Jalen Hurts had every reason to let the game slip away, and instead he delivered the kind of finish that sticks in a crowd’s throat.
Down 20-17 late in the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans, Hurts took over on a nine-play, 65-yard march and finished it himself with a three-yard touchdown pass to second-year wide receiver Darius Cooper while rolling to his right. The throw came with 0:09 left, and after Jake Elliott added the extra point, the Eagles were in front 24-20.
That ending turned a rough afternoon into another win-for-the-quarterback moment. Hurts completed 26-of-37 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. One of them was especially costly in the first quarter, when he was picked off in the red zone and Titans safety Amani Hooker took it back 92 yards.
Still, Hurts answered the way the best competitors do when the deck gets messy. Philadelphia was missing guard Landon Dickerson, who was placed on injured reserve because of a knee issue, and the pressure showed. Hurts was under duress for much of the day, and the Eagles gave up three sacks for -12 yards.
He also lost Saquon Barkley for a stretch. Barkley suffered a stinger in the first quarter, sat out the rest of the first half, then came back in the second half and finished with just nine yards rushing on four carries.
That context mattered, especially after Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons had said before the game that the defense “just [needed] to make him be a quarterback.” On Sunday, Hurts was exactly that - a quarterback who kept his poise, kept the Eagles alive, and closed the door when it mattered most.
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Titans Loss Exposed One Frustrating Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Titans came out of their Week 2 loss to the Eagles with a few bright spots worth building on, even in a 24-20 defeat that left plenty to sort through. Tyjae Spears, Amani Hooker, Cam Ward, Marcus Harris and Jeffery Simmons all had moments that stood out, giving Tennessee some evidence that parts of the roster are moving in the right direction.
Still, the game also laid bare a problem this team could not hide: third-down defense. Along with concerns about cornerback depth and the dropped passes from Carnell Tate, it was the kind of uneven performance that makes a close loss feel bigger than the final margin, especially when the positives were mixed in with enough mistakes to keep the Titans from taking control. [Read more 🡒]
Titans Fans Are Piling On Julius Chestnut For Awful Timing
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Instead, the reaction online was harsh, with plenty of fans calling the timing tone deaf while the Titans were trying to steady themselves through an early-season slump. Robert Salehs post-Week 1 message was all about moving forward and getting ready for the next opponent, which only underscored how quickly outside attention can drift when a team is searching for answers and a players pregame routine becomes the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Jeffery Simmons Gave Titans Fans A Painful Postgame Debate
Jeffery Simmons pregame comments helped frame Sundays matchup long before the final whistle, and Jalen Hurts made sure the Eagles had the last word on the field. Hurts guided Philadelphia to a 24-20 win over Tennessee with a late touchdown pass to Darius Cooper, a finish that gave the Eagles a sharp response after Simmons had said the Titans wanted to keep Hurts in the pocket and take away his runs.
The postgame back-and-forth only added another layer to a game that already had enough tension attached to it. Hurts and Simmons exchanged remarks in a postgame interview, and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni also weighed in afterward, leaving Titans fans with more than just the sting of a narrow loss and a lot to think about when it comes to how this matchup played out. [Read more 🡒]