Monday in the NFL | Jalen Hurts breaks record by scoring 15th touchdown in Eagles win

Yes, of course, Jalen Hurts and head coach Nick Sirianni heard the thunderous screams that echoed throughout Lincoln Financial Field from Philadelphia Eagles fans exasperated by their aerial play tendency. favorites who produced nothing in the second half.

“Play on the ground!” Play on the ground! »

“I think I would have heard that even if I had worn two headphones!” », Said Sirianni, jokingly.

No, of course Hurts, Sirianni and offensive coordinator Brian Johnson weren’t going to give in to the demands of fickle fans and their play-from-the-cheap-seat proposals.

That’s what they say.

Eventually, the Eagles listened, and fans cheered when Kenneth Gainwell had a 22-yard rushing gain and D’Andre Swift scored a touchdown on a five-yard run that helped the Eagles maintain alive their hopes of a title of the Eastern section of the National Association.

Hurts scored a major with the tush push, rushed for 301 yards and threw a touchdown pass to lead the Eagles to a 33-25 win over the New York Giants on Monday night.

They even managed to keep their fans happy, even if the Eagles players weren’t particularly thrilled with the home crowd.

“They’re supposed to be loud on defense,” Hurts said.

The Eagles (11-4) ended a three-game losing streak that left the team’s fans nervous and led to changes in strategic decisions on defense.

Defeats against the 49^ers San Francisco, the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks essentially ended the Eagles’ hopes of finishing first in the NL overall.

However, the Eagles’ road to a second straight sectional title is clear. The Eagles will have to defeat the Arizona Cardinals next week and then the Giants, again, on the final weekend of the schedule to finish atop the standings in their section.

After three painful defeats, it took a visit from the Giants to revive the Eagles. The Pennsylvania team is 11-0 against the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field since 2014, and they defeated the Giants three times last season.

Adoree’Jackson provided the Giants (5-10) with a late spark when he returned an interception 76 yards for a touchdown. Saquon Barkley added a two-point conversion that cut the Eagles’ lead to 20-18 late in the third quarter.

Hurts and the Eagles held on thanks to requests from their fans in the stands, many of whom were dressed as Santa Claus.

Still, it was a sloppy performance, the kind that has cost the Eagles dearly in recent times against the NFL’s elite teams.

“I’d like to say we’re close,” Hurts said. “I think it’s going in the right direction. »

Swift’s touchdown gave the Eagles a 27-18 lead and came in handy when Tyrod Taylor – who replaced Tommy DeVito at quarterback for the Giants to start the second half – connected with Darius Slayton for a 69-yard touchdown run that cut the Eagles’ lead to 30-25.

While the Giants were on a drive that took them all the way to the Eagles’ 26-yard line, Taylor was the victim of an interception in the end zone by Kelee Ringo on the final play of the game .

Hurts crossed from the one-yard line early in the first quarter to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead.

It was his 15^e touchdown of the season, an NFL record for a quarterback in a single season. The old mark of 14 belonged to Cam Newton and was made in 2011 with the Carolina Panthers.

Hurts also threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith that gave the Eagles a 17-3 lead.

As a result, Hurts directly contributed to a 35^e touchdown this season, which allowed him to tie a team record.

In 1990, quarterback Randall Cunningham contributed to 35 touchdowns, a mark Hurts matched last year.

Dan Gelston, Associated Press

The Raiders have the upper hand over the Chiefs

The aroma of victory cigars wafted through the tunnel beneath Arrowhead Stadium, straight from the celebratory Las Vegas Raiders locker room to the dejected Kansas City Chiefs locker room.

In one case, the smell of success. In the other, the unpleasant smell of a sloppy mess.

Taking advantage of two touchdowns from their defense for a second week in a row, and displaying a combative state of mind which made it possible to keep Patrick Mahomes and his teammates in the Chiefs offensive unit in check, the Raiders signed a gain of 20 -14 Monday afternoon.

So not only did the Raiders prevent their longtime rivals from earning another AFC West title, they kept their playoff hopes alive.

“That was one of our mantras,” Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce said after the game; “by any means necessary”.

