Jalen Hurts’ one-yard touchdown proved to be the game-winner as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Detroit Lions 16-9 on Sunday night. Hurts’ short score, aided by a defense that stopped Detroit on every fourth-down attempt at Lincoln Financial Field, preserved the victory.
The Eagles (8-2) are the only team in the NFC East with more than three wins and remain firmly in the hunt for the top seed as the Super Bowl champions pursue a repeat.
Hurts finished with just 135 passing yards. Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley rushed for 83 yards, while AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith combined for nine catches and 57 receiving yards.
Detroit struggled to sustain drives, failing on five fourth-down tries and converting only three of 13 third-down opportunities. A pivotal late third-quarter series loomed large: trailing 13-6, Jared Goff hit Jahmyr Gibbs for a 42-yard gain to the Eagles’ 22, but Detroit ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
Earlier, Barkley had a five-yard rushing touchdown overturned on replay. Hurts’ one-yard plunge with 16 seconds left in the first half gave Philadelphia a 13-6 lead at intermission.
Kicker Jake Elliott contributed field goals of 27 and 34 yards in the first half and added a 49-yarder in the fourth quarter to extend the lead to 16-6.
Detroit had earlier tied the game at 6-6 when Goff connected with Jameson Williams on a 40-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, but Goff was penalized 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct after celebrating by jumping onto the goal post. Those lost yards factored into a sequence in which the Eagles’ kicker, Jake Bates, missed a 48-yard attempt; Bates later converted a 54-yard field goal with 1:58 remaining.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni praised his team’s mindset after the game, saying, “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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