Jalen Hurts did it again.
In a fitting ode to the faceoff of dual-threat quarterbacks, the Philadelphia Eagles’ franchise man escaped up the middle for a 12-yard rushing touchdown to hoist the Eagles to a 37-34 win over the Buffalo Bills in overtime.
With the victory, the Eagles improved their league-best record to 10-1 while the Bills fell to .500, their 6-6 record hovering increasingly further from the postseason.
For the fourth straight game, the Eagles trailed at halftime. For the fourth straight game, that didn’t stop Philadelphia from rallying to win.
Credit Jake Elliott’s game-tying 59-yard field goal to send the game to overtime, Jalen Hurts’ three touchdowns in four pass attempts across the third and fourth quarters, and Eagles cornerback James Bradberry jumping a fourth-quarter pass intended for Stefon Diggs with spark their latest comeback.
Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scored the game-winning touchdown in an overtime victory over the Bills. (Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports) (USA Today Sports / reuters)
The Bills, despite leading for nearly two straight quarters and retaking a lead with 1:52 to play in regulation, couldn’t hang on long enough against a team that’s repeatedly refused to fold this season. Buffalo made tracks in overtime, Allen converting on third-and-9 first with a 13-yard completion to Gabe Davis and next with a 15-yard scramble. But when Allen targeted an open Davis on third-and-7, Davis’ subsequent helmet slam and Allen’s distraught head bow made clear the two had miscommunicated even if not revealing the source of their miscommunication.
Buffalo was left settling for a 40-yard field goal from Tyler Bass, clearing the way for the Eagles to win the game.
The three consecutive punts that began a rainy affair didn’t bely the excitement that a game featuring six lead changes would ultimately bring.
The Bills were far more productive through the air, especially early in the game, as Allen completed 29 of a massive 51 pass attempts for 339 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Allen added another 81 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries.
Davis and Diggs each caught a touchdown from Diggs, Davis compiling 105 yards on six catches while Diggs contributed 74 on six.
Smith was the game’s most productive and efficient receiver with 106 yards and a touchdown, catching six of seven targets from Hurts.
Hurts completed 18 of 31 passes for 200 yards, three touchdowns and an interception in addition to 65 yards and two rushing touchdowns (Hurts powered a trademark Brotherly Shove keeper for the game’s first score) on 14 carries.
Hurts’ left knee contusion did not seem to slow him.
Both quarterbacks were far more productive than they were error-prone, and yet the interception from each followed trends that could hurt their teams more later. Allen’s interception marked his eighth straight game with a pick, the longest streak in his six-year career.
Hurts’ interception, and his fumbled handoff to Kenneth Gainwell, marked the Eagles’ fifth multi-giveaway game in 11 tries after they had just four such contests in 20 games last season, playoffs included.
The Bills will want to forget their second-to-last series of the first half, in which quarterback Josh Allen was flagged for intentional grounding on third-and-goal despite an arguable horse-collar tackle from Hassan Reddick. Game officials said the intentional grounding invalidated the relevance of the illegal tackle even as it occurred before Allen released the ball.
Eagles trade-deadline acquisition Kevin Byard led all players with 13 tackles.
The Eagles host the San Francisco 49ers next week in a rematch of last year’s NFC championship game, while the Bills enter their bye dropping three of their last four.
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