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Jalen Hurts seals this one for the Eagles with the 4th-and-1 QB sneak. Wild one in Detroit as the Eagles hold on. What an entertaining game.
Eagles vs. Lions score, takeaways: A.J. Brown has monster debut as Philadelphia survives Detroit in Week 1
Brown had an Eagles record for receiving yards in his debut with the team
By
Jeff Kerr
•
1 min read
Jalen Hurts helped the Philadelphia Eagles hold off a furious fourth-quarter rally by the Detroit Lions in a 38-35 thriller for the opening game of the 2022 NFL season. The Lions scored the final 14 points of the game, but the Eagles were able to hold on, thanks to an Eagles rushing attack that gouged Detroit for 216 yards on the ground.
Hurts converted a fourth-and-1 run with 1:06 left to seal the victory, finishing a big day with 17 carries for 90 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Miles Sanders also had a key third-down run earlier in the drive that helped chew the clock out and made sure the Lions didn't get the ball back. Sanders finished with 17 carries for 96 yards and a touchdown.
Four Eagles players rushed for a touchdown in the win, the most in a game for the franchise since Oct. 22, 1961. The Eagles finished with 455 yards of offense, led by 10 catches for 155 yards by A.J. Brown in his debut. Brown's 155 receiving yards are the most ever by a non-rookie making his debut for the Eagles. Only Dallas Goedert has more receiving yards (135) in an entire game for the Eagles with Hurts as the starter prior to Brown's debut Sunday.
The Lions offense was dynamic in the opener, gashing the Eagles defense for 386 yards and going 9 of 14 on third down in the loss. D'Andre Swift finished with 15 carries for 144 yards and a touchdown, the first Lions player with 100 rushing yards in a season opener since Barry Sanders in 1996. Amon-Ra St. Brown finished with eight catches for 64 yards and a touchdown and D.J. Chark scored a receiving touchdown in his Lions debut, which made the game 38-35 with 3:51 to play.
Detroit trailed 31-14 with 10:21 to play in the third quarter, but outscored Philadelphia 21-7 the rest of the way. Boston Scott's 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter ended up being the game-deciding score.
Below is a full breakdown of the Week 1 showdown between Philadelphia and Detroit.
Why the Eagles won
A.J. Brown had a monster debut for Philadelphia in the first game with his new team. Brown was easily Hurts' favorite target, finishing with 10 catches for 155 yards in controlling the majority of the second and third quarters. His 155 receiving yards are a franchise record for any non-rookie in his debut. Brown finished with 128 receiving yards in the first half, the third-most for any player in Eagles history.
While Brown was dominant, the Eagles rushed for 216 yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry with four touchdowns. The league-leading rush offense from last year didn't miss a beat in the opener, thanks to Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders.
Why the Lions lost
The Lions couldn't stop the Eagles offense in the middle quarters, as the Eagles scored touchdowns on four of six possessions and totaled 357 yards while averaging 7.3 yards per play. Philadelphia took a commanding double-digit lead that was just too big for the Lions to overcome.
Detroit outworked Philadelphia for four quarters, yet the Lions' inability to contain Brown and stop Hurts on the ground led to the Eagles controlling the game. Hurts and Brown played a huge role in the win.
Turning point
Hurts found Brown three times on the Eagles' second possession of the game with all the momentum building in the Lions' favor. Brown had four catches for 62 yards on the Eagles' first scoring drive of the game, setting up the momentum shift that propelled the Eagles to victory.
Hurts had Brown open on a 18-yard gain that could have been a score if not for a better ball, but that play set the tone for the rest of the day. Brown had 128 receiving yards in the first half as the Eagles put up 24 points and kept the Lions from rallying to a win with big catches throughout the afternoon. The Eagles got what they paid for.
Play of the game
Just two plays after the Eagles took their first lead of the game, the defense made their biggest turnover of the afternoon to make the lead double digits. Kyzir White tipped a pass that James Bradberry snatched for the interception and took the ball 27 yards for the defensive score.
Bradberry never had a pic- six in his career before notching his first with the Eagles -- in his first game with the franchise. The Eagles took a 21-7 lead and had control of the game onwards.
The defense wasn't good most of the afternoon, but that was the play -- and turnover -- the unit didn't make last year.
