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Jalen Hurts: ‘This guy is a real winner, and he won today’
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Jalen Hurts: ‘This guy is a real winner, and he won today’

The Philadelphia Eagles entered Sunday’s NFL game against the New Orleans Saints with a yardage advantage of more than 2-to-1. But thanks to two turnovers, a blocked punt, a missed field goal attempt and injuries to key players like wide receiver DeVonta Smith and right tackle Lane Johnson, the Eagles appeared on the verge of suffering their second straight loss.

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

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

“Holy smokes, this place is loud,” Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni said. “But I saw Jalen operating in complete chaos. Two things we talked about was we had to be physical in this game because it’s a physical football team, and we had to be calm because it was going to be loud. And Jalen operated in chaos. The offensive line had good protection. Dallas ran a good route. …

“Shallow routes like that are so crucial to get the ball in front of him, to give him a ball to run with. I don’t want that to be overlooked. If Jalen puts that out there and he has to slow down just a little bit, then the guys can react and come back and make that play. The chase comes. But Jalen puts it out there, and then Dallas can just go.”

Goedert totaled 170 yards on 10 receptions on Sunday.

“We called him a lot today and he showed up,” Hurts said. “A lot of guys showed up. He had a great moment. I’m proud of him. I can attest to all the hard work we’ve put into it. I can attest to all the times we’ve had conversations in the offseason. Dallas has come to Houston (where Hurts lives), spent a lot of time building that connection, building that rapport, just waiting for that opportunity to be the first one called, and he had a great day today. Not just him, but Saquon obviously, but the defense. Great day. Just the way our defense responded to a tough game last week and a short week, I’m so happy for them.”

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

Former West Limestone High School star Reed Blankenship secured Sunday’s victory by intercepting New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr at the Philadelphia 41-yard line with 48 seconds left in the game. The Saints had opened the season by beating 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 rushed eight times for 25 yards. He lost a fumble on a sack.

“He played his ass off today,” Sirianni said. “Jalen Hurts is a winner. He’s a winner. He wins. Tell me when he hasn’t won. 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 defines who you are – not just one play that everybody’s going to talk about. It’s not just one play. It’s the sum of all the plays. And he’s the quarterback, and this guy is a fucking winner. He won at Alabama. He won at Oklahoma. He wins here over and over and over again. And you know what? We’re the Philadelphia Eagles, so we understand we’re going to get criticized. But this guy is a fucking winner. Jalen Hurts is a winner, and he won today.”

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

The fumble came on Philadelphia’s next possession on Curtis Granderson’s strip sack. The Saints gained possession at the New Orleans 47-yard line and finished with a punt from the Eagles 40.

“You’re going to have joyful moments and you’re going to have painful moments,” Hurts said. “You’re going to have things you like in a game and things you don’t like in a game. At the end of the day, it’s all about how you react. And I think it’s so important to let the main thing be the main thing. Don’t ride the wave; just control the cruise. And endure it.”