That meant towering tackle Bilal Nichols recovering a fumble and running eight yards into the end zone.

That meant Jack Jones scoring a touchdown, seven seconds later, on an interception return that covered 33 yards.

And that meant Aidan O’Connell didn’t complete a single pass after the first quarter, but avoided the same mistakes Mahomes made on a gloomy Christmas day.

The Raiders (7-8) became the first NFL team since 2000 to win a game without completing a single pass after the first quarter. They also became only the fifth team to defeat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium without scoring a single offensive touchdown.

“Obviously it was a crucial game. It’s a duel between two rivals,” O’Connell stressed.

“We play them twice a year, every season. So for us to show up at Arrowhead Stadium and win a game like this is pretty remarkable. It’s pretty special for our guys. »

The Chiefs (9-6) haven’t done much to help their cause. In addition to giving up two defensive touchdowns, kicker Harrison Butker missed a field goal by a short distance, and the Chiefs were again victims of penalties and fumbled passes. Additionally, they were unable to get a first down on two fourth downs in the second half.

“They played a better game than us today,” analyzed head coach Andy Reid, who saw his team suffer a third loss in four games.

“On attack, we had some success. It’s my responsibility to make sure our players are in the proper position to make plays, and it didn’t happen the way we would have liked. I take full responsibility for the way we played offensively. »

Still, the Chiefs had a chance in the final moments of the game Monday to earn an eighth straight sectional title and maintain their chances of finishing atop the overall standings in the American Association.

However, after Mahomes connected with Justin Watson in the end zone with 2:42 remaining, Raiders running back Zamir White ran for 43 yards on the ensuing drive. The Raiders were able to run out the last seconds.

Mahomes completed 27 of his 44 passes for 235 yards, in addition to being the victim of an interception.

The Raiders, who were playing without running back Josh Jacobs, won despite a lackluster day on offense.

White had 145 yards rushing, but most of his gains came on the Raiders’ final offensive series.

O’Connell saw nine of his 21 attempts through the air being caught for gains of 62 yards.

All that mattered, however, was the final score.

“That’s why it’s a team sport,” O’Connell said. It was a team victory. »

Dave Skretta, Associated Press

Lamar Jackson leads Ravens to 33-19 win over 49^ers

Lamar Jackson threw two touchdown passes in a span of 18 seconds in the third quarter and the Baltimore Ravens intercepted Brock Purdy four times in a 33-19 victory at the 49^ers from San Francisco, Monday evening.

Jackson and the Ravens (12-3) turned a highly anticipated matchup between the NFL’s two best teams into a victory that left no doubt, thanks to strong performances on both sides of the ball.

Kyle Hamilton and the defense set the tone early by intercepting Purdy on three of the 49’s first four offensive series^ers (11-4) before Jackson took control of the match.

The Ravens quarterback raced 30 yards to set up a field goal on the last play of the first half that gave the Ravens a 16-12 lead. He then helped put the duel out of reach early in the third quarter.

After the Ravens forced a punt on the first offensive series of the second half, Jackson finished an offensive drive by throwing a six-yard pass to Nelson Agholor for a touchdown.

Purdy was intercepted by Patrick Queen on the next play. Jackson immediately turned that interception into another touchdown, this time with a nine-yard pass to Zay Flowers that made the score 30-12.

Jackson rushed for 252 yards, added 45 yards rushing, and passed Purdy in the race for team MVP, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

His only real blunder came when he was caught throwing the ball away in the end zone after he nearly tripped over the referee, leading to a safety. in the first quarter.

Purdy had his toughest game as a professional, becoming the first 49 quarterback^ers to throw four interceptions in a game since Colin Kaepernick in 2015.

He finished the game with 18 completions in 32 attempts for 255 yards before giving way to Sam Darnold.

Running back Christian McCaffrey, the other candidate among the 49^ers as most valuable player to his team, had a much better night of work.

He rushed for 102 yards and scored a touchdown, and added 28 yards through the air. He set a team record by having his eighth straight game with at least 100 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Josh Dubow, Associated Press