The Eagles didn’t have the ball much during the first half of Sunday’s home game against the Cardinals, but that didn’t stop them from building a comfortable lead.
Jalen Hurts threw a pair of touchdown passes to Julio Jones, Sydney Brown returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown, and the Cardinals couldn’t turn their big edge in time of possession into any touchdowns over the first 30 minutes of play. The result is a 21-6 lead for the Eagles.
The Eagles used a little trickery to get in position for their final points of the half. Hurts flipped the ball to running back Kenneth Gainwell and Gainwell connected with wide receiver DeVonta Smith for a 17-yard gain on a third-and-1 with less than a minute left in the second quarter. The Eagles used their final timeout after the play, but the lack of them wouldn’t come into play because Hurts and Jones connected for a 22-yard score.
Jones only had one touchdown coming into Sunday, so his production has been a pleasant development for the home team. Hurts is 11-of-13 for 114 yards overall and Jones, Smith, A.J. Brown, and Dallas Goedert have all posted at least 30 receiving yards, which is why the Eagles have been successful despite having the ball for eight minutes.
The Cardinals had a 14-play drive for a field goal the first time they had the ball and moved the ball into Eagles territory again on their second drive, but a miscommunication between quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver Michael Wilson led to the overthrow that Brown turned into his first NFL touchdown. Murray was able to bounce back with another long drive for a field goal, but the Cardinals will need touchdowns to avoid their 13th loss of the season.