The Eagles had to overcome a dropped touchdown pass by Dallas Goedert in the 2nd quarter of their epic tilt with the Raiders, but that’s about all they had to overcome Sunday as Las Vegas didn’t put up a whole lot of resistance, and in the much anticipated “get right game” that kicked off the last quarter of the Birds’ regular season, Philly coasted to a 31-0 win today to improve their record to 9-5 and snap a three game losing streak.
GAME RECAP
Eagles (9-5, 5-2 Home) 31, Raiders (2-12, 1-6 Road) 0
MVP: Jalen Hurts – 12/15, 175 yards, 3 tds, 0 interceptions, 7 carries, 39 yards, qb rating 154,9
Eagles: outgained Vegas 387-75
Betting Winners: Eagles -12.5, Under 38.5
Eagles Magic Number to clinch division: 2
Next Game: at Commanders
When: Saturday, December 20
Kickoff: 5 pm
TV: FOX
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni lied to us this past week when when he said it would be “ridiculous” to replace quarterback Jalen Hurts with backup Tanner McKee because the Stanford rookie did spell Hurts less than two minutes into the 4th quarter. Of course Hurts had just given his team a 31-0 lead by hitting A.J. Brown with a 27 yard dart down the seam on the first play of the quarter. It was one of only two times that Brown was targeted today. He finished with two receptions for 41 yards and a score.
Almost Perfect
Hurts finished his day with 175 yards on 12/15 passing and three touchdowns and no interceptions. He was also given a heavy dose of called run plays that he executed to a farthewell finishing with 39 yards on 7 carries including several chain-moving scampers. In doing so Hurts finished with a qb rating of 154.9 which is just a few points under a perfect rating, his second highest rating of the season.
Tight end Dallas Goedert redeemed his oopsy with a couple of TD grabs on a couple of Hurts’ shovel passes inside the five yard line. Goedert finished with six receptions for 70 yards and an average of 11.7 yards per catch.
When Hurts was in the game the Birds scored on four of their six possessions, not including the one play, get-in-the-locker room drive, to end the first half. Hurts’ six meaningful drives encompassed four touchdowns, a field goal and one three and out.
Saquon Barkley was effective enough on Sunday rushing for 78 hard fought yards on 22 carries and a two-yard touchdown run up the middle with under two minutes left in the 2nd quarter, to give the Birds a 17-0 halftime lead, the largest shutout lead in Siranni’s tenure as the head man in charge of all things Eagles.
The Eagles finished 10/13 on third downs and out gained the Raiders by a non-competitive total of 387 yards to 75. It’s the fewest yards for the Raiders in a game since 1971.
Birds’ linebacker Zach Baun provided the only turnover of the contest when he picked off former teammate Kenny Pickett in the 3rd quarter that the Eagles subsequently converted into seven points.
With the win Sirianni ties Paul Brown for the second most wins all-time in his first five seasons as a head coach, 57-25. The Eagles are in Washington next week to play the Commanders and their magic number to clinch the division is now two.
So Did the Birds Get Right?
Time will tell if the Eagles will be right from here on out. They certainly looked right in all phases of the game but let’s be honest, the Raiders performance today was so unispiring and pathetically inept, I’m not sure they provided any semblance of a barometeer by which to measure the desicration that took place at the Linc on Sunday. And it’s Christmas, I’m being kind.
Eagles Get it Right as Raiders Invoke Non-Compete Clause to Snap Three Game Slump