Aaron Rodgers tossed his 400th touchdown pass while the Eagles turned to their second-round pick
By Jeff Kerr
• 1 min read
Jalen Hurts sparked some life for the Philadelphia Eagles as head coach Doug Pederson made the long anticipated quarterback change and benched Carson Wentz in favor of the rookie. Hurts earned an opportunity to win the game for the Eagles, who rallied from a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit but couldn't complete the comeback in a 30-16 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Aaron Jones spoiled the Eagles' comeback attempt with a career-long 77-yard touchdown run to seal the victory with 2:36 left. Jones finished with 15 carries for 130 yards and a touchdown in the victory, his second 100-yard rushing game of the season.
Hurts relieved Wentz -- who finished 6 for 15 for 79 yards -- in the third quarter and led the Eagles on a nine-play, 73-yard scoring drive to cut the Packers lead to 23-10 with 7:52 left in the game. On a fourth-and-18, Hurts found Greg Ward for a 32-yard touchdown pass -- the first in his NFL career. The Eagles stopped Green Bay on a three-and-out, and Jalen Reagor returned the ensuing punt 73 yards to the end zone to cut the deficit to 23-16 (Jake Elliott missed the extra point). Hurts finished 5 of 12 for 109 yards with a touchdown and an interception for a 67.7 passer rating.
The Eagles stopped the Packers on another three-and-out, which gave Hurts an opportunity to take the lead with 4:49 left. The Eagles went five plays for seven yards on the potential game-tying drive before Jones sealed the win with his touchdown run on Green Bay's ensuing possession.
Aaron Rodgers was brilliant once again, tossing three touchdown passes and becoming the fastest quarterback in league history to 400 touchdown passes. Davante Adams caught two of those touchdowns, tying Don Hutson's franchise record with his seventh consecutive game with a touchdown reception. He finished with 10 catches for 121 yards and two scores. Rodgers went 25 of 34 for 295 yards and three scores.
Takeaways are coming from this game shortly, but here's a quick recap in our live blog below.
Why the Packers won
Green Bay was incredible on offense, starting with the brilliance of Aaron Rodgers and the mastery of Davante Adams. Rodgers and Adams have been the best quarterback-wide receiver combination in football this season, and Adams racked up 10 catches (on 12 targets) for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns from Rodgers in this game. When Green Bay's offense had trouble moving the ball, Rodgers went to Adams to bail him out and keep the highest-scoring unit in the league moving. Adams has been phenomenal in the 10 games he's played, becoming just the third player since the merger with 1,000-plus receiving yards and 13-plus receiving touchdowns through 10 games, joining Jerry Rice (1989) and Randy Moss (2007). With Rodgers and Adams playing at this level, the Packers offense will be hard to stop.
Why the Eagles lost
The Eagles got nothing from Carson Wentz and the offense, making the switch to Jalen Hurts in the third quarter as a result of another pathetic Wentz performance. Sure, Wentz was sacked three times, but he finished just 6 of 15 for 79 yards in the loss, missing easy throws and just looking lost pre-snap. The Eagles only scored once on Hurts' four possessions but averaged 6.29 yards per play when he was in the game. In contrast, Philadelphia averaged 3.52 yards per play in the five possessions Wentz played while scoring just a field goal. Enough was enough for the Eagles and Wentz's poor play. It was time to make the switch.
Turning point
The Eagles benching Wentz for the first time in his career and going to Hurts gave this game an exciting finish. Philadelphia didn't win the game, but the Eagles certainly were more competitive after a lifeless effort up to that point, making Green Bay earn what appeared to be on the way to an easy victory. Hurts provided a spark throughout the entire team, even if Philadelphia came up short at the end.
Play of the game
Aaron Jones running for 77 yards for a touchdown in crunch time sealed the victory for the Packers, showcasing how dangerous their offense can be with their underutilized running back. Jones was held in check up to that point in the game, but on a second-and-7 with 2:36 left, Jones finally broke through the entire Eagles defense for the score.
Jones ran through three Eagles defenders and juked a few more as he was off to the races. He finished with 130 yards and a touchdown in the win.
The quote
"You guys got to let me get through this game. We needed a spark in this game to try and get some things going. I got to get through the tape. There's a lot of things I have to consider. I have to evaluate before anything is decided. An opportunity arose and we just needed an opportunity to get back in the football game today." -- Eagles head coach Doug Pederson on benching Carson Wentz for Jalen Hurts in the third quarter
Pederson would not name a starting quarterback for Week 14 against the New Orleans Saints, but those words showcase he's strongly considering Hurts.
Up next
The Packers (9-3) will go on the road and face the Detroit Lions in Week 14 while the Eagles (3-8-1) will host the New Orleans Saints. Both games are on Sunday afternoon.
