Quarterback Jalen Hurts (#1) of the Philadelphia Eagles passes in the game against the Miami Dolphins at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 22, 2023. /CFP
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Miami Dolphins 31-17 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Sunday to remain undefeated at home so far in the 2023 National Football League (NFL) regular season.
Quarterback (QB) Jalen Hurts completed 23 of his 31 passes for 270 yards and threw two touchdowns by connecting with wide receiver A.J. Brown and tight end Dallas Goedert. Brown was targeted 15 times and caught 10 of those passes, including a 42-yard-long deep throw in the fourth quarter, to generate field-high 137 yards.
Hurts rushed to score a touchdown himself. He ran a 12-play, 80-yard drive in six minutes and 49 seconds in the second quarter before running into the end zone with the ball in the second quarter, extending the Eagles' lead from seven (10-3) to 14 points (17-3). Running back Kenneth Gainwell rushed for a touchdown as well in the fourth quarter to seal the deal for his side.
Wide receiver A.J. Brown (L) of the Philadelphia Eagles scores a touchdown in the game against the Miami Dolphins at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 22, 2023. /CFP
Hurts was injured in the game but said he is "fine," and hoped that it won't affect him moving forward.
"I don't want to put his business out there, but he's a tough individual," Brown said of Hurts.
The Dolphins had been one of the league's best offensive teams before Sunday, especially with their explosive ability to go for big yards. The team averaged over 37 points and nearly 500 yards per game. Their QB Tua Tagovailoa threw 312.7 yards per competition.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (#1) of the Miami Dolphins passes in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 22, 2023. /CFP
Nonetheless, the Eagles managed to contain the Dolphins at home on Sunday night, in both rushing and passing. The Dolphins only completed 12 carries to generate 21 yards. Tagovailoa completed 23 of his 32 passes for 216 yards and one touchdown with one interception. Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill caught 11 of the 15 passes targeted at him for 88 yards and scored one touchdown.
Linebacker Jerome Baker scored the other touchdown by the Dolphins after intercepting a pass by Hurts and returning a six. It was a game-tying play (at 17-17), but also the final offensive highlight of the team.
"If you're going to lose games, you want it to be against a really good team and you want it to hurt," the Dolphins' head coach Mike McDaniel said.
"All of these games help us down the road," Tagovailoa said. "To me it felt like this game was a playoff atmosphere type of thing. I think that was a good rep for us early in the season. Leading down the road to when it's crunch time."
Other games on Sunday (away teams come first):
Detroit Lions 6-38 Baltimore Ravens
Las Vegas Raiders 12-30 Chicago Bears
Cleveland Browns 39-38 Indianapolis Colts
Buffalo Bills 25-29 New England Patriots
Washington Commanders 7-14 New York Giants
Atlanta Falcons 16-13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 Los Angeles Rams
Arizona Cardinals 10-20 Seattle Seahawks
Green Bay Packers 17-19 Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Chargers 17-31 Kansas City Chiefs