Tim McManus, ESPN staff writer
PHILADELPHIA — Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said a broken finger on his non-throwing hand did impact his game against the Steelers on Sunday — but he still did enough to lift a sluggish team. The passing game and helped the team transcend a week of drama as they set a franchise-record tenth straight win.
“So this is what you all wanted to see, huh?” Hurts asked during his postgame press conference after Philadelphia’s 27-13 victory.
This is definitely what receivers AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith want to see. Both men expressed displeasure with the passing game after last week’s narrow win over the Carolina Panthers, with Hurts finishing with just 108 yards through the air — the third straight week he was limited to 180 yards the following.
Brown commented that “the passing game” was an issue on offense and there was little off-field communication with Hurts to resolve the issue, leading Brandon Graham to assert that Hurts and Brown are no longer as close as they once were. This sparked a media storm that lasted for much of a week.
Brown said he and Hurts “really let the team know that we were on the same page and there were no issues or anything like that.”
Smith said there were a lot of “difficult” and “uncomfortable” conversations at the Eagles’ practice facility. Brown spoke of additional meetings between players and coaches, emphasizing improving details and communication in the passing game.
All of that helped spark an efficient passing performance, with Hurts going 25-of-32 for 290 yards and two touchdowns.
Brown and Smith each gained over 100 yards, marking the fourth time they accomplished the feat and setting a new record for most games by a duo in Eagles history.
“The approach was a little different this week. Where we watered the grass would turn green and we decided to water [the pass game]where you can see the fruits of our labor,” Hertz said.
Hurts and Brown combined for a 5-yard touchdown pass late in the first quarter to give Philadelphia a 10-3 lead. They then began an elaborate dance celebration.
“That was the moment we told everyone to shut up,” Brown said.
Hurts suffered an injury to his left ring finger last Sunday against the Panthers and has been listed as a full participant on the injury report all week. He wore a glove on his left hand against the Steelers, which is not his usual practice.
Hurts did lose a fumble when T.J. Watt knocked the ball away from a scramble in the first quarter, but otherwise had a clean game.
“I can say I didn’t think it was any worse today,” Hurts said of the finger. “If it breaks, it breaks. That’s it.”
After the Lions lost to the Buffalo Bills, the Eagles improved to 12-2 and were nearly tied with Detroit for the NFC’s top seed.
The defense continues to exceed expectations, while the offense showed they are capable of getting things done in a variety of ways on a night where Saquon Barkley (19 carries, 65 yards) was largely in check.
“We know what the end goal is, especially me, DeVonta and Jalen … we’re trying to get to the end, we’re trying to finish,” Brown said. “It’s great that we’ve won 10 games, but to be honest, we’re not happy with it. In our mind, we’ve done nothing. That’s our mentality. It’s easy for us to have these tough conversations to blame each other, Because we know that when we get closer, what we ultimately want becomes easier.”
