Eagles sit atop NFC East standings even with turnover-prone QB Hurts

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts can thank Saquon Barkley, Dallas Goedert, Reed Blankenship, Zack Baun and a few other clutch Philadelphia teammates for a win in New Orleans.

Hurts did make some late throws under pressure that helped rally the Eagles to a 15-12 win and improved them to 2-1. He also finished 29 of 38 for 311 yards passing and scrambled for 25 yards.

Yet, the big-time playmaking again was absent — he failed to throw a touchdown — while turnovers remained a sore spot for the Eagles QB.

Hurts and the Eagles continue to lose the turnover battle, one aspect that has kept the team under coach Nick Sirianni from reaching greatness. Hurts turned the ball over twice in the first half Sunday, intercepted by Tyrann Mathieu in the end zone and losing a fumble on a sack by Carl Granderson.

He has a whopping 26 giveaways in his last 20 games.

“You have to understand that there is a lot those goes into an interception,” Sirianni said in defense of his QB. “It’s more than meets the eyes.”

Perhaps, but Hurts has a knack of forcing throws into coverage. Mathieu picked off Hurts’ pass on a throw to a covered DeVonta Smith. There was no excuse for the fumble. Even Sirianni conceded, “we have to get two hands on the football.”

Hurts’ failure to consistently protect the ball has been a fatal flaw for the Eagles over the last two seasons. But few quarterbacks are as collected and self-assured in the face of so many mistakes as Hurts, one reason he’s able to push aside adversity and lead late-game rallies, like the one fueled in large part by Barkley against the Saints.

“It’s just something that, when your quarterback has that much confidence, when the game’s on the line, he’s going to make the play,” Goedert said. “He’s calm, and that brings everybody else back down, you know, just level-headed. We can go out there and move on to the next play. And he’s a big part of that.”

What’s working

The running game. Barkley rebounded from a game-changing drop against Atlanta to rush for fourth-quarter touchdowns of 65 and 4 yards against the Saints. He finished with 147 yards rushing, the fifth most in a game for his career.

It was his sixth career game with two rushing scores and his 19th career 100-yard rushing game.

What needs help

Usually the steadiest part of any Eagles game, special teams was a rare miss in New Orleans. Jake Elliott missed a 60-yard field goal attempt (his career best is 61 yards) and Braden Mann had a punt blocked.

Stock up

Goedert. The Eagles tight end — forgotten in the first two games of the season — set up the winning score when he got free across the middle on third-and-16 for a 61-yard catch-and-run that gave him a career-high 170 yards on 10 receptions. He set single-game career highs in receptions and receiving yards. It was the most receiving yards by an Eagles tight end since Pete Retzlaff on Nov. 14, 1965, vs. Washington (204 receiving yards) and the most by an Eagles receiver since A.J. Brown on Oct. 1, 2023, vs. Washington (175 receiving yards).

Stock down

Sirianni. Not even a win can keep Sirianni off the hot seat in Philly these days, especially when his decisions are more head-scratching than point-producing for the Eagles. Some weird calls against Atlanta cost the Eagles a win in their home opener. Just days later, Sirianni and his staff did it again, notably going for it on two (failed) fourth-down plays well within Elliott’s range. Sirianni left points on the board when the Eagles went for it on fourth-and-1 from the New Orleans 15. Barkley was stopped for no gain and the Eagles trailed 3-0 at halftime.

Sirianni credited offensive coordinator Kellen Moore for calling the play that led to Goedert’s 61-yard reception. Sirianni, though, fell on the sword and said he was to blame for the botched fourth-down attempt.

“I thought that was what was best for our football team in that particular case. It was my decision. I did it. It didn’t work,” Sirianni said. “I’ll get better from it. It was the play I thought was going to work in that particular case. It didn’t work. It’s not on Kellen. It’s not on the players. I put them in a bad spot and I made that call.”

His decision to let Elliott try a 60-yarder backfired when the kick went wide right and the Saints capitalized by getting the ball at midfield and scored a touchdown on the drive.

“I can’t tell you how many times Saquon and Jordan Mailata and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson came up to me and said: ‘We got your back. We got your back, Coach,’” Sirianni said.

Yes, Barkley and the Eagles bailed out their coach down the stretch. But it’s hard to necessarily read that quote as the flex perhaps Sirianni thought it was after the game.

Injuries

Already missing Brown (hamstring), the Eagles lost Smith early in the fourth quarter on a hit by defensive tackle Khristian Boyd that knocked the receiver’s helmet off as he tried to prevent two other Saints defenders from bringing him to the turf.

Wide receiver Britain Covey left with a shoulder injury, and offensive tackle Lane Johnson left with a concussion.

Key number

10 — Hurts was ineffective early but still led the Eagles to his 10th career game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime. The last time the Eagles won with a score in the last two minutes of regulation was Nov. 20, 2022, at Indianapolis, 17-16 (winning TD at 1:20).

Next steps

Visit Tampa Bay on Sunday in a third straight game against an NFC South opponent and second straight on the road.

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