PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Jalen Hurts ran for 157 yards to set an Eagles rushing record for a quarterback and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers suffered an oblique injury during Philadelphia’s 40-33 win over Green Bay on Sunday night.
Hurts also threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns for the NFC-leading Eagles, who improved to 10-1 for the fifth time in history. Miles Sanders ran for 143 yards and two scores, and Philadelphia had 363 total yards, the second-best mark in the franchise.
Rodgers left in the third quarter with his team trailing 34-23 after fumbling his way through a drive that led to the Packers’ field goal. He’s already played with a broken thumb and taken a few hard hits.
Jordan Love, who replaced Rodgers, kept the Packers (4-8) in the game by connecting with Christian Watson for a 63-yard catch-and-run touchdown that cut Philly’s lead to 37-30.
But the Packers ran out of time against Hurts, who appears poised to take the torch from Rodgers as the next MVP.
Hurts had 254 combined yards, including 126 on the ground, and had a TD pass in the first half as the Eagles took a 27-20 lead. He broke off runs of 42, 28 and 24 yards.
In the second half, he hit AJ Brown with a 6-yard TD pass for a 34-20 lead, which only added to his eye-popping numbers on one of the great nights for the Eagles QB. In December 2010, Hearts topped Michael Vick with 130 yards rushing against the New York Giants.
Rodgers completed 11 of 16 passes for 140 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the first half.
Hurts put on a show in a spirited first half in which two Eagles had their first career picks and both teams missed the extra point with seven touchdowns.
Bets could cash in on an over in the first 30 minutes.
Philadelphia’s high-octane offense has slowed of late — notably in its first loss of the season in the previous home game against Washington and last week’s win over Indianapolis that needed a fourth-quarter rally — but Hurts has put the Packers on notice with his early rushes, that would make an All-Pro running back jealous. He ran 52 yards on the opening drive and set up Kenneth Gainwell’s 4-yard TD run.
Easy enough.
Then the game unfolded. Rodgers had a second pass attempt that was deflected by cornerback Darius Slay and picked off by Josiah Scott. Three plays later, Sanders scored on a 15-yard run. But Jake Elliott missed the PAT.
Rogers led the Pack back. AJ Dillon scored on a 20-yard run, Rodgers hit Randall Cobb with an 11-yard field goal to make it 14-13 at the end of the first quarter.
However, Hurts closed the half with a 42-yard run and a 1-yard drive, close enough to the end zone for Sanders’ 2-yard score on the first play of the second quarter.
Rodgers came back again and threw a 23-yard TD pass to Aaron Jones. Mason Crosby matched Elliott by missing the extra point to make it 20-20.
That was about all Rogers could muster.
Hurts took it from there and threw a 30-yard TD pass to Kwez Watkins — whose fumble against the Commanders played a key role in the Eagles’ lone loss.
INJURIES
Packers: Darnell Savage injured his foot.
Eagles: C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the NFL’s leader in interceptions with six, suffered a rib injury in the first half.
HISTORY OF VICTORY
The Eagles won back-to-back NFL championships after starting 10-1 in 1949 and 2017. The other times they did it was losing the Super Bowl (1980, 2004).
A RARE DUO
Hurts and Sanders became the first teammates to each rush for at least 125 yards since Frank Gore (158) and Colin Kaepernick (151) of San Francisco on Dec. 20, 2014.
ALL TIME GREATS
The Eagles inducted former quarterbacks Hugh Douglas and Trent Cole into their Hall of Fame.
FURTHER
Packers: At Chicago next Sunday.
Eagles: Host Tennessee next Sunday.
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