Tag: sports-trending

Turf temperatures in Nashville reached 157 degrees on Sunday, but the Eagles offense still took some time to heat up in a 24-20 win over the Titans in Week 2.

Regardless of the offense’s inevitable growing pains under Sean Mannion, and despite throwing two interceptions on Sunday, Jalen Hurts again was the hero the Eagles needed.

Even after eking out a win for the second week in a row, the Eagles have begun to rise in national media NFL rankings. Here’s where the Eagles stand in several power rankings ahead of Week 3:

ESPN: Sixth

ESPN has the Eagles in the same spot as last week, in sixth, with the opinion that Hurts “is carrying this team.”

While their expectation was that Hurts and the passing offense would need time to adjust to Mannion’s scheme, Tim McManus writes that the opposite has proven to be true. Instead, it’s the running game and offensive line that have struggled, while the defense hasn’t been as dominant as expected. But Hurts remains reliable.

“Hurts led the team to a Week 1 win with three touchdowns and another victory Sunday via a go-ahead touchdown drive in the closing seconds,” McManus wrote. “He is tied for second in touchdown passes (five) and ahead of schedule in this new scheme.”

Bleacher Report: Fifth

Bleacher Report has the Eagles fifth — their highest ranking among national outlets — after slotting in at seventh ahead of Week 2. The Eagles’ ability to find a way to win and the emergence of DeVonta Smith as their top receiver played a role in why Brent Sobleski placed the Birds in B/R’s top five.

“When Jalen Hurts needed a play, the quarterback looked toward Smith,” Sobleski said. “The wide receiver delivered with four receptions during Philadelphia’s final offensive possession. Smith’s performance became even more important after Saquon Barkley was limited during the contest due a shoulder stinger.”

The Athletic: Ninth

The Eagles also saw slight movement with their ranking from Josh Kendall and Chad Graff at The Athletic, moving up from 11th to ninth with a “spotlight” on rookie wide receiver Makai Lemon for his play across the first two weeks.

“The first-round wide receiver has played 83 snaps through two games and has five touches for a total of 4 yards,” Kendall and Graff wrote. “If this team wasn’t eking out wins, Philly fans would be all over Lemon.”

Sports Illustrated: Ninth

After ranking 12th last week, the Birds moved up to ninth in Conor Orr’s Week 3 ranking.

Orr gave Hurts credit for proving many pundits, including Orr, wrong with the way he led the Eagles with a nine-play, 65-yard, game-winning touchdown drive.

“Hurts showed incredible resilience and a command of the field in the waning seconds of Sunday’s gritty win over the Titans,” Orr wrote. “It was nowhere near pretty, but after losing Saquon Barkley to a stinger in the opening moments of the game, it was important to avoid a perilous loss against an inferior opponent.”

NFL.com: 10th

The Eagles cracked the top 10 at NFL.com after moving up one spot from last week. Nick Shook wrote that even when the Titans gave the Eagles “everything they could handle,” Philly’s “championship culture” helped them survive the scare.

“Outside of a couple of interceptions (one ugly, the other unfortunate), Jalen Hurts was excellent as a playmaker, propelling an offense that needed him and DeVonta Smith to carry the squad to a road win,” Shook said.

For the second week in a row, the Eagles managed to scrape out a win — improving to 2-0 after a 24-20 comeback victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Nashville. Most of the discourse has centered around Jalen Hurts’ clutch gene and the Eagles offense.

Here’s what the national media is saying about the Birds following their Week 2 win …

‘They stole this win’

It wasn’t looking great for the Eagles early. Saquon Barkley was injured on the first play and didn’t return until the second half. Hurts threw an interception in the end zone, and Dallas Goedert exited the game in the second quarter and never returned because of a knee injury.

Despite it all, the Eagles left Music City with a win. Former 49ers quarterback and current ESPN analyst Alex Smith praised the Eagles for their comeback.

“They stole this win,” Smith said on ESPN’s Get Up. “You had no Saquon, no Dallas Goedert. Jalen Hurts, two terrible interceptions, and then they put this final drive together where they looked unbelievable. … Now, the question is, they need to make some improvements across the board. They didn’t play good. There was some glaring errors on both sides of the ball but to get a W on the road when you shouldn’t have, this goes a long way from an energy standpoint.”

‘A win’s a win’

The Eagles were down 20-17 with less than two minutes left to play in the fourth quarter. After throwing two interceptions, Hurts led a nine-play, 65-yard scoring drive to give the Eagles a 24-20 lead with just nine seconds remaining.

