With A.J. Brown sidelined by a high ankle sprain and expected to miss a month, the Eagles needed their wideouts to carry more of the load against the Tennessee Titans.
They did more than hold the line. In a 24-20 comeback win Sunday, Philadelphia got meaningful production from DeVonta Smith, Tay Wicks and Darius Cooper, and the group looked increasingly comfortable operating without its top receiver.
Smith was the headliner. He said after the game, “I feel like it was time,” Smith told NBC Sports Philadelphia in the locker room.
“It was time for me to go out there, time for me to show what I can do, that I can be that guy. “And I had the opportunity, and I went out there and did it.”
He backed that up with a career-high 13 targets, 10 catches and 117 yards, plus a 22-yard touchdown. That score was his 32nd in 82 regular-season games. He also delivered when the game was tight, catching four passes for 39 yards on the Eagles’ winning drive, including a 19-yard grab near the sideline that moved the ball to the Tennessee 3-yard line with 14 seconds left while Philly trailed 20-17.
Wicks gave the offense another steady presence. He caught all four of his first-half targets for 54 yards, then added a 20-yard reception on the decisive drive.
He finished with five catches for 74 yards and now has 7 receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown through two games with his new team. He already set a new personal best for longest reception last week with a 62-yard catch against the Commanders, and the early returns are making the Eagles look smart for giving him a one-year extension after acquiring him in a trade from the Packers.
Then there was Cooper, the second-year undrafted free agent from Tarleton State, who came through in the biggest moment of all. He caught a 3-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone with nine seconds left to win it.
Afterward, the first thing he did in the locker room was text his wife. He told NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark he wrote, ‘What about that, huh?’
“I was out there really to set a pick for Smitty,” Cooper told Clark, “but how the defense played it, we always gotta have a follow back on how they play a counter. So, the second progression was open.
Jay made a great read, a great throw. By the time I looked up, the ball was just in the air.
I grabbed it.”
Cooper finished with two catches for 26 yards and also has three special teams tackles after two games. Nick Sirianni praised the way he has handled his assignment.
“He's accepted his role, and he's starring in his role at this particular time," said head coach Nick Sirianni. "Good teams have guys that know their role and accept it. Great teams have guys that star in their role, and Darius Cooper's done that.”
Smith said the wideout room is embracing that kind of shared responsibility, and the Eagles also found ways to get Hollywood Brown involved with a pair of successful jet sweeps and a 14-yard catch on third-and-8 from rookie Makai Lemon.
“That's what it's all about, man,” said Smith. “Teams are gonna try to do things to take me away, and they have to make a play.
And I think, in our room, everybody understands that. I think we do a great job going out there, playing our ball, making plays when we get the chance.”
In Other News...
Eagles Suddenly Have A Dallas Goedert Problem They Can't Ignore
Saquon Barkleys stinger against the Titans looked like the kind of in-game scare the Eagles could absorb, especially with early signs pointing to him being fine. The tighter concern came from the same game, where Dallas Goedert left with a knee injury and never returned, creating a far more complicated problem for an offense that leans on him as a reliable middle-of-the-field option.
The exact severity is still unclear, with outside medical projections ranging from an MCL sprain to a meniscus issue, and the uncertainty is what makes this linger. Philadelphia is already dealing with injury strain at tight end, so whether the answer comes from the current room or from outside help, the Eagles may soon have to decide how aggressively they want to reinforce the position. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Hurts Had A Message After An Eagles Win Titans Fans Wont Like
Jeffery Simmons made it clear before kickoff that Tennessees plan was to keep Jalen Hurts from escaping the pocket and to cut off his running lanes, and for much of the day the Titans did enough of that to make life uncomfortable. Hurts was under pressure and sacked three times, but the Eagles kept hanging around, and when the game tightened late, the quarterback had one more answer left.
With the outcome in the balance, Hurts guided a 65-yard drive in the final two minutes and finished it with a touchdown pass to Darius Cooper to seal a 24-20 win. The comeback left Philadelphia at 2-0, and Hurts postgame message was the kind Titans fans probably did not want to hear after all that talk about containing him. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Are 2-0 But This Win Exposed A Real Offensive Problem
The Eagles are 2-0, and the latest win still managed to leave a familiar aftertaste on offense. Jalen Hurts did what he has so often done in big moments, steering a game-winning drive despite throwing two interceptions, but the path there was bumpy enough to keep attention on the parts of the unit that did not hold up as well as the result suggests.
The issues were scattered, but the offensive line drew the sharpest focus, with Cam Jurgens and Drew Kendall both part of a front that struggled to provide much comfort. Philadelphia also had to navigate injuries and uneven play at tight end, while the running game never really found a rhythm, leaving the Eagles with a win and a reminder that the current version of the offense still has some real questions to answer. [Read more 🡒]