5. The Eagles moved the ball well throughout the gamealthough they didn’t score their first points until the fourth quarter. Hurts threw an interception in the end zone. Later in the first half, he dropped the ball at the New Orleans 46-yard line. The Eagles twice attempted fourth down when in field goal position and failed to convert, and early in the fourth quarter they needed a big play. They got it from Barkley, who broke through a gap between the tackles and outran the New Orleans defense for a 65-yard touchdown to finally give the Eagles the lead. Chunk plays – the Eagles look for them every way they can and Barkley delivered. He finished the game with 147 yards and the two touchdowns on 17 carries.
“The game wasn’t going in our favor, but we never gave up,” Barkley said. “We just continued to trust each other and fight through it. We saw our teammate (Smith) go down with what I believe was a late hit and we pulled ourselves together. We pulled ourselves together behind him to go out there and fight for Smitty. All phases, especially the defense, played outstanding and we found a way to win.”
6. This was a game of attrition and some young players have stepped up on the offensive line. Right tackle Lane Johnson (concussion) and right guard Mekhi Becton (finger) left the game in the first half, and Fred Johnson filled in at right tackle and Tyler Steen replaced Becton at right guard, and both have done more than well. Credit goes to both players and the coaching staff who got both players fit, and now the Eagles know a lot more about their depth on the offensive line. The Eagles really never let up there. The depth on the offensive line was clear to see, and that’s great to know for the future.
“Next man up mentality,” Goedert said. “We lost a couple of O-linemen before halftime and Fred and Steen played unbelievable. Fred had a great block on Saquon’s long touchdown run, was able to intercept the guy and we were able to create a gap. That just shows how good our coaching staff is and how much we believe in everybody. It doesn’t matter who’s there, it’s the next man up mentality and that’s all we have, that’s all we need, so kudos to everybody who was able to step up. Parris (Campbell) made some great plays when we needed him. It really takes a team. It doesn’t always go the way people want it to, but when their number is called, they seem to be able to do what they need to do.”
7. A big thank you to Hurtswho made a few mistakes (two turnovers) but was great in the fourth quarter, even though he and his backups applied a lot of pressure throughout the offense. Hurts completed 29 of 38 passes for 311 yards and gained another 25 yards on the ground. The Eagles totaled 460 yards on offense against a very strong New Orleans defense.
“This guy is a damn winner,” Sirianni said of Hurts. “He won at Alabama. He won at Oklahoma. He’s won here over and over and over and over. You know what, we’re the Philadelphia Eagles, so we understand we’re going to get some criticism, but this guy is a damn winner. Jalen Hurts is a winner and he won today.”
“It’s a team effort that relies on complete trust from everyone,” Hurts said. “I’m just proud that we learned from last week’s situation. … Today, everyone showed their commitment. Today, everyone showed their commitment and we responded to the adversity. We communicated well and there was never any doubt.”
