Jalen Hurts saves Eagles from ugly upset as Philadelphia escapes Titans to remain unbeaten
The Philadelphia Eagles moved to 2-0 with a win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon in Nashville.
That's a sentence most football fans expected to read before the game even started. What most probably didn't expect was exactly what it took for the Eagles to go into Nissan Stadium and beat the Titans.
Jalen Hurts connected with Darius Cooper for a 3-yard touchdown with less than 10 seconds remaining to turn a 20-17 Tennessee lead into a 24-20 Philadelphia victory. The Titans, who looked completely lost last week in a 23-10 loss to the New York Jets, had the reigning NFC East champions on the ropes for much of the afternoon.
Philadelphia's problems started immediately. Star running back Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger on the Eagles' first offensive play and spent most of the first half on the sideline. He returned after halftime wearing a neck roll, but finished with just four carries for nine yards and one catch for 11 yards.
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That opening possession lasted more than seven minutes and moved deep into Tennessee territory, but it ended in the worst possible way. Hurts tried to find DeVonta Smith in the end zone, but Amani Hooker intercepted the pass and returned it 92 yards to the Philadelphia 10-yard line. Four plays later, Cam Ward scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak to give Tennessee a 7-0 lead.
The Eagles responded with a 2-yard touchdown run from Tank Bigsby and Hurts connected with Smith for a 22-yard touchdown late in the second quarter. But the Titans refused to go away. Joey Slye kicked a 37-yard field goal just as time expired in the first half, cutting Philadelphia's lead to 14-10.
Jake Elliott extended the lead with a 58-yard field goal in the third quarter, but Ward scored his second rushing touchdown of the game to tie the score at 17.
Philadelphia had an opportunity to take control in the fourth quarter, but Hurts threw his second interception with just over six minutes remaining. The Titans responded with a 69-yard drive that included a 41-yard completion from Ward to Elic Ayomanor and a 27-yard run by Tyjae Spears on third-and-22.
The Eagles' defense eventually held Tennessee to a 33-yard field goal, but that still gave the Titans a three-point lead with 1:56 remaining and Philadelphia had no timeouts.
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That's when Hurts finally looked like the quarterback who led the Eagles to a Super Bowl victory in February 2025.
The 28-year-old signal-caller converted a third-and-6 with a 20-yard completion to Dontayvion Wicks and connected with Smith three times for 34 yards on the drive. Smith's final catch was a sweet grab along the sideline where he barely got his second foot down inbounds. The crucial play went for 19 yards and set the Eagles up at the Tennessee 3-yard line with 20 seconds remaining.
Two plays later, Hurts found Cooper for the game-winning touchdown, the first touchdown catch of Cooper’s NFL career.
Hurts finished 26-of-37 for 264 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Smith caught 10 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, accounting for nearly half of Philadelphia's passing production. With A.J. Brown now in New England, Smith has to step up as the team's top receiver, and he looked the part against Tennessee.
Ward completed 13-of-20 passes for 183 yards and didn't turn the ball over, while adding both of Tennessee's touchdowns on the ground. It wasn't an especially good performance for the Titans offense, as the Eagles outgained Tennessee 341-291 and out-possessed the Titans by nearly 13 minutes.
The problem for Hurts and the Eagles was the two turnovers and general sloppy play at key moments.
Obviously, it’s hard to panic about a team that won its first two games. But if I were an Eagles fan, I’d feel about as nervous as possible for someone whose team is 2-0.
Philadelphia has beaten Washington and Tennessee by a combined six points. The Commanders might be better than people expected, but the Titans entered Sunday looking like one of the worst teams in football. The Eagles needed a touchdown with nine seconds remaining to beat them.
Good teams find ways to win close games, and Hurts deserves credit for helping the team survive back-to-back upset bids. But a supposed NFC contender cannot continue playing like this and expect to keep escaping.
The standings say the Eagles are perfect. Their play on the field has been anything but.