Saquon Barkley, other Eagles eye-popping plays vs Jaguars nearly offset by meltdowns
PHILADELPHIA − Eagles coach Nick Sirianni was speechless.
He stuttered, trying to find the right words to describe the "best play I ever saw" when running back Saquon Barkley did a backwards hurdle over a Jaguars' defender.
But that was one of four spectacular plays for the Eagles, who needed all of them because of some equally un-spectacular plays. That included a fumble by Barkley that was returned for a Jacksonville Jaguars touchdown.
Yet the Eagles held on for a 28-23 win Sunday after nearly blowing a 22-0 lead because of DeVonta Smith's equally amazing one-handed touchdown catch in the back of the end zone while somehow getting both feet inbounds.
That came with 7:43 left in the fourth quarter and put the Eagles back up by 12. It should've been enough, but it took Nakobe Dean's leaping interception with 1:38 left in the end zone as the Jaguars were driving for the go-ahead touchdown.
"I don’t know what (those guys) ate today," Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell said, "but it was just spectacular catches and spectacular plays today."
The Eagles (6-2) won their fourth straight, but it was a costly win as star wide receiver A.J. Brown left early in the third quarter with a knee injury, and did not return. Sirianni said after the game that he didn't have an update.
And it was an ugly win as the Eagles missed several chances to put the Jaguars away, and it nearly cost them in the end.
As it was, the Eagles needed all of the spectacular plays, which also included Jahan Dotson's juggling 36-yard reception.
Jalen Hurts had some of those spectacular plays, too. He was 18-for-24 for 230 yards and 2 TDs, with a passer rating of 132.3. It was his fourth straight game with a rating of more than 119. It was also his fourth straight game without a turnover.
Barkley, meanwhile, had 159 yards rushing and 40 more receiving, including a great catch on a 20-yard TD pass early in the first quarter that ended their scoreless drought for the season in the opening quarter.
In all, the Eagles outgained the Jaguars 187-31 in the first half and 447-215 for the game.
"We had to dig deep," Hurts said. "Different challenges we had to face, just proud that we found a way at the end. I can’t say it was a complete complementary game, but we found a way to win."
Early on, it was shaping up as an easy win, beginning with Barkley's first touchdown. The Eagles were helped as Jacksonville's Austin Trammell fumbled a punt upon getting hit by Sydney Brown. Kelee Ringo recovered at the Jaguars' 20.
The Eagles added a field goal early in the second quarter for a 10-0 lead. Barkley hurdled Jaguars' defensive back Jarrian Jones on that drive. It came on 3rd-and-6 from the Jaguars' 44.
Barkley caught a pass from Hurts, then did a reverse spin past Devin Lloyd. Then with his back to the end zone, he did a spread-eagle over Jones. Barkley picked up 13 yards for the first down.
"I ain’t gonna lie, not in a cocky way," Barkley said. "But I do believe God blessed me ... He gave me some instincts. Sometimes you just gotta let go, and let your God-given instincts take over.”
Barkley scored again on a draw play from the Jaguars' 19 with 22 seconds left in the first half, giving the Eagles a 16-0 lead at halftime. That TD was set up by Zack Baun's interception at the Jaguars' 42.
But the Eagles had a chance for points earlier in the quarter after stopping Jacksonville on fourth down from its 39. The Eagles then had a 4th-and-3 from the Jaguars' 22, but Hurts threw incomplete.
The Eagles began the third quarter without Brown, but drove down the field, scoring on Hurts' 18-yard run. For the second time, the Eagles were stopped on a 2-point conversion attempt and led 22-0.
It didn't seem like the missed conversions would matter. That is, until the Eagles began to self-destruct in the third quarter.
Lawrence led the Jaguars down the field for a touchdown and two-point conversion to make it 22-8 with 5:26 left. Then on the Eagles' first play, Barkley fumbled the ball after his arm hit the ground. Travon Walker picked up the loose ball and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown.
So within a span of 14 seconds of game time, the Jaguars cut the Eagles lead from 22-0 to 22-16.
After the game, vice president of instant replay Mark Butterworth told a pool reporter that the fumble was upheld even though Barkley was touched by a Jaguars' defender. That's because Barkley then ran into teammate Landon Dickerson and stumbled.
Because he ran into Dickerson and then lost the ball, Barkley couldn't be ruled down by contact.
"I knew it was gonna stand," Barkley said. "I gotta do a better job of getting enough (yards) and making them bring me down. I tried, but I didn’t wrap up."
Barkley admitted to another mistake late in the fourth quarter. On a 2nd-and-13 from the Eagles 48 with about 3 minutes left, Barkley slid down at the 39, about 4 yards short of the first down. He said in hindsight, he should have tried to keep going. Barkley was then stopped for no gain on third down.
The Eagles tried a 57-yard field goal that missed, giving the Jaguars the ball at their 47 yard line with 2:11 left, trailing by five.
The Jaguars were at the Eagles' 13 when Lawrence tried for D'Ernest Johnson in the back corner of the end zone. That's when Dean reached up to intercept it, saving the Eagles.
"Today it didn’t work. That’s the way it goes," Sirianni said about the fourth-down and two-point conversion misses. "That’s the hat I have to wear. When we get a fourth down and we convert a fourth down, nothing is really said. When we don’t, I understand there will be questions."
So there were, as what seemed like an easy Eagles win turned into a nail-biter.
"How we execute in those moments, how we manage those moments, and then obviously we want to end the game on our terms," Hurts said. "I don't think we did that."
But Barkley, Smith and Dean did give everyone something to remember.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on X @Mfranknfl, on Threads and Instagram @martinfrank1.