“Say what you want to say, a win’s a win,” said former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy on The Speakeasy podcast. “There’s some times in football where you play so great, and then you find a way to lose. There’s some times you play bad, but you find a way to win. All this conversation this week about Jalen Hurts this, Jalen Hurts that, make him be a quarterback — it ain’t how you start, it’s how you finish.

“The way that Jalen Hurts carried this offense today, it wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t perfect. But when we need him most, in clutch moments, you pay quarterbacks to win games late. Check this out. No A.J. Brown, no Saquon Barkley, no Dallas Goedert, no more timeouts. Jalen Hurts, no problem. That’s how you win games.”

Hurts an ‘absolute dawg’

Hurts threw for 264 yards and two touchdowns on 26-of-37 passing. Ten-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson was impressed.

“I think the big thing was, Jalen kept responding throughout that game,” Wilson said on CBS Sports. “He had a turnover, had another turnover. He stayed calm in the midst of it all and he found a way to win the game. That’s the key about winning in the NFL. Can you win the games late? And he was able to do that.”

And after sealing the win in the last minute, Hurts received praise on social media.

“The Eagles would be 0-2 with about 20 other quarterbacks,” Emmanuel Acho wrote. “They’d be 1-1 with about 7 other quarterbacks. They’re 2-0 with Jalen Hurts.”

“Be an absolute dawg then Jalen Hurts,” Ryan Clark wrote.

“You mess with Jalen Hurts, you mess with all of us,” Dawn Staley wrote. “How about QB1 on his game winning drive? Now apologize. And DeVonta Smith WR1 you are unreal.”

“Wow. Wow. Wow,” Nick Foles wrote. “Unbelievable drive by Jalen Hurts and the Eagles. Impressive.”

‘I don’t like what I’m seeing’

Despite the win, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith needs to see more from the Eagles offense.

“I don’t like what I’m seeing with the Eagles offense,” Smith said on First Take. “I’m not sitting here saying they’re going to miss the playoffs. I’m not sitting here saying they’re scrubs. I’m saying the championship team we saw from a couple years ago, there has been a precipitous dropoff” compared to other NFC teams.

The Eagles left Nashville Sunday with a 24-20 victory over the Tennessee Titans after Jalen Hurts connected with Darius Cooper on a 3-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining.

Now, the 2-0 Birds turn their attention toward Week 3 as they prepare to travel to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

From the Birds’ chances this weekend to updates on year-end awards, here are some of the latest odds at two of the biggest sportsbooks …

Eagles-Bears odds

The Eagles are coming off two games in which they barely escaped with wins over the Washington Commanders and Titans.

The Bears (1-1) would be the Birds’ toughest challenge to date. However, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of a 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. He was scheduled to undergo imaging on Monday and his status is uncertain.

The last time the teams met was in November 2025, when the Bears defeated the Eagles, 24-15, at Lincoln Financial Field on Black Friday. As they prepare to compete again in primetime, the Eagles open as early road favorites.

FanDuel

• Spread: Eagles -3.5 (-112); Bears +3.5 (-108)
• Moneyline: Eagles (-196); Bears (+164)
• Total: Over 43.5 (-110); Under 43.5 (-110)

DraftKings

• Spread: Eagles -4.5 (-105); Bears +4.5 (-115)
• Moneyline: Eagles (-198); Bears (+164)
• Total: Over 44.5 (-102); Under 44.5 (-118)

NFC odds update

At DraftKings, the Eagles have the fourth-best odds to win the NFC, trailing the Rams, Seahawks, and 49ers.

DraftKings

Rams	+445
Seahawks	+475
49ers	+500
Eagles	+660
Packers	+1100
Vikings	+1225

Super Bowl odds

At both sportsbooks, the Eagles have the seventh-best odds to win the Super Bowl. The Rams and the Bills top the list as early Super Bowl favorites.

FanDuel

Rams	+600
Bills	+750
Ravens	+1000
Seahawks	+1100
49ers	+1100
Chiefs	+1200
Eagles	+1500

DraftKings

Rams	+670
Bills	+780
Ravens	+950
Seahawks	+1000
49ers	+1200
Chiefs	+1300
Eagles	+1600

They never make it look easy.

On Sunday, the Eagles defeated the Titans, 24-20, in a thriller in Nashville. With his team down by three points and 1 minute, 56 seconds left, Jalen Hurts marched the Eagles downfield to win the game. Wide receiver Darius Cooper, who competed for a roster spot this summer, sealed the victory with a 3-yard touchdown catch.

With the win, the Eagles improve to 2-0.

