Jalen Hurts: “This guy is a damn winner and he won today”

The Philadelphia Eagles finished Sunday's NFL game against the New Orleans Saints with a yardage advantage of more than 2-1. But two turnovers, a blocked punt, a missed field goal attempt and injuries to key players such as wide receiver DeVonta Smith and right tackle Lane Johnson put the Eagles in danger of their second consecutive loss.

Then quarterback Jalen Hurts and tight end Dallas Goedert managed to play a 61-yard pass to New Orleans' 4-yard line on a snap on third-and-16 with 65 seconds left.

Running back Saquon Barkley scored on the next snap and the Eagles left the Caesars Superdome with a 15-12 victory over the Saints.

“My goodness, it's loud here,” Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni said. “But I saw Jalen operating in complete chaos. We talked about two things: We have to be physical in this game because it's a physical football team, and we have to show poise because it's going to be loud. And Jalen operated in chaos. The offensive line was well protected. Dallas ran a good route. …

“Flat routes like that are so important to get the ball in front of him so he has a ball to run. I don't want that to be overlooked. If Jalen lays this down here and he has to slow down, guys can react and come back and make that play. The pursuit is coming. But Jalen lays it down here, and then Dallas could just go for it.”

Goedert caught 10 passes for a total of 170 yards on Sunday.

“We called him up quite a bit today and he showed up,” Hurts said. “A lot of guys showed up. He had a great moment. I'm proud of him. I attribute it all to the hard work we put in. I attribute it to the times we talked in the offseason. Dallas came to Houston (where Hurts lives), spent a lot of time building that connection, building that rapport, just waiting for the opportunity when you get called up first, and he had a career day today. Not just him, but Saquon, of course, but the defense. A career day. Just the way our defense responded last week to a tough game and a short week, I'm so happy for them and so happy for them.”

After Philadelphia beat the Green Bay Packers 34-29 in the season opener on September 6, the team lost 22-21 to the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night with a touchdown 34 seconds left.

Former West Limestone High School star Reed Blankenship secured Sunday's win by intercepting a pass from New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr at the Philadelphia 41-yard line with 48 seconds left. The Saints opened the season with wins over the Carolina Panthers (47-10) on Sept. 8 and the Dallas Cowboys (44-19) on Sept. 15.

Hurts completed 29 of 38 passes for 311 yards with no touchdowns and one interception and ran for 25 yards eight times. He lost a fumble on one sack.

“He worked his ass off today,” Sirianni said. “Jalen Hurts is a winner. He's a winner. He's winning. Tell me if he didn't win. He's a winner. And, man, I'm proud of him. I can't say enough good things about his reaction. …

“He knows it's the sum of all the plays that define who you are, not just one play that everyone talks about. It's not just one play. It's the sum of all the plays. And he's the quarterback, and that guy is a damn winner. He won at Alabama. He won at Oklahoma. He's won here over and over and over and over. And you know what? We're the Philadelphia Eagles, so we know we're going to get criticism. But that guy is a damn winner. Jalen Hurts is a winner, and he won today.”

The interception came when safety Tyrann Mathieu intercepted a pass from Hurts in the end zone at the New Orleans 11-yard line on the first play of the second quarter with the Eagles trailing 3-0.

The fumble occurred on Philadelphia's next possession via Curtis Granderson's strip sack. The Saints gained possession at the New Orleans 47-yard line and eventually had to punt the ball at the Eagles' 40-yard line.

“There will be beautiful moments and painful moments,” Hurts said. “There will be things you like about a game and things you don't like. Ultimately, it all comes down to how you react. And I think it's so important to keep in mind the most important thing. Don't ride the waves, just control the ride. And get through it.”