Jalen Hurts rebounded from a pick-6 to hit A.J. Brown with the go-ahead touchdown on the next drive, and he threw for 279 yards and combined for three scores to lead the Philadelphia Eagles to a 31-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night. The Super Bowl teams from last season, the champion Kansas City Chiefs and Eagles are the only 6-1 teams in the NFL.
Hurts overcame two more interceptions but found Brown 10 times for 137 yards to overcome his former Alabama teammate Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins (5-2). But the big play that sealed the win came in the fourth quarter from the cornerback nicknamed “Big Play” Slay. Trailing 24-17 in the fourth, Tagovailoa went deep on a pass intended for Raheem Mostert that was picked by Darius Slay near the goal line and returned 16 yards.
AJ Brown’s receiving yards in his last five games:
131
175
127
131
137 pic.twitter.com/AvgPoGvvw4— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2023
With the Eagles wearing throwback Kelly green jerseys, Slay added one more defensive highlight in a team color once worn by Reggie White. The Eagles tush-pushed their way toward first downs on a clock-eating drive late in the fourth before Hurts hit Brown for a 42-yard reception and Kenneth Gainwell sealed the win with a 3-yard touchdown run.
As he has been much of the season, Hurts was more erratic than dynamic. Still, Hurts threw a 14-yard TD pass to Brown for a 24-17 lead with 15 seconds left in the third that ended up the winner. Hurts ran into trouble earlier in the third when he faked a handoff and his short pass was tipped into the hands of linebacker Jerome Baker. Baker returned the pick 22 yards for the score and a 17-all game. Hurts – who threw three interceptions in last week’s loss against the Jets – had only six interceptions a year ago when he was the NFL MVP runner-up.
Tagovailoa was 23 of 32 for 216 yards in his first head-to-head matchup against Hurts in the NFL, the two 25-year-old QBs forever linked by their tenures under coach Nick Saban at Alabama. More specifically, the 2017 season national championship game when Saban benched Hurts, who had led the Crimson Tide to two national title games, at the half and replaced him with Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa came off the bench and threw three touchdown passes to give the Crimson Tide their fifth national championship.
Tagovailoa was all out of dramatic rallies in this one.
Current mood pic.twitter.com/CjRONpMx4f
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 23, 2023
Hurts threw a 19-yard TD pass to Dallas Goedert for a 10-3 lead in the second quarter. The Eagles had a minor scare when Brown spent time in the medical tent. The wideout sure seemed fine when he dashed out of the tent and onto the field on fourth-and-3 and hauled in a 32-yard pass that took the Eagles to the 1-yard line.
NFL fans watching were stumped on what the Eagles would do next. Maybe a play-action pass? A trick play? Uh, no. It was the tush push, of course. Hurts lined up under center, the offensive line surged forward and Hurts got a big push from behind into the end zone for a 17-3 lead.
Love for this team 🤍
— Ty Hill (@cheetah) October 23, 2023
Miami wasn’t out of it yet.
The Dolphins’ five wins this season have come against teams with a combined record of 8-25. The only team they’ve faced with a winning record is Buffalo (4-3). Miami lost that game 48-20. Tagovailoa said ahead of Sunday’s game that playing the NFC champions was a “good opportunity to see where our team stands.”
The Dolphins didn’t fold. Tyreek Hill sped past two defenders and Tagovailoa found him alone in stride for a touchdown with 39 seconds left that pulled them to 17-10. Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips flapped his arms like an Eagle as he ran off the field into the locker room. Phillips had reason to crow — he got past Lane Johnson and sacked Hurts, the first sack allowed by the tackle since 2020.
The teams swapped field goals in the first quarter.
Final. pic.twitter.com/xQthIhFAph
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 23, 2023
INJURIES
Dolphins: WR Jaylen Waddle suffered a back injury but later returned. OL Isaiah Wynn left with a quad injury. Dolphins defenders Jevon Holland and David Long Jr. suffered a helmet-to-helmet collision chasing Hurts in the third quarter but both players went to the sidelines on their own power.
UP NEXT
Dolphins: Return home Sunday to play New England in an AFC East clash. Eagles: Hit the road for a rematch with the Commanders. Jake Elliott kicked a 54-yard field goal in overtime to lift Philadelphia to a 34-31 win over Washington in October at the Linc.