The quote
"We'll be better for that. You face a guy like that and there was a number of guys out there -- it's the first game of the year. Now you're in the real tempo against real dudes and I think I got on some guys. We'll be better for it." -- Lions head coach Dan Campbell on A.J. Brown and the Eagles offense.
Up next
The Eagles (1-0) will host the Minnesota Vikings on "Monday Night Football" (Sept. 19) next week. The Lions (0-1) host the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Sept. 18.
Updates
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Miles Sanders set the Eagles up to hold on for this victory. The Eagles have to convert this first down. That will end the game.
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I don't know what else Darius Slay could have done there.
D.J. Chark is just good at football. Heck of a throw by Jared Goff too.
It's 38-35 with 3:51 left.
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The Lions are 8-of-13 on third down.
Eagles getting torched in that department.
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I get the Lions are moving the ball on the ground and they have time, but time is short.
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Not exactly the ideal performance from the Eagles offensive line today.
Blitz pick-up is may No. 1 takeaway from today. Lions will get the ball back down 38-28 with 8:19 left.
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Josh Reynolds had to catch that. He was open and beat James Bradberry.
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That 3-and-out was not what the Eagles needed.
Time for a stop by Gannon's defense -- and some dialed blitzes.
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Swift has 122 rushing yards and 144 total yards. he's really good and a perfect back for Ben Johnson's offense.
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The Lions just won't give up. A 6-play, 75-yard drive keeps this game alive. Jamaal Williams 1-yard TD run and it's 38-28. If you have the over, you covered.
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Dallas Goedert just put the truck stick on Alex Anzalone. He's had enough of the unnecessary hits.
Eagles score next play. Up 38-21 with 1:41 left in the third.
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Not too many football players can outrun Aidan Hutchinson.
Jalen Hurts just did in beating him on that 3rd-and-5 for the 1st down.
Hutchinson had his first NFL sack locked up.
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The Lions went for the onside kick -- the most in the league last year -- but the Eagles were ready. They got it.
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That's the 5th straight game Amon-Ra St. Brown has a receiving TD.
6th in his last 7 games.
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Not a high volume day for Amon-Ra St. Brown, but he has a reception TD. 14-play drive for the Lions to make it 34-21.
St. Brown has 3 catches for 15 yards and a TD.
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The Lions have been excellent running the ball today. 152 rushing yards and 6.9 yards per carry.
The bulk of their offense.
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Derek Barnett walked off under his own power. Was holding that left knee. Here's hoping it was just a buckle.
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Kenny Gainwell caps a 10-play drive for the Eagles. Opened the second half by going 82 yards and taking 4:39 off the clock.
Philadelphia up 31-14. Scored on 4 of their last 5 possessions.
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A.J. Brown has 143 receiving yards today.
The most ever by a player in his Eagles debut.
Donte Stallworth previous held the record with 141 in 2006.
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A.J. brown is just on another level. He's having his way with the Lions secondary.
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It's only halftime
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A.J. Brown has 6 catches for 128 yards in his Eagles debut.
The first half isn't over yet.
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James Bradberry games with #Eagles -- 1
James Bradberry TD with Eagles -- 1
Eagles up 21-7 after two TD in 1:08. They're rolling
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Miles Sanders had no touchdowns at all in 2021. 22 minutes of game time into 2022, he gets a rushing TD. 6 carries for 39 yards and a TD for one of the best Yards per carry RBs in the game.
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Great play call by Shane Steichen on that 3rd-and-2. Fake motion with A.J. Brown in the backfield. Fake handoff to Boston Scott. Jalen Hurts finds Dallas Goedert for 27 yards and the 1st down.
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Since the first drive, the #Eagles defense -- 9 plays, 7 yards allowed.
Another 3-and-out for the Lions
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Jalen Hurts Passing
1st drive: 0/5... team turned it over on downs
2nd drive: 6/7, 77 yards... he scored a rush TD
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Jalen Hurts has his 14th career rushing TD.
He just tied Josh Allen and Steve Grogan for the 2nd-most rushing TDs ever by a QB in his first 20 career starts in NFL history.
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Think the Eagles should go for it here.
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A.J. Brown has 4 catches for 62 yards already.
Jalen Hurts just went right over the middle to him on that 3rd-and-5.
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