The Philadelphia Eagles are 2-0, but Sunday’s victory over the Tennessee Titans was anything but comfortable.
Philadelphia rallied from a 20-17 deficit in the final two minutes, with Jalen Hurts engineering a 65-yard game-winning drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown pass to Darius Cooper with 14 seconds remaining. The Eagles escaped Nashville with a 24-20 victory, while the Titans dropped to 0-2.
It was a game that showcased both the Eagles’ ability to make big plays when it mattered most and some issues that Philadelphia will need to clean up.
Hurts Makes the Plays When It Mattered
Jalen Hurts had a statistically unusual afternoon.
He completed 26 of 37 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. Tennessee turned those turnovers into 10 points, making Hurts’ mistakes a major reason the Eagles found themselves in a fourth-quarter hole.
But when Philadelphia needed a response, Hurts delivered.
After Joey Slye’s 33-yard field goal gave Tennessee a 20-17 lead with 1:56 remaining, Hurts led the Eagles 65 yards in nine plays without a timeout. He completed six of eight passes for 61 yards on the drive.
DeVonta Smith was particularly important, catching four passes for 38 yards on the final possession. His biggest play came with 20 seconds remaining when he hauled in a 19-yard reception that moved Philadelphia to the Tennessee 3-yard line.
Two plays later, Hurts found Darius Cooper in the end zone.
Game over.
Darius Cooper Becomes the Hero
Cooper entered Sunday as an unheralded piece of the Eagles’ offense.
He left as one of the biggest stories of the game.
The three-yard touchdown catch was the first touchdown reception of Cooper’s NFL career, and it came with Philadelphia’s season hanging in the balance.
Cooper finished with two catches for 26 yards, but his second reception was obviously the one everyone will remember.
The Eagles needed somebody to step up with Dallas Goedert out and Saquon Barkley limited.
Cooper did exactly that.
DeVonta Smith Was Philadelphia’s Offensive Star
If Cooper delivered the final punch, DeVonta Smith did much of the heavy lifting.
Smith finished with 10 receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown on 13 targets.
His 22-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter gave Philadelphia a 14-7 lead, and he became Hurts’ primary target when the Eagles needed to move the ball late.
Smith caught all four of his targets on the final drive, including the critical 19-yard reception that put Philadelphia inside the Titans’ 5-yard line.
Dontayvion Wicks also provided an important contribution, catching five passes for 74 yards. He has now topped 70 receiving yards in each of his first two games with Philadelphia.
The Running Game Was a Problem
Philadelphia’s passing game carried the offense because the running game struggled.
The Eagles finished with only 89 rushing yards, compared with 122 for Tennessee.
Tank Bigsby led Philadelphia with 33 yards on 13 carries and scored a two-yard touchdown. Will Shipley added 24 yards on seven carries, while Hurts rushed five times for 16 yards.
The absence of Saquon Barkley for much of the game clearly mattered.
Barkley left after the Eagles’ opening offensive snap with a stinger and returned in the second half, ultimately finishing with just four carries for nine yards.
That is something worth monitoring heading into Week 3.
Philadelphia’s Defense Came Through Late
The Eagles’ defense wasn’t perfect, but it made the plays it needed to make.
Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward completed 13 of 20 passes for 183 yards without a touchdown or interception.
The Titans actually averaged more yards per play than Philadelphia — 5.7 to 4.7 — but the Eagles controlled possession and limited Tennessee’s overall opportunities. Philadelphia held the ball for 36:25, compared with just 23:35 for the Titans.
The biggest defensive play came from Jalen Carter.
After Tennessee moved into position to potentially extend its lead, Carter recorded a sack of Ward near the goal line. The sack helped force Tennessee to settle for Slye’s field goal rather than potentially scoring a touchdown.
That turned out to be enormous.
Instead of Philadelphia needing a touchdown just to tie, Hurts had the opportunity to drive for the win.
Philadelphia Dominated on Third Down
One of the most encouraging numbers for the Eagles was their performance on third down.
Philadelphia converted 11 of 18 third downs, a remarkable 61% rate.
Tennessee converted only six of 13.
The Eagles also generated 23 first downs compared with 14 for Tennessee and ran 72 offensive plays to the Titans’ 51.
Those numbers help explain how Philadelphia managed to win despite committing two turnovers.
The Goedert Injury Is Worth Watching
The biggest concern coming out of the game may be Dallas Goedert.
Goedert left in the second quarter with a knee injury and did not return. He finished with just one reception for four yards.
Philadelphia already had to adjust its offense because of Barkley’s limited availability. Losing Goedert for the remainder of the game forced the Eagles to lean even more heavily on their receivers.
The Eagles will have to wait for further medical evaluation before knowing how significant Goedert’s injury is.
It Wasn’t Pretty — But It Was a Win
The Eagles didn’t dominate Tennessee.
They turned the ball over twice. They struggled to run the football. They allowed Tennessee to hang around despite entering the game as the more experienced team.
But Philadelphia also showed something that matters over the course of a long NFL season: the ability to win a close game on the road.
The Eagles finished with 341 total yards, 23 first downs and more than 36 minutes of possession. They also made the biggest plays when the game was on the line.
And perhaps most importantly, Philadelphia is 2-0.
There are plenty of things to clean up before the Eagles’ next game against Chicago.
But on Sunday in Nashville, the Eagles found a way.
Jalen Hurts made the final drive count. DeVonta Smith took over when needed. Jalen Carter made a crucial defensive play. And Darius Cooper became the unlikely hero.
Not exactly a masterpiece.
But a 2-0 team doesn’t have to apologize for finding a way to win.
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