Eagles open 22-point lead, hold on to beat Jaguars

Nakobe Dean intercepted Trevor Lawrence with 1:38 remaining in the end zone and the Philadelphia Eagles survived a second-half surge by the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars for a 28-23 victory on Sunday.

Saquon Barkley gained 199 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns, DeVonta Smith made a spectacular scoring grab and the Eagles (6-2) won their fourth straight game after blowing a 22-0 lead.

Barkley rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 40 yards and a score. Jalen Hurts passed for 230 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a TD.

The Jaguars (2-7) were shut out for nearly 40 minutes by coach Doug Pederson’s former team before erupting for 16 points in 14 seconds to pull within 22-16.

Lawrence put Jacksonville on the board with a 1-yard run and a two-point conversion pass to Brian Thomas Jr. with 5:26 left in the third quarter.

On the first play of Philadelphia’s ensuing possession, Travon Walker scooped Barkley’s fumble and took it 35 yards to the house. Lawrence completed a two-point pass to Evan Engram.

The Eagles answered with a 91-yard drive. Smith’s one-handed, 25-yard snag in the back of the end zone with 7:43 left put Philadelphia up 28-16.

Lawrence’s second rushing touchdown of the game, from 4 yards, trimmed the deficit to 28-23 with 4:04 left.

A 57-yard field-goal attempt by Philadelphia’s Jake Elliott struck the right upright with 2:11 left, giving Lawrence a shot to win it before Dean came up with his first career pick.

Jacksonville lost for the fifth time by five or fewer points. Lawrence passed for 169 yards and two INTs and rushed for two scores.

The Jaguars managed only one first down and 31 yards of offense in the first half.

The Eagles scored their first first-quarter points of 2024 after a takeaway on special teams. Kelee Ringo recovered a fumbled punt, and Hurts hit Barkley with a 20-yard pass two plays later for a 7-0 lead.

Elliott’s 43-yard field goal pushed it to 10-0 in the second quarter.

Another turnover led to Philadelphia’s second touchdown. Zack Baun’s interception of Lawrence set up a 19-TD run by Barkley with 22 seconds left in the half. Hurts’ two-point “tush push” attempt failed and it was 16-0 at the break.

It was 22-0 after Hurts’ 18-yard run with 9:25 left in the third quarter. The Jaguars again stuffed Hurts’ two-point try.

–Field Level Media