Jalen Hurts runs for 2 TDs, throws for a score; Eagles hold off fumble-prone Vikings 34-28

By DAN GELSTON Associated Press

Minnesota Vikings (MGN)

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts ran for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns and threw a 63-yard TD pass to DeVonta Smith, D’Andre Swift ran for 175 yards and a score, and the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles held off the turnover-prone Minnesota Vikings 34-28 on Thursday night.

Hurts, the MVP runner-up, shook off a sluggish passing performance in the first half and woke up the crowd when he connected with Smith for the scoring strike in the third quarter that made it 27-7.

“We Own UR SKOL Tonight,” one Eagles fan sign read after the TD.

It almost wasn’t enough.

Kirk Cousins hit Jordan Addison for a 62-yard touchdown that made it 27-14 in the fourth and found K.J. Osborn for a 10-yard TD that cut it to 27-21 and put the Eagles (2-0) on edge.

But Swift scored on a 2-yard run for a 34-21 lead with 4:13 left and the Vikings didn’t have enough time to score twice.

Minnesota (0-2), which had three first-half turnovers in a season-opening loss to Tampa Bay, lost three fumbles in the first half in Philly and four overall. In perhaps the most deflating moment for the Vikings, Justin Jefferson fumbled a 30-yard catch into the end zone and out of bounds for a touchback with Minnesota trailing 10-7 in the second quarter.

Cousins threw for 364 yards and four touchdowns. Jefferson had 11 catches for 159 yards.

Hurts finished 18 of 23 for 193 yards.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

AP – 2023-09-15T03:33:41.689Z