If you made the trip to the Music City or just couldn’t tune in, here’s what you may have missed from Sunday’s broadcast on Fox:

‘The biggest catch of his life.’

The highlight of the broadcast was play-by-play commentator Adam Amin’s electric call of the Eagles’ game-winning play.

“Hurts, rolling right, floats it, back of the end zone. And it is caught!” Amin’s voice boomed. “Darius Cooper, the biggest catch of his life. Philadelphia’s got the lead.”

Amin let the moment breathe after the call, allowing the at-home audience to hear the Eagles faithful serenade Cooper with cheers. The play came after Hurts hit DeVonta Smith on a toe-tapping 19-yard reception on third-and-6 from the Titans’ 22-yard line.

“When the pressure is at its greatest and the backs are furthest up against the wall, Jalen Hurts often comes through,” Amin said.

Drew Brees, who lent his voice to Sunday’s broadcast as the analyst, looked to praise Hurts following the Eagles final drive.

“No guy better in end of game situations than Jalen Hurts,” Brees said. “And no better execution today or on that drive.”

‘I had to finish it’

During his postgame interview with Fox sideline reporter Kristina Pink, Hurts had some choice words for Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who seemed to take a shot at Hurts earlier this week.

On Wednesday, when asked a question about the Eagles quarterback, Simmons told ESPN, “We just need to make Jalen Hurts be a QB. Stop his runs, make sure Hurts doesn’t get out of the pocket and make plays.”

The internet ran rampant with the quote, but the Eagles locker room did not seem to pay it much attention. After Sunday’s game, Simmons embraced Hurts during his interview with Pink.

“You started that s—; I had to finish it,” Hurts said to Simmons with a smile.

Brees calls the Birds

Brees’ broadcasting career did not start the way he wanted.

The first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer looked to be the eventual replacement for Cris Collinsworth on Sunday Night Football but was let go by NBC after a lackluster playoff debut in 2021. Brees got a second chance last season, replacing Mark Sanchez after the former Eagles quarterback was arrested for allegedly assaulting a truck driver.

Sunday marked Brees’ 10th game with Fox and his first time calling the Eagles. So what did he have to say about the Birds?

The Super Bowl XLIV MVP was very impressed by the Eagles offense early. Following a designed sweep to new Eagles wideout Hollywood Brown in the second quarter, Brees lauded offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s variety in play-calling.

“I love the variety that Philly has incorporated today,” said Brees, who played 20 NFL seasons for the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints. “This is the best looking Philly offense that I’ve seen in a long time. I know it’s just two drives, and I know the first drive unfortunately resulted in the interception in the end zone. But just as far as the steadiness of it and the play-calling and the tempo, they just incorporated so much so far.”

However, Philly fans tuned into Fox seemed to ignore much of Brees’ praise and narrowed in on one curious comment. Later in that drive, on a third-and-long scramble, Hurts slid 3 yards short of a first down. Despite two Titans defenders converging on Hurts, Brees felt the quarterback should have fought for the extra yardage.

“I was hyping up Jalen Hurts, and now I’m going to get on him,” Brees said. “Lower your shoulder and go get the first down. “You slide, they’re going to mark the ball where you started the slide, not where you end the slide. So it’s not a Tush Push situation. It’s not fourth-and-1. It’s fourth-and-3.”

The Eagles ended up converting for a first down, but Birds fans on social media held onto Brees’ words. Many questioned why Hurts would risk an injury by fighting for the first down.

Tennessee heat

“It is hot, it is humid, it is a game of attrition,” Amin said with the game tied, 17-17, in the fourth quarter.

If you were one of the many Eagles fans who made the trip to Nashville, you don’t need to be reminded how hot Sunday’s game was. But for everyone else at home, the broadcast made sure to emphasize the on-field conditions.

Before the game kicked off, Pink pointed a thermometer gun at Nissan Stadium’s turf. The thermometer showed that the field was 133 degrees. Later, the broadcast revealed that it had reached 157 degrees on the field.

Fox offered plenty of visuals to show off the Tennessee heat. In the first quarter, the broadcast panned to Simmons pouring water on himself. Then at halftime, Hall of Famer and Fox Sports analyst Terry Bradshaw marveled at Titans players pouring water on their cleats to cool off.

Brees also gave some insight on how an offense can use the heat to its advantage. Although he played in a dome with the Saints, Brees had his fair share of road games in the heat.

“When you start thinking about the heat conditions, the ability to commit yourself to the 2- and 3-yard gains,” Brees said in the first quarter. “Not only is it going to set you up for third-and-manageable, but as this game goes on, you can wear down a defense that way.”

