Jalen Hurts accounts for 3 TDs and Eagles beat Steelers 27-13 for franchise-best 10th straight win
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts absorbed the shots when the Eagles’ recent anemic passing attack was panned by his own star wide receivers. Hurts and A.J. Brown — one of those receivers who brought the complaints to a boil — then had their relationship dissected and thrown under the bus by a teammate, the type of locker room criticism that can unravel a franchise.
Or maybe, the touchy internal evaluation was exactly the kind of incentive Philadelphia needed to flex its superiority in a cross-state showdown with a playoff-bound opponent.
“Every opportunity to get better, you use,” coach Nick Sirianni said. “I’m not for one minute saying that all the turmoil on the outside was a good thing. We want to make sure that we’re locked into what we’re doing, and that’s what I felt like.”
Hurts threw touchdown passes to Brown and DeVonta Smith to mute scrutiny of the Eagles’ offense, and Philadelphia won its franchise-record 10th straight game, 27-13 over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
“So that’s what you all wanted to see?” said Hurts, who confirmed he was playing with a broken finger on his non-throwing hand.
Philly’s recent friction wasn’t fan- or media-driven at all — like a horror movie, the sounds were coming from inside the house.
Hurts and the Eagles’ offense made the big plays a week after both Smith and Brown griped about a lack of catches in a win over Carolina. Later in the week, injured defensive end Brandon Graham appeared on a Philadelphia sports radio station and suggested there were personal issues at play between Hurts and Brown.
Hurts, who threw for 290 yards and after not topping 200 in any of the last three games, tried to squash any perceived in-house dissention on the opening drive. He connected with Smith twice and Brown once, leading to Jake Elliott’s 34-yard field goal.
“Scrutiny is never-ending. It’s nothing new,” Hurts said. “That’s something that I find a thrill in. I appreciate being told I can’t and that we can’t. I know that I lead this team, and it takes a lot out of it. It demands a lot out of you.”
Brown, who walked gingerly on the sideline late in the game, had eight catches for 110 yards, and Smith had 11 for 109 yards a week after they combined for only eight catches and 80 yards.
“Behind closed doors, we talked about it,” Brown said. “We called each other out. It was very uncomfortable because we don’t want to feel like we’re getting attacked.”
Hurts hit Brown late in the first quarter for a 5-yard TD — the pair celebrated with the Kid ‘N Play dance — and connected with Smith on a 2-yard score in the second for a 17-3 lead.
“That was our moment to tell everybody to shut up,” Brown said.
Eagles running back Saquon Barkey’s chase of the NFL season rushing record was slowed when he ran for just 65 yards on 19 carries. Barkley, who still leads the NFL with 1,688 yards, took a low hit from Pittsburgh’s Minkah Fitzpatrick and missed most of the second quarter. Barkley said his right knee was fine and he wasn’t injured on Fitzpatrick’s hit.
Hurts also had a rushing touchdown on a tush push for the Eagles (12-2), who were denied a shot a clinching the NFC East when Washington beat New Orleans earlier in the day. AFC North-leading Pittsburgh (10-4) lost for the second time in nine games but clinched a playoff spot thanks to losses by Miami and Indianapolis.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said the playoff berth wasn’t all that important under the circumstances.
“Not as I stand here today. We had a game to play today. We wanted to win it and we didn’t,” he said. “Some of that other stuff is less relevant to us.”
The Steelers lost star linebacker T.J Watt to an ankle injury after he chased down Hurts in the fourth quarter. Watt, who leads the Steelers with 11 1/2 sacks, said he was in “wait-and-see” mode for next week’s division showdown at Baltimore. The 30-year-old former defensive player of the year came away with a rolled ankle that he didn’t necessarily believe was a serious injury.
Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson was stymied by the Eagles’ defense and threw for a season-low 128 yards. He threw a 9-yard TD pass to Pat Freiermuth while falling to 6-1 lifetime against the Eagles.
It was clear the Steelers missed wide receiver George Pickens, who leads the team in receptions (55) and yards receiving (850) by a wide margin. He missed a second straight game with a hamstring injury.
The Steelers haven’t won at Philadelphia since Oct. 24, 1965.
Wilson botched a pitch to Najee Harris in the third quarter and the Eagles recovered. That led to Hurts’ score on a 1-yard tush push for a 27-13 lead.
It was the first time the teams — among the original eight in the NFL — played each other when both had a double-digit win total. But this meeting wasn’t all that competitive.
Chris Boswell kicked field goals of 37 and 49 yards and became Pittsburgh’s season leader in field goals with 38.
Barkley update
Barkley needs 418 yards over the final three games to top Eric Dickerson’s 40-year-old NFL record. Dickerson rushed for 2,105 yards for the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. His rushing total was his second worst this season.
Injuries
Steelers: CB Donte Jackson sustained a back injury. … Backup QB Justin Fields had an abdominal injury.
Eagles: S Sydney Brown suffered a concussion on a hit during the opening kickoff. … LG Landon Dickerson suffered a knee injury.
Up next
Steelers: At Baltimore on Saturday in a key AFC North matchup.
Eagles: At Washington next Sunday.
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