Quarterback Jalen Hurts had a nice set of stats for the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night. But when the Eagles left the door open for the Atlanta Falcons, those numbers didn’t block the way.
The Falcons went 70 yards for a touchdown in 65 seconds to pull out a 22-21 victory, which Atlanta safety Jessie Bates III sealed by intercepting Hurts with 19 seconds remaining.
Philadelphia took an 18-15 lead when Hurts scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak and running Saquon Barkley added a 2-point conversion run with 6:47 to play.
The touchdown capped a 17-play, 70-yard drive that took 8:13. Hurts converted three third downs on the series – one with a pass, two with runs – and when a third-down completion came up 1 yard short, the former Alabama standout converted with a fourth-down sneak.
The Eagles defense stopped Atlanta on downs at the Falcons 39-yard line with 5:38 left, providing the opportunity to put the game out of reach.
But with Atlanta out of timeouts and Philadelphia facing a third-and-3 at the Falcons 10 with 1:46 to play, Hurts threw a pass – and Barkley didn’t catch it, stopping the clock.
Philadelphia settled for a field goal and a six-point lead.
Atlanta got the football at its 30-yard line with 1:39 to play. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 5-of-6 passes to cover the 70 yards, and the touchdown and extra point had the Falcons up by one with 34 seconds remaining.
“They were running a certain defense and junking it up in the middle,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said of the decision to pass. “We were trying to go around on the outside, and it didn’t work. …
“That’s how close games are in this league – 22-21. Sometimes it just comes down to a couple of plays, but it’s never just one play. It’s never just that play because all the plays equal up to the win or to the loss.”
Barkley ran for 95 yards on 22 carries and caught four passes for 21 yards in the game.
“Obviously, this is a tough loss, but we’ll learn from it,” Hurts said. “I trust him every day of the week to make a play, just like everybody else, and so we’ll be better from it. …
“He’s a hell of a player. He gave us a big spark in those moments. It just wasn’t for us tonight.”
After Atlanta took the lead, Hurts had a 13-yard completion to tight end Dallas Goedert before Bates picked him off at the Falcons 32-yard line.
“Just trying to make a play down the field,” Hurts said. “He made a good play. I threw it a little too long.”
Hurts completed 23-of-30 passes for 183 yards with one touchdown and one interception and ran 13 times for 85 yards and one touchdown.
Hurts recorded the 33rd game in NFL history in which a player passed for at least 180 yards and one touchdown and ran for at least 85 yards and one touchdown. He became the eighth player with more than one such game, having had his first in a 17-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 20, 2022.
“I thought he really played an outstanding game,” Sirianni said. “Again, we’ll all have things that we’ll want back. I think the biggest issue on offense was we weren’t good enough in the red zone. But Jalen did a lot of things to help us be in that football game and have a chance to win that football game. He played a really good game. Obviously, the last play didn’t go how we wanted.”
The loss dropped the Eagles to 1-1 with the New Orleans Saints next on the schedule. Philadelphia and the Saints square off at noon CDT Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
“I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: There’s no difference between the joys and the pains, the wins and the loses,” Hurts said. “It’s just a matter if you learn from it, and I think that’s the perspective that I have on this. Good, bad or indifferent, we’re going to learn from it.
“Our goal is to go out there and play dominant football and win football games and do enough to win the game, but, ultimately, better ourselves. Better ourselves in growth and learning from these moments. And so in the end, winning is the only thing that matters, and to win, you have to continue to learn, you have to continue to grow, and I think this team will continue to do that.”
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
