Plenty of First-Half Fireworks as Eagles Take 27-20 Lead over Packers
PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles’ run game was in high gear in Sunday night’s Week 12 matchup against the Green Bay Packers at Lincoln Financial Field and the defense intercepted Packers QB Aaron Rodgers twice.
Miles Sanders ran for a pair of scores and now has eight rushing scores this season, which is a new career high, and Jalen Hurts threw a 30-yard TD to Quez Watkins with 13 seconds to go in the half to break a tie and give the Eagles a 27-20 lead at intermission.
Philly ran for 153 yards in the opening quarter alone and ran for 183 in the half on 23 rushes.
Three of the Eagles' four scores came on the ground.
The first-quarter total rushing yards marked the first time an Eagles team ran more than 100 yards since putting up 108 in the first quarter against the Chiefs on Sept. 19, 2013.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts ran for 102 yards in the first quarter and ended the half with 10 runs on 126 yards. He was 11-for17 with 128 yards through the air and a 107.0 passer rating.
Hurts had gains of 24 and 28 on a pair of third downs to keep alive an Eagles drive that led to a 4-yard TD run from Kenny Gainwell on the team’s opening possession of the game with 11:19 to go.
The Eagles scored again just 2:07 later after Josiah Scott notched his first career interception in his 29th game.
Darius Slay broke up Rodgers' pass, knocking it into the air, and Scott picked it, setting the Eagles' offense up at the GB 29. On the second play from there, Sanders ran in from 15 yards to give the Eagles a 13-0 lead after Jake Elliott missed the extra point.
Green Bay came right back, though.
The Eagles' special teams allowed a 38-yard kickoff return to reach the 41.
The Packers took a 14-13 lead after the Eagles’ offense failed to convert a first down on back-to-back QB sneaks from Hurts. Both times, all the offense needed was a yard.
Green Bay took over at Philly’s 27 and would take the lead on an 11-yard TD throw from Rodgers to Randall Cobb.
Philly retook the lead with a seven-play, 75-yard march that used 3:15 of the clock and ended with a Sanders 2-yard run on the opening play of the second that gave the Eagles a 20-14 lead.
Undrafted rookie safety Reed Blankenship picked Rodgers off to halt a Green Bay drive that had reached Philly's 28.
Blankenship was playing after the Eagles lost safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to a rib injury, suffered while making a tackle on Christian Watson at the 9-yard line as the Packers converted a fourth-and-5. CGJ leads the NFL in interceptions with six.
Blankenship’s pick gave the Eagles 15 this season, which is tops in the league.
The Eagles were in a position to score more points, but A.J. Brown lost a fumble for the second straight week after the Eagles reached the GB 22. The fumble was forced by former Eagles safety Rudy Ford and rookie LB Quay Walker scooped it up and returned it 63 yards to the Eagles’ 13.
The Packers went backward but on second and long, Rodgers found a wide-open Aaron Jones for a 22-yard score. Mason Crosby missed the extra point and it was 20-20 with 7:41 to play in the half.
The Eagles had 295 yards of total offense. The Packers had 182.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
