The portends are all there. The Eagles are finding different ways to win, and even when a score says one thing, the actual eye test says something completely different.
History will show the Eagles beat the Green Bay Packers, 40-33, on Sunday night, Nov. 27, 2022, though you’ll have to peel deeper to find just how dominant the Eagles were in moving to 10-1 for the fifth time in franchise history.
The previous four times the Eagles were 10-1 were in 1949 (won NFL championship), 1980 (reached the Super Bowl), 2004 (reached the Super Bowl) and 2017 (won the Super Bowl).
The final chapter of the 2022 season is still unwritten.
What the Eagles’ latest victory shows is that even when an opposing team knows what they’re going to do, they’re still able to execute their will on them.
The Eagles mauled the Packers for 363 yards rushing—including an Eagles’ quarterback franchise single-game record game-high 157 yards rushing from Jalen Hurts.
The 363 yards rushing was the second most in franchise history, coming only behind the 1948 NFL champion Eagles, who rushed for a single-game franchise record 376 yards in a 42-21 win over Washington on Nov. 21, 1948.
Hurts’ 157 came on 17 carries, many coming in third down. He bolted through the Packers for over 100 yards in the first quarter, becoming the only quarterback in the NFL to rush for 100 yards or more in a quarter in 30 years.
“The ground game was there for us, and Jalen does so many things that evens out the numbers, and he rushed for 157 yards, so that makes the defense defend more numbers,” Eagles’ center Jason Kelce said. “This is the way it’s going to be sometimes. Sometimes it’s going to be an air attack, with A.J. (Brown) getting three long touchdowns, or sometimes it’s going to be a ground game like this. Last year, it was a low-scoring defensive battle.
“The bottom line is, good teams in this league find a way to get it done each and every week. Whatever is there and however you got it done, you make sure you get it done.”
The Eagles ran out fast to a 13-0 lead, and the Packers scratched back for a 14-13 lead, before the Eagles scrambled back to take a 27-20 lead going into halftime, a lead the Eagles wouldn’t relinquish.
“This shows we can do this day in and day out, and all credit goes to the offensive, they love running the ball and that makes me more confident,” said Miles Sanders, who scored two touchdowns and rushed for 143 yards on 21 carries, averaging 6.8 yards a carry. “Those guys up front are something special. That’s what we feed off of. When the run game is working, we’re not shying away from the run game. We’ve been dominant every time we stick to the run game.”
Right tackle Lane Johnson, right guard Isaac Seumalo, center Jason Kelce, left guard Landon Dickerson and left tackle Jordan Mailata, and tight ends Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra combined to torch the Green Bay defense for 363 yards rushing and 500 yards in total offense.
When the Eagles had to run the clock out in the fourth quarter, they ran the ball 18 times out of 22 plays in the fourth quarter.
Hurts was a big key. He took off on cloudy situations, the first quarter setting the tone.
Hurts rushed for 52 yards on the first series. He gained 24 yards on a third-and-10 at the Eagles’ 25, and on third-and-six at the Packers’ 34, he ran for 28 yards to the Packers’ six.
The Eagles rushed for 155 yards in the first quarter, 103 came from Hurts.
It did get a little scary, though.
On his last carry of the quarter, Hurts got plowed by Packers’ linebacker Kingsley Enagbare in the ribs. Hurts’ mouthpiece went flying, and he walked gingerly back to the Eagles’ sideline as time wound down in the first quarter.
If there was one flaw, it came with head coach Nick Sirianni’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-inches at the Eagles’ 37 with 4:50 left in the first quarter. The Eagles failed, giving the Packers a chance to go ahead, which they did.
“What I was disappointed with came in the first half, when the offense and special teams put the defense in short situations, one was my fault (going for it on fourth down),” admitted Sirianni said. “All of their possessions in the first half, they didn’t have to go the long way. With Aaron Rodgers, you want to give him any short fields, and we gave him three and they made us pay for it.”
The Eagles’ six remaining opponents have a combined record of 29-22. They have a huge test in a very physical Tennessee team led by Derrick Henry coming in next, the New York Giants twice and the peaking Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles will make the playoffs. They’re the best team in the NFC and arguable the NFL. The beauty of their situation is they’re able to win in various ways, especially when it means imposing their will.
“You feel that,” Sirianni said. “You definitely that in a game with the players coming off the field. This is an unbelievable offensive line.”
Scoring Summary
Green Bay Packers (4-8) 14 6 3 10-33
Philadelphia Eagles (10-1) 13 14 7 6-40
1st Quarter
Phila. – Kenneth Gainwell 4 run (Jake Elliott kick), 11:19
Phila. – Miles Sanders 15 run (kick failed), 9:02
GB – A.J. Dillon 20 run (Mason Crosby kick), 6:40
GB – Randall Cobb 11 pass From Aaron Rodgers (Crosby kick), 3:09
2nd Quarter
Phila. – Sanders 2 run (Elliott kick), 14:54
GB – Aaron Jones 23 pass from Rodgers (Crosby kick), 7:41
Phila. – Quez Watkins 30 pass from Hurts (Elliott kick), :13
3rd Quarter
Phila. – A.J. Brown 6 pass from Hurts (Elliott kick), 7:19
GB – Crosby 29 FG, 2:03
4th Quarter
Phila. – Elliott 31 FG, 11:11
GB – Christian Watson 63 pass from Jordan Love (Crosby kick), 9:00
Phila. – Elliott 54 FG, 2:16
GB – Crosby 33 FG, 1:08
