Jalen Hurts wills the Eagles to victory in the final minutes as Philadelphia improves to 9-1

 

By Jeff Kerr

 

Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles didn't have that second-half comeback on their resume entering Week 11, but Hurts willed his team to a thrilling 17-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, capped by a game-winning, 7-yard touchdown run with 1:20 left in the game. 

Hurts' touchdown run gave the Eagles their first lead of the game, the end result of an 11-play, 75-yard drive in which he converted a fourth-and-2 run at the Colts' 9-yard line and a third-and-goal touchdown run three plays later. The Eagles quarterback finished 18 of 25 for 190 yards with a touchdown pass with 16 carries for 86 yards and a score. 

The Colts had an opportunity to win the game with 1:13 left, but Brandon Graham had a huge sack of Matt Ryan on a third-and-9 from the Colts' own 40-yard line to force a fourth-and-long situation. The Colts failed to convert as the Eagles defense held serve to lead the team to a victory. 

Indianapolis made it a priority to get the ball to Jonathan Taylor last week, and the same held true in Week 11 as the Colts built a 13-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Taylor had 11 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown at halftime, but was shut down in the second half as the Eagles were attempting their comeback -- finishing with 22 carries for 84 yards. Matt Ryan was 23 of 32, but had just 213 yards in the loss. 

Philadelphia had 113 yards in the fourth quarter, scoring two touchdowns in the final 15 minutes. The Colts had 87 yards in the final quarter, but had a fumble and a turnover on downs along with a red zone stop by the Eagles defense that led to a field goal to keep Philadelphia in the game. Haason Reddick had a sack on third-and-goal to keep the Colts out of the end zone with 4:57 left. 

Takeaways from the game, along with a recap and analysis, can be found below! 

Why the Eagles won

Jalen Hurts took over the game in the fourth quarter, leading Philadelphia to its first 10-point comeback in the final quarter in its last 43 tries. Hurts had eight carries for 49 yards in the fourth quarter, including a 7-yard touchdown run on third-and-goal with 1:20 left to give Philadelphia the win. Hurts also converted a fourth-and-2 run at the Indianapolis 9-yard line three plays earlier in a 16-10 game that kept the drive alive. 

Hurts went 3 of 5 for 38 yards with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Quez Watkins and had eight carries for 49 yards and touchdown (the game-winner) in the fourth quarter. The Eagles don't win Sunday without Hurts' performance. 

Why the Colts lost

The Colts played well enough to win through three quarters and built a 13-3 led, but couldn't make the crucial stop to preserve the victory. Jalen Hurts had a key fourth-and-2 run for a first down on the final drive and a third-and-goal run to give the Eagles the lead, but miscues also hurt. 

Chase McLaughlin missed a 50-yard field goal to put Indianapolis up 16-3 late in the third quarter, Matt Ryan took a sack on third-and-goal from the Eagles' 5-yard line that led to a field goal with 4:52 left to put Indianapolis up 16-10, and Zaire Franklin committed a 39-yard pass interference penalty on third-and-2 with 3:48 left to keep Philadelphia's game-winning drive going. The Colts also didn't generate enough offense to preserve their lead after scoring on the opening drive. 

Indianapolis is better under interim head coach Jeff Saturday, but the Colts still aren't consistent enough on offense. 

Turning point

Haason Reddick's sack on third-and-goal from the Eagles' 5-yard line was a huge play, especially since the Colts were driving in a 13-10 game with an opportunity to put the Eagles away. Indianapolis was in the midst of a 10-play, 61-yard drive after an A.J. Brown fumble gave the Colts the ball back with 9:43 left. 

The Eagles' goal-to-go defense held firm on the first two plays, but Reddick made the difference by forcing Ryan to his left and taking him down at the end of the play. The 14-yard loss forced a field goal attempt by Chase McLaughlin, which he converted to put Indianapolis up 16-10 with 4:42 left. 

Matt Ryan wanted a face mask on Reddick, but there was no call on the field. Reddick's sack gave the Eagles a chance to pull off the comeback. 

Play of the game

Brandon Graham's third down sack on Matt Ryan in the final minute put the Colts offense back -- creating a fourth down situation that looked impossible for an inept offense to convert. On a third-and-9 from the Indianapolis 40-yard line, Graham asked to go to the left side and face rookie tackle Bernhard Raimann instead of Will Fries on a play where he was blitzing.

Graham blew past Raimann and sacked Ryan for a 7-yard loss, pinning the Colts back on their own 33 and creating a fourth-and-16. A false start by Fries put Indianapolis back on its 28 and in a fourth-and-21 scenario. Against the Eagles secondary with 39 seconds left, Ryan didn't have a chance. 

Just another big sack in the final two minutes by Graham. The Eagles are used to that. 

The quote

"There hasn't been many opportunities where I had the opportunity to use my legs. We all knew as a staff and as a team it would come at some point naturally. I'm just thankful it was enough to get the win today." - Jalen Hurts on running the football more this week and leading the Eagles to victory.

Hurts had 16 carries for 86 yards and a touchdown in the win. 

Up next

The Eagles (9-1) host the Green Bay Packers (4-7) on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 12 while the Colts (4-6-1) host the Pittsburgh Steelers on "Monday Night Football."

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/eagles-at-colts-score-takeaways-jalen-hurts-leads-eagles-to-first-10-point-4th-quarter-comeback-in-12-years/live/