LANDOVER, Md. — Close to an hour after Jalen Hurts matched his career-high with four touchdown passes, he was both witty and abrupt in taking questions from a mixed audience of home and away media.
No one threw more touchdowns Sunday than Hurts, although Dak Prescott had four for the Cowboys as did Will Levis of the Titans.
Best game you’ve played this year?
“Must be, you’re asking me,” Hurts reasoned after a 38-31 win over Washington.
Hurts threw for 319 yards and wasn’t intercepted for just the second game this season, a major improvement considering he ranks among the league leaders with eight picks. Above all, almost every time he needed a big play, he put the ball into the hands of A.J. Brown, who with 130 receiving yards and two scores established himself as the first NFL player to register 125 or more receiving yards in six straight games.
When the subject turned to his left knee, which has been ailing, Hurts played defense.
“I’m here, you know?” Hurts said. “I told you guys I really don’t want to speak on it anymore. I’m out there.”
Hurts sucked it up and played the way he always does, even if his mobility was compromised. For the first time in 53 Tush Pushes, including 20 this season, Hurts fumbled the football at the goal line. That could have something to do with the knee. It wasn’t an excuse, though.
“Wasn’t able to get the snap,” Hurts said. “I didn’t secure the ball well enough.”
Whatever pain Hurts is in, his teammates don’t feel it. As he goes, so go the Eagles. They’re 7-1 this season, 5-0 in the NFC East and 24-2 in his last 26 regular season starts.
“I don’t really know exactly what’s going on,” Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson said of Hurts. “He hasn’t missed any practice or anything. But yeah, I think it’s been bothering him the last couple of weeks. But he’s tough. He got hit a few times and got up and played well.”
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Brown became the first wide receiver since the NFL/AFL merger to record 125 or more receiving yards in six straight games.
With 60 receptions for 939 yards, he’s on pace for 128 catches and 1,995 receiving yards. The latter would break Calvin Johnson’s single-season NFL mark of 1,964 yards. (That’s if Miami’s Tyreek Hill, who has 61 catches for 1,014 yards, doesn’t get there first.)
“I can just say that I really haven’t had time to like, really digest what happened,” Brown said. “Most importantly I’m so happy that we just got this win. It really wasn’t going our way at first but we found a way. I think that was huge for this team.”
Brown got the Eagles within 14-10 at the intermission with a leaping, hanging 16-yard TD grab at the boundary. Brown stretched out his right arm to gather the ball in, then got both knees down.
“He made the exact same play in practice on Friday,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “I mean it was an unbelievable catch. It was a hell of a ball, too.”
Kevin Byard, who started at safety with Reed Blankenship, teamed up with Brown with the Titans.
“He’s always been a dog,” Byard said. “And it’s an honor just to watch him, especially to be up close to him. That one-handed catch he made was just incredible. He’s just little-boying people. Hell of a player. Hell of an accomplishment.”
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NOTES >> The Eagles scratched quarterback Tanner McKeee, running back Rashad Penny, cornerback Bradley Roby (shoulder), linebacker Patrick Johnson, defensive tackle Moro Ojomo and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. … Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox recorded his 500th career tackle. His first career tackle was of Trent Richardson in the Birds’ 2009 season-opening win over Cleveland. … Kicker Jake Elliott’s 51-yard field goal was his fifth from 50 or more yards this season, tying a career high set last year and in 2017. … Punt returner Britain Covey ripped off a 25-yard return to set up Brown’s one-handed catch. Covey has three 25-plus returns this season, tied for the league lead.
Source: Berkshire mont