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Quarterback Jalen Hurts got the victory at Lambeau Field on Monday night that he didn’t get the first time he was allowed to run the Philadelphia Eagles offense. On Dec. 6, 2020, with his team carrying a 3-7-1 record and trailing the Green Bay Packers 14-3 at halftime, Eagles coach Doug Pederson pulled starting quarterback Carson Wentz to play Hurts, a second-round rookie. Philadelphia lost that game 30-16, but Hurts has been the Eagles starting quarterback since that defeat. On Monday night in Green Bay, Philadelphia beat the Packers 10-7. In 2020, the game kicked off with a temperature of 34 degrees and a wind chill of 27 degrees. Monday night, the kickoff temperature was 33 degrees and the wind chill 25. “I did something different that I never really done before,” Hurts said, “is go out before the game and assess the stadium and get a feel for the environment and the weather a bit. And I felt like that was warranted given where we’re playing at and, I’d say, how big of a game it was coming in. … “But I’m very fortunate to be where I am. I know I’m not here without the hard work, the patience and taking advantage of an opportunity and, ultimately, the organization giving me an opportunity. And so I definitely said it means something to me to kind of complete the circle of winning at Lambeau.” Philadelphia’s victory on Monday night was the franchise’s first with 10 or fewer points since a 10-6 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 16, 2007. The rare type of win lifted the Eagles’ record to 7-2 while dropping the Packers to 5-3-1. “Come to Lambeau Field, find a way to win,” Hurts said. “Throughout this week, even today from my loved ones and even (team owner) Mr. (Jeffrey) Lurie, we always talk before the game. We’re talking about things we talk about, but he talked about how historic the stadium was and the memories that he had coming to watch the championship games here and just encouraging me to go be myself. And I think about how historic of a venue it is. Found a way to win here as a collective group in this environment on ‘Monday Night Football.’ It’s a big big-time win. That’s a big testament to our team.” FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE The former Alabama quarterback completed 15-of-26 passes for 183 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions and ran five times for 27 yards against the Packers. Seventy-seven of Hurts’ passing yards came on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter. Running back Saquon Barkley took a short pass 41 yards with a nifty spin before wide receiver DeVonta Smith outjumped a defender at the goal line for a 36-yard touchdown reception. The outburst gave Philadelphia a 10-0 lead with 10:35 to play. The Eagles held on to win even though their offense had one snap in the red zone in the game. “We’re very confident in what we can do,” Hurts said. “We just got to go out there and play at a high level more consistently. And you know, I think this game was a perfect example of what it could be when we take advantage of our opportunities, and then when we don’t control the things that we can, how they can hinder us. … “I mean, for me to start the game off and give the ball away after a long drive, that stops the flow of what we’re doing. So that was big mistake in the game that I own. It’s a great play by him punching it out. But those are things that I can control, and I think as a group we got to control the things that we can control and that starts with me doing that.” Philadelphia opened the game by moving from its 9-yard line to the Green Bay 24. But on a 10-yard run for a first down, Hurts had the football punched away by linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, and the Packers recovered to end the best scoring chance of the first half. “Defense played lights out,” Hurts said. “I mean, won the situational battle. Showed up in the end of the game when we could have avoided putting them in that position. But I feel like when there was a mishap, we had each other’s backs, and that’s all you can ask for. And so I’m proud of how we competed. I’m proud of how we weathered through and persevered. I think we showed great resilience throughout this game. “And that’s a hell of a team we played. You know, it’s the best defense we played all year. And with the talent that they have, the ability to rush the passer, who they have in the back end and a really good group, so, obviously, we’ll enjoy this one while we can.” More stories on the NFL NFL Monday night: DeVonta Smith makes the big play for Philly Former Alabama coordinator out as New York Giants head coach NFL suspends former Alabama defensive lineman In its next game, Philadelphia plays the Detroit Lions at 7:20 p.m. Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
