Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Jalen Hurts the Vikings

Posted October 19th, 2025 | 3 Comments »

Minnesota’s wild, aggressive defense shuts down QBs, but has been vulnerable to RBs. If the Eagles were going to win in Minny, the hero was likely to be Saquon Barkley. That message didn’t get to Jalen Hurts or his star receivers. They carved up the Vikings second-ranked pass defense all game long.

Hurts went 19-23-326. He had 3 TDs and no picks. Those stats led to a perfect passer rating of 158.3 and what might have been the best game of Hurts career. Go beyond the numbers. Hurts made some really impressive throws.

You might remember that Hurts missed a wide open DeVonta last week for what would have been an 89-yard TD. Hurts made a terrific throw this time and hit Smith in stride. Isaiah Rodgers had no chance on the play. Beautiful TD.

There were a couple of third down plays that were huge. There was a 3rd & 15 where Hurts moved around and ran left before hitting DeVonta for a first down. The best play of the game was a 3rd & 13 where Hurts again had to buy time. He rolled right and hit AJ on the sideline for another first down. Huge, huge plays in highly unfavorable situations.

It’s a good thing Hurts was at his best since the running game was once again non-existent. Give the Vikings some credit, but the blocking was bad. Again. Cam Jurgens hurt his knee and Brett Toth played most of the game at center. That’s not ideal.

Thankfully Hurts was able to pick up the slack and his receivers came up big as well. DeVonta had a career game, going 9-183-1. AJ “only” went 4-121-2. Those guys played like stars.

The Eagles defense had an odd game. They gave up 387 yards, 22 points and let Minnesota go 7 for 15 on third downs. That’s not ideal. The defense had 2 takeaways, 2 sacks, 8 QB hits and even scored a TD. They were excellent in the red zone, limiting the Vikings for 1 for 6. That proved to be the real difference in the game.

The pick-six came on the best play of Jalyx Hunt’s young career.

I thought Hunt played well. He had pressure on the play where Carson Wentz threw his other INT. He was credited with 2 QB hits and seemed to be disruptive. He just missed a sack on a play where Wentz got the ball out at the last second.

One of the best things about this game is that the Eagles made the key plays needed to win. That’s the opposite of the previous two games. The Eagles blew a 17-3 lead against Denver and then blew a 17-13 lead against the Giants. The Eagles were bad in the fourth quarter of those games. Not today. They came up big when needed and now sit at 5-2 on the season.

There are still plenty of issues with this team, but this was a big win and there is plenty to be happy about. The Eagles (5-2) have wins over the Bucs, Rams, Cowboys and Vikings. Those are teams the Eagles could be battling in regard to playoff position. This has been a challenging schedule.

Kevin Patullo and the Eagles offense will be a hot topic once again. Maybe they figured some things out in this game. They did make some schematic changes. We’ll talk more about that as the week goes along.

The big concern coming out of this game will be injuries. We need to find out what’s going on with Azeez Ojulari, Cam Jurgens, Adoree Jackson and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. That’s two starters and two key role players. Nothing is coming easy this season.

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Gameday – PHI at MIN

Posted October 19th, 2025 | Comments Off on Gameday – PHI at MIN

I know it’s gameday, but the biggest news isn’t about the game.

That’s interesting. It would be fun to have BG back and certainly there is a need for the pass rush to get better. At the same time, there is a part of me that wants him to stay retired. He left on a high note. And there is the question of how good he would be. BG would have fresh legs, but how long would it take him to get into football shape.

As for today, the Eagles are getting some key players back on the field.

Landon Dickerson and Jalen Carter are back. The Eagles will need both guys to help them beat the Vikings. The OL can help get the run game going if those guys play well and open some holes. Carter can be a huge help with interior pressure on Carson Wentz.

The Eagles players and coaches had plenty of time to study the Vikings defense and figure it out. The coaches need to have a good gameplan and Jalen Hurts must make the right reads. Brian Flores will try to confuse him. A good run game will slow down the Vikings defense and put the Eagles into favorable situations. A big game from Saquon Barkley would be huge.

The Eagles secondary has to slow down Justin Jefferson. They aren’t going to shut him down, but slow him down and force Wentz to spread the ball around. Don’t let their best guy beat you. It sure would help if the pass rush can get regular pressure and make plays.

Did Nick Sirianni find the right message for his players? They need to end the two-game losing streak. Sirianni normally is good at pushing the right buttons. This will be a key test for him and the 2025 team.

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