Quick takes on the Eagles’ 30-16 loss to the Packers: Jalen Hurts plays, Carson Wentz finally benched, Aaron Rodgers dominates | Marcus Hayes
The kid shined in his first real shot as the WentzWagon watched, while the G.O.A.T, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, showed them both how it's done.
In a 30-16 loss at Green Bay, second-round rookie Jalen Hurts replaced struggling starter Carson Wentz, a step we suggested after Game Two.
Hurts finished 5-for-12 for 109 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He ran five times for 29 yards and was sacked three times for just 5 yards.
Hurts entered with 7 minutes, 19 seconds to play in the third quarter. The Eagles trailed, 20-3.
Hurts’ series: Miles Sanders 5-yard run on a read-option; Hurts scrambled for 1 yard; Hurts hit first-round rookie Jalen Reagor for 34 yards; Hurts sacked for minus-2 yards; Boston Scott’s 28-yard run called back on a bogus holding call on Isaac Seumalo; Hurts, 3-yard scramble; Sanders, 3-yard run; punt.
Hurts’ second series, with 11:13 to play in the fourth quarter: Scramble for 10 yards; scramble for 13 yards; incompletion; pass to Dallas Goedert for 6 yards; pass to Zach Ertz for 20 yards; scramble for 2 yards; incompletion (late); incompletion (high); pass to Alshon Jeffery for 13 yards erased by Jeffery’s offensive pass interference penalty; touchdown pass on fourth-and-18 to Greg Ward, 32 yards. That cut the Packers’ lead to 23-10.
Hurts’ third series, with 4:49 to play in the fourth quarter, now trailing 23-16 after Reagor returned a punt for a TD: Sanders, 5-yard run; Sanders, 5-yard run; incomplete (short), sacked (stepped into a mush-rush with two receivers open), incomplete (short), punt.
Hurts’ fourth series, with 2:29 to play: pass to Ward for 17 yards; sacked for no gain on a scramble; Travis Fulgham drops a 20-yard bunny; telegraphs a pass in the flat that Darnell Savage brilliantly intercepted.
Hurts wasn’t perfect or polished but he looked very promising, very comfortable.
Wentz, watching from the sideline, did not look comfortable.
At all.
Wentz wastes chances
After the Eagles took a 3-0 lead, the Eagles’ defense forced a three-and-out on the Packers’ first possession. But, after driving 32 yards, Carson Wentz took two bad sacks, lost 11 total yards, and knocked the Eagles out of field-goal range.
After the defense forced a Packers three-and-out to start the second half, Wentz squandered a 41-yard completion when, on the next set of downs, he fired two bad passes that led to a punt.
Wentz finished 6-for-15 for 79 yards and was sacked four times, bringing his league high to 50.
Darius, slain
For the second week in a row the Eagles’ new $50 million lockdown corner got torched.
As Slay shadowed him, Davante Adams caught eight passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
Last week, Seahawks star D.K. Metcalf caught 10 passes for 177 yards.
Slay left the game late in the third quarter with a right leg injury.
» READ MORE: How the game unfolded in our live blog
G.O.A.T.
Aaron Rodgers, the highest-rated passer in NFL history among quarterbacks who have played at least four seasons, completed 13 of 14 passes in the first half, a 92.9 percentage, the highest first-half percentage of his career. He also threw two touchdown passes in the first half. He finished 24-for-33 for 290 yards and those two TDs with no interceptions. He has a league-best 35 touchdowns and four interceptions this season.
Rodgers entered Sunday with a 117.6 rating, best in the league this season. He is favored to win his third MVP award this season. He is 37. The Packers drafted Jordan Love in the first round this season to groom him as Rodgers’ replacement. That pick might prove wasted.