DeVonta Smith, the Eagles’ ‘leader of the pack,’ shines in comeback win over Titans: ‘You live for moments like that’

NASHVILLE — The Eagles looked finished. Toast.

The Titans may not have scored a touchdown on their penultimate possession, but they sure had all the momentum after securing a three-point lead with two minutes left on a sweltering Tennessee afternoon.

DeVonta Smith had other plans.

On the final drive of the game, the star wide receiver posted 38 yards on four receptions, including a pair of clutch toe-tap grabs, to help surge the Eagles to a 24-20 victory. His 19-yard sideline catch with 14 seconds remaining was the biggest catch of the day as it put the Eagles on the 3-yard-line and set up Darius Cooper’s game-winning touchdown.

Smith’s final stat line: 117 yards and one touchdown on 10 receptions.

The 27-year-old looked just as composed on the field as he did in the postgame locker room.

“It was fun, man,” Smith said of the intense final drive. “Game on the line, all that. Shouldn’t have been that close, but you know, you live for moments like that.”

This performance comes one week after a modest showing from Smith. Against Washington, he was targeted six times and recorded just 53 yards (with a long of 31 yards). Not terrible, but also not the stat line he wanted in his first game of the post-A.J. Brown era.

On Sunday, though, Smith looked like a true No. 1 option — hauling in acrobatic catches and creating separation with ease. Smith was asked what it was like to finally be the “go-to guy” after the win.

“I take a lot of pride in it,” Smith said. “I feel like it was time. It was time for me to go out there, for me to show what I can do, that I can be that guy.
I had an opportunity and I went out there and did it.”

According to his teammates, Smith’s performance and leadership — especially during the game’s most turbulent moments — was infectious. The Eagles logged 264 yards through the air on Sunday. Their receivers accounted for both passing touchdowns. Nine players were targeted and the non-Smith receivers tallied 114 total yards.

Cooper — a training-camp success story as a second-year undrafted free agent who carved out a roster spot with a strong summer — scored the final touchdown to secure Jalen Hurts’ 14th career game-winning drive.

Dontayvion Wicks was effective too, totaling 74 yards on five catches, including a clutch 27-yard gain on the final drive. Wicks, who was an afterthought in three seasons with the Green Bay Packers, had 70 or more receiving yards for the second straight game — a feat he only accomplished one time last season.

He credits Smith — the “leader of the pack,” according to Wicks — for helping him stay motivated.

“He was looked at as the second guy, he waited his turn,” Wicks said of Smith’s status before A.J. Brown’s departure. “I mean, just to see his workday, to see how he works, it’s motivating. He’s embracing that world [as a WR1] and it’s making us better.

“It’s going to help us win.”