Dec 13, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) carries the ball as New Orleans Saints outside linebacker Demario Davis (56) and safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (22) defend in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
NFLBy Matt Clapp on

The first start in the Jalen Hurts era is a highly impressive victory for the Philadelphia Eagles. While the New Orleans Saints — a 7.5-point favorite — made it interesting with a late touchdown and near-recovery on an onside kick, the Eagles came away with a 24-21 win.

Hurts did enough in the passing game, completing 17-of-30 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was a 15-yard pass on 4th-and-2 in the second quarter for the game’s first points.

But it was the run game where dual-threat quarterback Hurts and the Eagles really shined. Hurts had a team-high 18 carries for 106 yards (5.9 AVG), running back Miles Sanders had 14 carries for 115 yards (8.2 AVG) and two touchdowns, and rookie wide receiver Jalen Reagor had a 19-yard run. As a team, the Eagles had 36 carries for 246 yards (6.8 AVG) and two touchdowns.

It’s even more impressive when considering that the Saints hadn’t allowed more than 17 points in a game since Week 8 (Nov. 1).

So, it’s a big win for the Eagles, and it will only lead to more questions about the future of Carson Wentz in Philadelphia.

For the Saints, it’s a really bad loss.

New Orleans entered with a 10-2 record and one-game lead over the Green Bay Packers for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The No. 1 seed is even more crucial this year, with only one bye in each conference under the new playoff format. The Packers beat the Detroit Lions, leaving Green Bay and New Orleans both 10-3 after Week 14. And Green Bay locked up the head-to-head tiebreaker with a 37-30 win over the Saints in Week 3.

So, the Saints will now have to win more games than the Packers the rest of the way to get the No. 1 seed. And that will be very difficult, especially with a game against the Kansas City Chiefs up next in Week 17.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

View all posts by Matt Clapp