Last week, the Eagles kicked off the 2026 season with a 24-22 victory over the Washington Commanders. Now, they will face the Tennessee Titans in Nashville for the first time since 2018. The Titans, who haven’t had a winning season since 2021, lost, 23-10, to the New York Jets in Week 1.

The Eagles are favored to win on Sunday (1 p.m., Fox29), with many predicting a Birds blowout. Here’s what the Titans are saying about their chances:

‘Make Jalen Hurts be a QB’

The biggest headline-grabbing quote of the week goes to Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.

“We just need to make Jalen Hurts be a QB,” Simmons said Wednesday. “Stop his runs, make sure Hurts doesn’t get out of the pocket and make plays.”

For Hurts, the criticism is nothing new. Coming off a 2025 season that ended with coordinator Kevin Patullo fired, Hurts’ play was scrutinized by fans and the media alike.

However, all three of Hurts’ touchdown passes against the Commanders came from the pocket.

Simmons, a four-time Pro Bowler at defensive tackle, will line up against a depleted Eagles offensive line. Earlier this week, the Eagles placed left guard Landon Dickerson on injured reserve. It is expected that second-year offensive lineman Drew Kendall will replace Dickerson, but the team has kept its plan private.

“We’re going to keep that in-house in terms of what our plan is for this week, just for competitive reasons,” offensive coordinator Sean Mannion said Tuesday regarding whether center Cam Jurgens could move to left guard.

Titans defense ‘ready to plaster’ Birds wideouts

Titans defensive coordinator Gus Bradley is concerned with Hurts’ ability to extend plays with his legs. His solution? Shut down his wide receivers.

“With any quarterback that can use his legs to extend the play, you got to be ready to plaster [his receivers],” Bradley said. “That’s been a big emphasis.”

With eyes on newly minted No. 1 wide receiver DeVonta Smith and 2026 first-round pick Makai Lemon, the story at wideout in Week 1 was former Packer Dontayvion Wicks, who came down with a 64-yard reception in the first quarter to set up the Eagles’ first score. Then, he hauled in a 9-yard touchdown pass to put the Eagles up, 14-3, in the second quarter. Wicks trailed just Smith, who finished with three receptions for 53 yards, in offensive snaps.

Lemon is looking to break out against the Titans’ man coverage. The rookie was involved early in new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s game plan, but he finished with three catches for minus-5 yards.

Bradley also had praise for Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

“Where [Barkley is] really good is if he has an opportunity,” Bradley said. “I mean, he will run through darkness. That’s probably a good way to describe it. He will run through darkness, and if he can hit it with a full head of steam, he is extremely difficult. Somehow, we’ve got to do a good job setting the edges, check his feet a little bit like with most good backs, right? You don’t want to hit him full speed. He’s so dynamic, he can take one to the house at any time.”

With the Eagles offensive line struggling, Barkley consistently was bottled up against the Commanders. His 83 yards on 15 carries look a lot worse if you consider that 42 of those yards came on a single rush in the second quarter. Barkley will look to have a more consistent game against a Titans defense that was gashed by Jets running back Breece Hall in Week 1. Hall finished with 102 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries.

‘Tough challenge’ facing the Eagles

Titans second-year starting quarterback Cam Ward described the Eagles defense as “standout.”

“I think their back end is very good,” Ward said. “Their rush, they get a lot of praise, which they deserve. I think it’s going to be a great challenge for the guys up front, for myself, and in the protection game and the run game. Make sure we’re in the right look. I think it’s going to be a fun atmosphere, too.”

Ward struggled against the Jets in Week 1 and completed just 19 of his 32 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown. Ward was under pressure on 41% of his snaps, according to Next Gen Stats. On those possessions, he completed just 3 of 10 attempts for 17 yards. Just as New York did, expect Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to dial up the blitz against the 2025 first overall pick.

Like his quarterback, Titans offensive coordinator Brian Daboll also showed the Eagles respect during his press availability. Daboll, who was head coach of the Giants from 2022 to 2025, finished 2-7 against the Eagles during his tenure there.

“Coach [Nick] Sirianni is an excellent head coach,” Daboll said. “42-4 when he wins the turnover ratio, which is a pretty impressive stat. So that’s going to be paramount. Coach Fangio has done this for about 40 years in the NFL, plus whatever he did in college. Tremendous scheme, very sound. … And then you add the players, a collection of players that Howie [Roseman] assembles each and every year. It’s a tough challenge.”