Philadelphia (AFP) - Nick Siriani yelled at Galen Hurts on the sideline for being careless with the ball and missing a hit. Then the Philadelphia Eagles coach saw the starting quarterback firmly holding the team's shoulders.
Hurts ran two touchdowns and threw a handicap for another, helping the Eagles come back from early to beat virus-ravaged Washington at 27-17 Tuesday night in a crucial showdown with the fallout from an NFC game.
In his first game after an ankle injury, Hurts scored on a pair of QB offsides from 1 yards to earn a one-season franchise to dash into touchdowns by the quarterback by 10 and made contact with Greg Ward on a 19-yard TD pass.
"He played a great football match - one of the best games I've seen him play," Siriani said of Hurts. “Galen is able to take tough training. He responded superbly and played a great game.”
Hurts was 20 of 26 for 296 yards passing with a TD and intercepting bad luck when Dallas Guedert dropped an easy-going pass and the ball rebounded off his right foot and into the hands of Landon Collins of Washington.
This was a poor rebound for Philadelphia which helped Washington (6-8) lead a 10-point lead after the first quarter. Behind a dominant effort from their offensive line, the Eagles (7-7) were all there: They outpaced Washington 435-136 the rest of the way and closed out an opponent who had lost a few starting players due to COVID-19 protocol.
“I told the guys we had to step in with a no-no mindset,” Hurts said. "We had a lot of things wrong early in the game, but we overcame them."
Myles Sanders took advantage of the holes in Washington's defense left by those extra absences and injuries, carrying the ball 18 times for 131 yards high.
“Credit to the offensive line,” Sanders said, who became the first Eagles player to have consecutive 100-yard sprint runs since LeSean McCoy in 2014. “They make it so easy on their backs to run behind them.”
Well rested after a farewell week, Philadelphia finished with a 238-yard sprint, becoming the first team to over 175 yards off the ground in seven straight games since the 1985 Chicago Bears. This is also the first of its kind in the history of the Eagles franchise.
"It was just unacceptable how they were running," said Washington defense Montez Suit.
Goedert made up for his early error and subsequent fall by picking up seven passes for 135 yards, including 45 yards.
Although the game was postponed 54 hours due to the outbreak of the Corona virus in Washington, the delay did not allow quarterback Taylor Heinick or reserve Kyle Allen to start clearing protocol in time to play. Garrett Gilbert, who signed Friday, completed nine of the first 13 passes and finished 20 of 31 for 194 yards.
“I got nothing but respect for Jarrett,” said receiver Terry McLaurin, whose 46-yard catch was the longest play in the game. "It was a challenge for all of us, but he did his job and put it all out there."
Antonio Gibson ran for the second year in a row to Washington's first touchdown and had 20 off 26 yards in that car, when he got the ball in all seven plays. He was slowed down by a toe injury, the same thing that derailed his season, and Garrett Patterson had another impulsive TD team.
COVID-19 absences
Washington played without five starters left in NFL COVID-19 protocol: Heinicke, 2020 All-Pro guard Brandon Scherf, quarterback Tyler Larsen, cornerback Kendall Fuller and safety Camryn Curl. Reserve defensive tackle Tim Settle and the tight third-series end Samis Reyes are pushed out but dormant.
Philadelphia's only virus-related absence was starting left guard Landon Dickerson.
The king makes history
With Washington linebacker coach Randy Jordan unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols, Jennifer King's assistant has made history filling him in. King became the first black woman to serve as a position coach in an NFL game.
"There was no landing," Patterson said. “Coach King is amazing. She deserves to be a coach someday, and she did really well.”
injuries
WASHINGTON: CB William Jackson left at the end of the second quarter with an ankle injury and hasn't come back. ...Daniel Wise cut his right knee in a block in the first half and was ruled out early in the second half. Collins left briefly with a foot injury. ... WR Curtis Samuel (hamstring) was inactive, and RB J.D. McKissic (neck) to reserve the injured before the game.
The Eagles: TE Jack Stoll was shaken early in the fourth quarter and exited the field with extreme caution after seeking medical attention. ... WR DeVonta Smith limped out late in the first quarter after an incomplete pass into the end zone but came back on the next drive.
The Eagles: Host the New York Giants on Sunday.
