Eagles-Browns analysis: Birds win without their starters, as Cam Jurgens and Devon Allen stand out

CLEVELAND — Starting his route from the right slot, Eagles wide receiver Devon Allen lowered his helmet slightly and jetted upfield. The Olympic hurdler blew past the zone coverage deployed by the Browns, and within seconds, Allen completed his deep post route and then uncorked the top of the defense with the Browns’ safeties backwards.

After a few glances across the field, quarterback Reid Sinnett heaved the football toward the end zone. Sinnett connected beautifully with a streaking Allen, who secured the 55-yard touchdown reception with two hands. Allen celebrated by air hurdling his way through the end zone, while coach Nick Sirianni sprinted across the sideline in jubilation.

“That was awesome,” Sirianni said of Sinnett’s long touchdown completion. “What a great ball from Reid, a great catch and route from Devon, but the protection was sweet. That was a long-developing play; we handled it really nice. I think we were all high-fiving down the sideline.”

Allen’s go-ahead score gave the Eagles a 21-20 lead in the second half. The Eagles preserved the lead on their way to claiming their first victory of the preseason Sunday.

A plethora of starters did not play against the Browns:

*Other players who did not play due to injury: WR Greg Ward (toe), TE Grant Calcaterra (hamstring) LB Christian Elliss (hamstring)

Sirianni made the decision to sit his starters with the team’s best interests in mind. Leading up to kickoff, a constant and heavy downpour hovered over FirstEnergy Stadium, resulting in sleek and slippery field conditions. Some starters, such as Hurts, Brown, and Smith participated in warmups that included individual routes, but they did not dress in uniform for the game.

“I really felt like we got two good days of work,” Sirianni said. “We really look at those joint practices like a game. How often do you play a game Thursday and Friday, then come back and play a game again on Sunday? It’s a controlled game setting. You get what you want out of it. We got more red-zone reps against Cleveland during practice than we did today. I thought we got great work in, I’m hoping we can do this again next year.”

For what it’s worth, a few other starting quarterbacks did play during their preseason Week 2 games, including Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes. It also should be noted that the Eagles are traveling to Miami on Tuesday, which will mark consecutive weeks of joint practices with the Browns and Dolphins. The Eagles will play the Dolphins in their preseason finale, scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.

With Sanders nursing a hamstring injury, Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell were the team’s featured running backs. Scott handled the opening drive, and Gainwell got his turn in the subsequent series. Behind an impressive second-string offensive line (left tackle Andre Dillard, left guard Jack Anderson, center Cam Jurgens, right guard Sua Opeta, and right tackle Jack Driscoll), the Eagles ran early and often.

Scott and Gainwell appeared in only one drive apiece, but they received a heavy workload. The duo combined for 21 rushes, 79 yards and two touchdowns (one each). Gainwell (hip) and Scott (concussion) both missed the preseason opener due to injuries, so it was an encouraging sign for them to come out strong against the Browns.

Gainwell, in particular, was efficient. He was responsible for multiple first downs, including an impressive chain-mover on third-and-13, in which the second-year tailback executed a sidestep juke in open space en route to a 16-yard gain. During Gainwell’s rookie season, he recorded first downs on 33 of his 101 touches. His efficiency is a major reason why Sirianni entrusted Gainwell during high-pressure situations, including goal-line and two-minute packages.

“We were able to pound it,” Sirianni said. “They put their heads down and went running. They made it work. Sometimes it was muddy, sometimes it was clean, but they ran really well. It was a good week for those guys. Kenny didn’t have his best day Friday, but he showed out today.”

Sirianni continued: “[Gainwell] is just a tough-nosed kid. He’s going to be really physical with the ball in his hands. We trust him in those scenarios.”

Kelce, the team’s second-longest tenured player behind Graham, played a key role in scouting Jurgens out of Nebraska. Kelce was involved during Jurgens’ predraft process: He visited with Jurgens during his meetings at the NovaCare Complex, and he provided offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland with his assessment and feedback.

The Eagles wound up selecting Jurgens in the second round of April’s draft. At the time, some questioned the pick, but Jurgens is leaving no doubt of his worth with his production this summer. It’s extremely early in his professional career, but Jurgens continues to be one of the brightest stories of camp.

On multiple occasions, the Eagles used Jurgens as a pulling blocker on rushing plays, and he exuded extreme effort in getting to the next levels and laying out blocks. During the team’s first rushing play, Jurgens pulled to his right and bulldozed Browns safety D’Anthony Bell straight into the turf as Scott picked up a smooth 13 yards.

“He’s super athletic,” Eagles quarterback Gardiner Minshew said of Jurgens. “He’s also very smart. For a rookie to come here and make all the calls, do all the things he’s doing, it’s super impressive. I’m very excited for his future.”

Kelce is expected to be ready for the season opener Sept. 11 at Detroit, but Jurgens has proved he’s a more-than-capable backup. Furthermore, he gives Stoutland and Sirianni plenty of reasons to be excited for the post-Kelce era – whenever that may be.

Hurts might not play another in-game snap this preseason. He was statically perfect in the opener, completing all six of his throws for 80 passing yards and one touchdown. Hurts built on that performance with a pair of highlight-filled joint practice sessions earlier in the week.

With Hurts out, Minshew played the entire first half. Minshew hasn’t had the greatest camp, but he was equally accurate and efficient versus the Browns. He completed 14-of-17 passes for 142 yards with a 101.5 quarterback rating. Unfortunately for Minshew, one of his three incompletions occurred on fourth-and-goal near the end of the first half. On the play, Minshew looked toward the flat to Britain Covey, who was completely covered by a pair of defenders. Minshew did connect on multiple occasions with wide receiver Deon Cain, who finished with a game-high five catches and 66 receiving yards.

“We had three really good drives,” Minshew said. “They were long drives, but very efficient. I wish we could’ve finished the third, but I’m excited for the opportunity. ... All I want to do is get better. In my mind, I’ve proved that I can play in this league. That’s all that matters. I know if I continue to get better, then I know I have a chance to have a really good career in this league.”

Besides Minshew, Sinnett completed 4-of-9 passes for 69 yards and the Allen touchdown.