Instant observations from Eagles 31, Raiders 0: Jalen Hurts back on track as Eagles win a laugher

Well, we did finally get to see Tanner McKee run the Eagles offense. It just happened to be in mop-up duty.

At 8-5, the Philadelphia Eagles entered Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders as losers of their last three games. And as it turned out, what the Eagles needed most was simply a game against the two-win Raiders, who had lost seven games in a row coming into Lincoln Financial Field.

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense had an efficient game overall. Before he was pulled from the game when the score was out of hand, Hurts threw for three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Two of those touchdowns went to Dallas Goedert in the red zone (it could have been three, as Goedert dropped an easy one in the end zone), and then Hurts’ final pass of the game was a 27-yard touchdown strike to A.J. Brown in the fourth quarter. With the score 31-0, McKee then took the rest of the game’s snaps.

And then on the other side of the ball, it was ho-hum dominance from Vic Fangio’s defense against Super Bowl champion Kenny Pickett and the overmatched Raiders offense. Zack Baun had an interception, young up-and-comer Brandon Graham finished with a couple of sacks and the Eagles defense had a low-snap afternoon.

The Eagles beat the Raiders, 31-0, to improve to 9-5 on the season. Here are the PHLY Eagles staff observations.

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EJ Smith

An overnight snow shower giving way to a frigid, windy afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field turned out to be the perfect storm for the Eagles offense.

The absolutely dominant defensive performance in the Eagles’ 31-0 win over the Las Vegas Raiders should not go underappreciated, but the story from this game are the meaningful steps Jalen Hurts and Co. made in the right direction. It may have come against an undermanned Raiders team, but the group sorely needed a get-right performance and got exactly that. Even more important are the subtle hints of an identity the under-center heavy, run-pass-run option steadied game plan will leave for the next three weeks of the regular season and beyond.

This game went about as most expected it would on paper, but it was an important checkpoint for a team fending off disaster nonetheless.

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Fran Duffy

In what was gearing up to be a get-right matchup, it was good to see the Eagles follow through. Both sides of the ball handled their business in this one, with the offense playing efficient football and the defense smothering the Raiders at every turn. BG became one of the oldest players to get multiple sacks in one game. Jalen Hurts made the plays that needed to be made. Saquon Barkley got into a rhythm. The offensive line got good movement off the ball. This was a nice, relaxing game in a season that has lacked those.

These are the types of games this team needs going into the postseason. Even though the competition isn’t great, just seeing the ball go through the hoop. Can this team start to feel like the 2024 version of themselves before the postseason? Time will tell. But days like today can go a long way.

Join us for the post-game show and I’ll be back on Monday at 2pm ET breaking down the film!

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Bo Wulf

There are a bunch of things the Eagles did today that should allow us all to relax, starting with the defense holding up its end of the bargain against a terrible Raiders offense. How about 37-year-old Brandon Graham becoming the oldest player to record a sack for the Eagles and the oldest to have two sacks in a game since James Harrison in 2015? Of course, the bigger reason for optimism was the improved play of the offense, with Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo sprinkling in more under-center snaps, even if it didn’t entirely unlock the running game.

Jalen Hurts rebounded from his five-turnover performance against the Chargers to finish 12-of-15 for 175 yards and three touchdowns, including a nice 27-yard dart to A.J. Brown on his final throw of the game. All of that is good and should calm things down here for a week before the trip to Maryland to play the Commanders next Saturday. But … if you want to still get angry, think more about the Eagles turtling with the ball at the end of the first half AGAIN.

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Jamie Lynch

Man, the Raiders are an awful football team. Just putrid at all levels. It was nice to see the Eagles come out early & calm the boo birds inside the Linc today. Dallas Goedert butter-fingered a chance at 2 TDs before half, c’mon! That was an easy a TD as you’ll ever get in the NFL.

I’ve written all of this before halftime & I’d be shocked if I had to update this story in the 2nd half, that’s how dead the Raiders feel. Like, would be surprised to see Pete Carroll survive this levels of bad.

This was a good “see the ball go through the hoop” game for the Birds. They’re in the process of slowly building their offensive confidence back. AJ got his TD, Dallas had a strong game, the O line moved people, Jalen played composed. A lot of positives to take away from today. Oh yeah, never hurts when the defense absolutely dominates a bad team.

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Rich Hofmann

Is everything fixed for the Eagles after a dominant win over a talent-poor Raiders team that seemed to let go off the rope as the game went on? Perhaps not, but for a team that has played a difficult schedule all season, this is what you are supposed to do against a softer opponent. You blow them out.

In a season full of fair consternation of Kevin Patullo’s offense, I have liked how Patullo has incorporated the Andy Reid shovel pass game around the goal line. Dallas Goedert, who now has a career-high nine touchdowns, would certainly agree.

The good news for the Eagles? They get the chance to beat up on a bad team again next week at Washington.