick, nickel back) and Quinyon Mitchell (first-round pick, cornerback) with stepping up their games the past couple of weeks. “I see two guys that love the game of football and are willing to do everything they can to get better at it,” Sirianni said. “It’s good to have their youth and energy out on the field.” … The Eagles’ home game Nov. 3 against head coach (if he’s still there) Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars has been moved from the Sunday Night Football rotation and will instead start at 4:05 rather than 8:15. Don’t you love how the NFL does that to fans without a passing thought? … The Eagles signed defensive back Tariq Castro-Fields to the practice squad Monday, placing wide receiver John Ross on the practice squad/injured list.
