Jalen Hurts’s one-yard touchdown proved decisive as the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Detroit Lions 16-9 on Sunday night. Hurts’ score, and stout defense that stopped Detroit on every fourth-down try at Lincoln Financial Field, sealed the win.
The Eagles (8-2) are the only team in the NFC East with more than three wins and remain in contention to secure the top seed as the Super Bowl champions chase a repeat.
Hurts passed for just 135 yards. Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley ran for 83, and wideouts AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for nine catches for 57 yards.
The Lions struggled to move the chains, failing on five fourth-down attempts and converting only three of 13 third downs. A costly late third-quarter sequence loomed large: trailing 13-6, Jared Goff connected with Jahmyr Gibbs for a 42-yard gain to the Eagles’ 22, but Detroit turned the ball over on downs.
Barkley had a five-yard rushing touchdown overturned on replay earlier in the game. Hurts’ one-yard TD with 16 seconds left in the half gave Philadelphia a 13-6 intermission lead.
Jake Elliott accounted for field goals of 27 and 34 yards and added a 49-yarder in the fourth quarter to stretch the advantage to 16-6.
Earlier, Goff found Jameson Williams for a 40-yard touchdown that tied the game at 6-6 late in the second quarter, but Goff was penalised 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct after jumping onto the goal post during his celebration. Those lost yards contributed to a sequence in which Eagles’ kicker Jake Bates was wide right on a 48-yard attempt; Bates later converted a 54-yard field goal with 1:58 remaining.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni praised his team’s mentality after the game: “As I watch football today, I saw a lot of teams waiting to lose. Our team’s waiting to win. Because they know how to win. There’s something to be said for that, of knowing how to win.”
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