The Eagles did it again during Sunday's 37-34 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills. Just like the prior week against the Chiefs, a stagnant start led to a double-digit deficit against a formidable opponent. Then, as we've come to expect, Jalen Hurts and the team flipped a switch late and somehow escaped with a victory.
The team is now 10-1 and two games clear of the San Francisco 49ers for the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC -- A 49ers team that visits Lincoln Financial Field next weekend. The recent wins have been special, but especially so given the slow starts and early double-digit deficits.
Eagles great Donovan McNabb joined Marks and Reese on 94WIP Monday afternoon to recap the win, and to offer some solutions to the team's seemingly inevitable struggles on offense early in games:
"There's a lot of different things you can do, you can get Jalen out on the corner, and I know with his knee injury you don't want to do that as much unless called upon," McNabb said. "But we definitely have to find ways to get the ball into A.J. Brown's hands early. Devonta [Smith] had a great game, but if we're not able to get the running game going North to South instead of so much of East to West, then we're going to find ourselves in this position consistently. I just think offensively you just find ways to get completions for your quarterback to get him going and get that running game going. And now we're in better position in third and medium, third and short situations instead of third and long."
McNabb's perspective makes sense. A.J. Brown was rarely targeted during the first halves of the wins against Kansas City and Buffalo, and the offense was largely brutal as a result. The superstar wide receiver had more than 125 yards in every game from Week 3 to Week 8. He now has just 111 receiving yards total in his last three games, with the target counts greatly diminished.
That said, things have turned around instantly once the Eagles exit the halftime break. Whether it's OC Brian Johnson making adjustments, players finding comfort or just Hurts and the offense playing better, there is something special about the play of the QB when the Eagles have been down this year.
Here's Sunday's evidence: The Eagles trailed the Bills 17-7 at halftime on Sunday, mostly thanks to a terrible first half offensively which included the following drive chart:
Punt, touchdown, interception, punt, punt, fumble, end of half. They ran 26 plays for 103 total yards, or 3.96 yards per play.
Then somehow everything changed at halftime, as Jalen Hurts outdueled Josh Allen in an electrifying second-half comeback:
A few things are clear from the contest, and the last few wins. First, the Eagles must avoid these desperate situations against good teams, and McNabb's suggestions are useful for that cause. But second, Hurts and the Eagles have a remarkable ability to be the mentally and physically superior team as the game reaches its end. It's a group that can never be counted out, despite how bleak things may look.