Associated Press
| Associated Press
Minneapolis – Jalen Hurts gave his lagging offense a jolt by throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns, Jalyx Hunt returned an interception for a score, and the Philadelphia Eagles rebounded from back-to-back losses by hanging on to beat the Minnesota Vikings 28-22 on Sunday.
Hurts went 19 for 23 in the highlight-reel revival of the passing attack that helped the Eagles (5-2) win the Super Bowl last season, hitting A.J. Brown for two touchdowns and DeVonta Smith for a career-high 183 receiving yards that included a 79-yard score.
Facing third-and-9 from their 44 with 1:45 left and the Vikings (3-3) still holding two timeouts, Hurts dropped back and dropped a 45-yard rainbow into Brown’s arms to seal it after he beat former teammate Isaiah Rodgers with a slick double move up the sideline. Rodgers, in his first season with the Vikings, also got beat on Smith’s touchdown.
Carson Wentz went 26 for 42 for 313 yards on an erratic afternoon, getting picked off twice in his own territory and struggling on the other end while the Vikings had to settle for Will Reichard’s field goals on five of six possessions inside the 20.
Wentz said during the week he’s too far removed from his time with Philadelphia to carry a grudge into this game, having made Minnesota his sixth stop in six seasons, but he didn’t give his original team his best performance – particularly in the red zone.
Backup center Blake Brandel struggled badly there, too. He had an errant third-down shotgun snap that sailed over Wentz’s head and cost the Vikings 22 yards in the first quarter and was run over by Moro Ojomo for a third-down sack in the fourth quarter from the 10.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, who has taken plenty of heat over his first two months on the job, masterfully called the opening drive with a heavy diet of Saquon Barkley against a Vikings defense that has been vulnerable on the ground this season.
The Eagles went 75 yards in 12 plays while draining 8:01 off the clock, and Hurts converted two fourth downs along the way – a predictable tush push from their 45, then later the 37-yard strike up the left sideline to Brown who beat safety Josh Metellus in single coverage for the score behind impeccable pass protection up front.
Bears improve to 4-2
Chicago – Dennis Allen’s defense dominated his former team, and the Chicago Bears beat the New Orleans Saints 26-14 on Sunday for their fourth straight win.
Allen, the Bears’ defensive coordinator, had to like what he saw in his first game against the Saints since they fired him as head coach midway through last season after 2 1/2 years. The Bears forced four turnovers and sacked Spencer Rattler four times.
Montez Sweat set the tone with an early strip-sack that led to a field goal. Nahshon Wright set up the game’s first touchdown with a long interception return, and the Bears (4-2) overcame a spotty performance by Caleb Williams to match their best streak since the 2018 NFC North championship team closed the regular season with four straight wins. They also had a much easier time after winning 25-24 at both Las Vegas and Washington.
New Orleans (1-6) continued its worst start since opening 1-7 in 1999 under then-coach Mike Ditka, the Hall of Famer and Super Bowl-winning coach with the Bears.
Williams completed 15 of 26 passes for 172 yards and an interception. But Chicago got huge contributions from the running backs.
D’Andre Swift, coming off a 108-yard game against Washington, ran for a season-high 124 yards and a touchdown.
Rookie Kyle Monangai added a career-high 81 yards and a touchdown, helping Chicago stop an eight-game losing streak against the Saints. They hadn’t beaten New Orleans since 2008.
Rattler was 20 of 32 for 233 yards while throwing three interceptions.
Chris Olave caught five passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns. His 57-yard reception near the end of the first half set up a 21-yard TD, and he hauled in a 14-yarder on the opening drive of the third quarter to pull the Saints within 20-14.
The Bears held New Orleans to 13 yards before a 91-yard touchdown drive near the end of the half. Olave beat cornerback Tyrique Stevenson on a 57-yard reception to the 21, and he hauled in a 21-yard touchdown two plays later, cutting it to 20-7 in the closing minute.
The Saints went 80 yards for a touchdown on the opening drive of the second half, with Olave’s 14-yarder cutting it to 20-14.
Chicago then drove from the 28 to the 1, only to settle for a field goal by Jake Moody after center Drew Dalman got flagged for a false start when he double-clutched on a fourth-down snap at the goal line.
Moody, filling in for the second straight game with Cairo Santos sidelined by a quad injury, added a 33-yarder midway through the fourth, making it 26-14, and Tremaine Edmunds intercepted a tipped pass thrown by Rattler to help seal the win.