Jalen Hurts goes flawless with his first turnover-free game since last season

For the first time since early December, over a period of ten games, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts didn’t turn the ball over on Sunday.

No interceptions. No fiddling.

Instead, he had a QB rating of 126.1 in a 20-16 win over the Cleveland Browns at Linc. Hurts didn’t put up particularly flashy numbers at 16:25 for 264 yards and two touchdowns against AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, but he was efficient enough despite another slow start for the Eagles’ offense.

“Just to come out here and play mistake-free, it’s good to get a win, especially after all the work we put in, all the conversations I had with everyone,” said Hurts, during the bye-bye -week was there. studied film and found what he described as “harmony” with head coach Nick Sirianni.

“It’s nice to win,” Hurts said. “That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. We all come here, invest our time, our efforts, our energy. We spend so much time together just to pursue this common goal. And that is team football. And I think today we played Eagles football. (We) need to clean up some things, I think the situation before half-time could have been avoided. But ultimately we’re building, and it’s always good to build on a win.”

With 32 seconds left in the half, Cleveland linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah swept past Saquon Barkley and sacked Hurts on a third-and-1. This led to the Browns’ Myles Garrett blocking a 57-yard field goal attempt by Jake Elliot, which former Eagle Rodney McLeod returned to the house.

But maybe this mystery is really building around an Eagles team. Certainly it is under construction. All the pieces appear to be there, but they are not yet assembled.

Ironically, the Eagles’ season began to crumble last year in the Dec. 3 game the last time Hurts didn’t turn the ball over, a 42-19 home loss to the 49ers. They lost four more times in their last five games, limped into the playoffs and were throttled 32-9 in the first round by Tampa Bay.

Speaking of last year…December 31 against Arizona, in the second-to-last week of the regular season, was the last time the Eagles (3-2) scored points in the first quarter.

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The Eagles’ defense came into its own, not allowing a touchdown, recording five sacks and 10 quarterback hits and triggering several blitzes – something coordinator Vic Fangio is not known for.

It was a clear change in Fangio’s approach against an offensive front that was ready to pick. The Birds didn’t commit any turnovers but kept Browns QB Deshaun Watson on the run.

Rookie defensive lineman Cooper DeJean made an impact in his first start with six tackles and a partial sack. Linebacker Nakobe Dean led the Birds with 12 tackles, including seven solo. Zack Baun had eight and CJ Gardner Johnson had six

“I felt prepared to go out there,” DeJean said. “The most important thing was that I just had to go play with confidence. I feel like I worked to get to this moment with the help of the older guys and teammates around me. They did a good job making sure I would be ready when I was in the game.

“There were a few butterflies and a lot of excitement leading up to it,” he said. “But once you get out there and throw that first punch, everything slows down for you.”

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Unfortunately for the Eagles, there was a bloodbath. Left tackle Jordan Mailata suffered a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter and had to be stretchered off the field. After the game he was on crutches.

Darius Slay injured his knee early in the second half and had to be taken to the locker room. Isaiah Rodgers replaced him at cornerback, with Quinyon Mitchell on the other side.

Tight end Dallas Goedert injured his hamstring after just one goal in the first quarter and did not return.

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NOTES >> Sirianni is 4-0 after bye weeks during the regular season. … Cleveland was just 3 of 12 on third downs. … The last time the Eagles had five sacks in a game was Nov. 5 of last year, a 28-23 home win over the Cowboys. … With his 44-yard field goal in the third quarter, Elliot became the third player in Eagles history to score 800 points, behind David Akers (1,323 points, 1999-2010) and Bobby Watson (881, 1951-1962) .