This was a great road win. The Eagles came up big when it mattered most and put together their best wall-to-wall win of the season on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, beating the Vikings 28-22 with a big-play passing game, a defense that produced a touchdown and five stops in the red zone, and a special teams that did the job as Philadelphia ended a two-game losing streak and upped its record to 5-2.
“We found ways to play good ball and we made big-time plays when we needed to,” said quarterback Jalen Hurts, who had just the third perfect game (158.3 passer rating) in Eagles history. “The defense played a helluva game – getting a touchdown is big – and for us as a team we were able to capitalize on opportunities. We still have a lot to clean up but we didn’t put ourselves behind the sticks, we had some runs when we needed them, and came away with the win.”
Here are some observations about a gutty, terrific win over a tough Vikings team …
1. QB Jalen Hurts at his very best
Let’s begin with the performance by quarterback Jalen Hurts. He faced pressure from the Brian Flores blitz packages and Hurts handled things well. He was cool when there was pressure and he was money when he had an opportunity to throw the football down the field. Hurts’ numbers were terrific: 19-of-23 for 326 yards – his first 300-yard passing game of the season – 3 touchdowns and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. The only other quarterbacks in Eagles history with a perfect passer rating? Donovan McNabb in 2007 vs. Lions and Nick Foles in 2013 at Raiders. Hurts averaged 14.2 yards per passing attempt. The idea that the Eagles can’t throw the football? Nonsense. Hurts did it mostly to his wide receivers – Brown and Smith combined for 13 receptions, 304 yards, and three touchdowns. Both Brown and Smith had more than 100 receiving yards, the third time that’s happened and in each of those games the Eagles have won. The Eagles are now 13-0, according to the FOX broadcast, when Brown and Smith each score a touchdown in the same game. Great stuff.