‘Biggest catch of his life’ for Darius Cooper, Drew Brees’ Jalen Hurts take, and more from the Eagles-Titans broadcast
And Hurts has a friendly postgame exchange with Jeffery Simmons.
They never make it look easy.
On Sunday, the Eagles defeated the Titans, 24-20, in a thriller in Nashville. With his team down by three points and 1 minute, 56 seconds left, Jalen Hurts marched the Eagles downfield to win the game. Wide receiver Darius Cooper, who competed for a roster spot this summer, sealed the victory with a 3-yard touchdown catch.
With the win, the Eagles improve to 2-0.
If you made the trip to the Music City or just couldn’t tune in, here’s what you may have missed from Sunday’s broadcast on Fox:
‘The biggest catch of his life.’
The highlight of the broadcast was play-by-play commentator Adam Amin’s electric call of the Eagles’ game-winning play.
“Hurts, rolling right, floats it, back of the end zone. And it is caught!” Amin’s voice boomed. “Darius Cooper, the biggest catch of his life. Philadelphia’s got the lead.”
Amin let the moment breathe after the call, allowing the at-home audience to hear the Eagles faithful serenade Cooper with cheers. The play came after Hurts hit DeVonta Smith on a toe-tapping 19-yard reception on third-and-6 from the Titans’ 22-yard line.
“When the pressure is at its greatest and the backs are furthest up against the wall, Jalen Hurts often comes through,” Amin said.
Drew Brees, who lent his voice to Sunday’s broadcast as the analyst, looked to praise Hurts following the Eagles final drive.
“No guy better in end of game situations than Jalen Hurts,” Brees said. “And no better execution today or on that drive.”
‘I had to finish it’
During his postgame interview with Fox sideline reporter Kristina Pink, Hurts had some choice words for Titans defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, who seemed to take a shot at Hurts earlier this week.
On Wednesday, when asked a question about the Eagles quarterback, Simmons told ESPN, “We just need to make Jalen Hurts be a QB. Stop his runs, make sure Hurts doesn’t get out of the pocket and make plays.”
The internet ran rampant with the quote, but the Eagles locker room did not seem to pay it much attention. After Sunday’s game, Simmons embraced Hurts during his interview with Pink.
“You started that s—; I had to finish it,” Hurts said to Simmons with a smile.
Brees calls the Birds
Brees’ broadcasting career did not start the way he wanted.
The first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer looked to be the eventual replacement for Cris Collinsworth on Sunday Night Football but was let go by NBC after a lackluster playoff debut in 2021. Brees got a second chance last season, replacing Mark Sanchez after the former Eagles quarterback was arrested for allegedly assaulting a truck driver.
Sunday marked Brees’ 10th game with Fox and his first time calling the Eagles. So what did he have to say about the Birds?
The Super Bowl XLIV MVP was very impressed by the Eagles offense early. Following a designed sweep to new Eagles wideout Hollywood Brown in the second quarter, Brees lauded offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s variety in play-calling.
“I love the variety that Philly has incorporated today,” said Brees, who played 20 NFL seasons for the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints. “This is the best looking Philly offense that I’ve seen in a long time. I know it’s just two drives, and I know the first drive unfortunately resulted in the interception in the end zone. But just as far as the steadiness of it and the play-calling and the tempo, they just incorporated so much so far.”
» READ MORE: Grading the Eagles' win over the Tennessee Titans
However, Philly fans tuned into Fox seemed to ignore much of Brees’ praise and narrowed in on one curious comment. Later in that drive, on a third-and-long scramble, Hurts slid 3 yards short of a first down. Despite two Titans defenders converging on Hurts, Brees felt the quarterback should have fought for the extra yardage.
“I was hyping up Jalen Hurts, and now I’m going to get on him,” Brees said. “Lower your shoulder and go get the first down. “You slide, they’re going to mark the ball where you started the slide, not where you end the slide. So it’s not a Tush Push situation. It’s not fourth-and-1. It’s fourth-and-3.”
The Eagles ended up converting for a first down, but Birds fans on social media held onto Brees’ words. Many questioned why Hurts would risk an injury by fighting for the first down.
Tennessee heat
“It is hot, it is humid, it is a game of attrition,” Amin said with the game tied, 17-17, in the fourth quarter.
If you were one of the many Eagles fans who made the trip to Nashville, you don’t need to be reminded how hot Sunday’s game was. But for everyone else at home, the broadcast made sure to emphasize the on-field conditions.
» READ MORE: Former Titans linebacker Avery Williamson found his passion bringing water ice to Tennessee
Before the game kicked off, Pink pointed a thermometer gun at Nissan Stadium’s turf. The thermometer showed that the field was 133 degrees. Later, the broadcast revealed that it had reached 157 degrees on the field.
Fox offered plenty of visuals to show off the Tennessee heat. In the first quarter, the broadcast panned to Simmons pouring water on himself. Then at halftime, Hall of Famer and Fox Sports analyst Terry Bradshaw marveled at Titans players pouring water on their cleats to cool off.
Brees also gave some insight on how an offense can use the heat to its advantage. Although he played in a dome with the Saints, Brees had his fair share of road games in the heat.
“When you start thinking about the heat conditions, the ability to commit yourself to the 2- and 3-yard gains,” Brees said in the first quarter. “Not only is it going to set you up for third-and-manageable, but as this game goes on, you can wear down a defense that way.”
Landon Dickerson has made a career of fighting through injuries and pain, last season being the latest instance. But after the left guard looked like a shell of himself Week 1 vs. Washington, the Eagles decided to shut him down — at least for now. With Dickerson landing on injured reserve, The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jeff McLane explains why, this time around, he and the Eagles are taking the cautious route. Jeff also shares what he's heard about how the Eagles might fill Dickerson's void on the offensive line, and takes listener questions in this week's mailbag segment. Listen here.
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