Eagles vs. Browns: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith lift Birds to win; Dallas Goedert, Darius Slay, and Jordan Mailata injured

After the Eagles knelt out a 20-16 win over the Browns, Nick Sirianni, newly bald, was spotted on the sideline yelling at someone behind him. The crowd wasn’t visible in the shot, so it’s not clear exactly who Sirianni may have been yelling at — it might not have been directed at Eagles fans or even negative at all, but the crowd was not giving him an easy time on Sunday. At the end of the first half, the Eagles exited the field to boos and chants of “Fire Nick!”

Naturally, fans watching at home speculated he might have been chirping the fans seated behind the Eagles bench.

While it appeared as those all may not be sunny in Philadelphia, even after a Birds win, Sirianni said after the broadcast that he was just fired up for the win.

Quarterback: B

Whether it was his execution or the script, Jalen Hurts struggled out of the gate again. The Eagles clearly wanted to test the Browns’ outside cornerbacks, and get A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, going upon their return from injury. But Hurts was either inaccurate or his receivers weren’t open on the deep shots.

The quarterback did settle down once offensive coordinator Kellen Moore dialed up some shorter, one-read passes, and once he found Brown on more inside routes. Hurts also had some nice unscripted passes, including one to Brown for 17 yards just before the half. His kill-shot 40-yard pass to Brown iced the game.

If you need to feel good about the Eagles, and we know you do, then don’t scrutinize too closely their homely home win over the undermanned, dysfunctional Cleveland Browns.

Use the win as painkiller for the Phillies’ four-game loss in the NLDS last week to, of all teams, the clearly inferior Mets.

Use the win as a distraction from the news that Joel Embiid’s chronic knee issues will keep him out of the preseason, which will limit his play in the early-season games, and might cause complications with the team’s prospects, especially since he’s never played with $211 million, 34-year-old free agent Paul George. But hey, at least Embiid won a meaningless gold medal as a prop player for Team USA, his third country of citizenship.

The Eagles connected on another mesh concept across the middle of the field in a big spot.

This one looked a lot similar to one they hit earlier in the game, tight end Jack Stoll running across the field and freeing up DeVonta Smith. Though this one was in a much bigger spot.

Smith, wide open after Stoll's route caused some chaos in the middle of the field, caught a first-down pass from Jalen Hurts at the 40-yard line and ran the rest of the way untouched, giving the Eagles a 20-13 lead with 7:54 to go.

Well, that was quite a disaster ending for the Eagles to close the first half.

They had a third-and-1 and called a timeout after seemingly not liking the look. On the ensuing play, Jalen Hurts was sacked, forcing a field goal attempt.

Saquon Barkley committed two errors during the sequence. He didn't reach the first-down marker on the second down play, and then got blown by on the sack.

The Philadelphia Eagles (2-2) return to action Sunday, where they will take on the Cleveland Browns (1-4) at Lincoln Financial Field at 1 p.m. on Fox.

If it feels like it’s been a minute since the Birds played in South Philly, that’s because it has been. It’s been nearly a month since Jason Kelce danced his heart out at Xfinity Live! before the Eagles’ last-minute loss to the Atlanta Falcons at the Linc in Week 2 on Sept. 16.

The Browns also enter the game struggling, with calls everywhere for the team to bench high-priced starting quarterback Deshaun Watson. It could be exactly what the Eagles’ floundering defense needs, considering the Browns have one of the worst offenses in the league, averaging just 15.8 points per game and a league-worst 239.4 yards per game.

It’s hard to escape the 2024 election, even at the Linc.

With less than a month until Election Day, Kamala Harris’ campaign is flying a banner in South Philly Sunday, the first in a push to reach NFL fans in battleground states.

The banner reads, “Go Birds! Sack Trump's Project 2025! Vote Kamala,” referencing a controversial plan developed by conservatives to overhaul the federal government if Donald Trump returns to the White House.

Coming out of a bye week, the Eagles are back at the Linc to face the lifeless Browns, who’ve lost their last three games. Quarterback Deshaun Watson has struggled immensely to start the year, and the Browns’ defense couldn’t contain Commanders rookie Jayden Daniels, a running quarterback, in Week 5. The Birds are 8½-point favorites.

The question now is whether the Birds get back on track against the Browns, and here’s what the experts are predicting ...

Inquirer beat reporter predictions

There was a lot for Nick Sirianni, Kellen Moore, and the rest of the offensive coaching staff to dive into during their week off. The Eagles have problems with their offense, especially scoring early in games and turning the ball over. But the biggest adjustment for the Eagles ahead of their game Sunday against Cleveland might be the simplest fix of them all: having A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Lane Johnson back on the field.

The Eagles will have all three of their most important non-quarterback offensive players back when they take the field Sunday in front of their home crowd for the first time in 27 days. Smith and Johnson missed the Week 4 loss in Tampa with concussions. Quarterback Jalen Hurts will have his full slate of weapons — minus injured depth receiver Britain Covey — for the first time since the 34-point performance in Brazil, where Brown caught five passes for 119 yards, including a 67-yard catch-and-run touchdown that gave the Eagles a lead early in the third quarter.

“It still comes down to execution,” Smith said. “Even if we are there we still have to go out there and execute it.”

Eagles vs. Browns might be just another game for Birds fans, but it’s something of a milestone for a familiar voice in the booth.

Longtime Fox Sports announcer Kenny Albert is calling his 500th NFL game Sunday, joining a small group of elite TV broadcasters that includes Al Michaels, Pat Summerall, John Madden, and Troy Aikman.

“Game one feels like yesterday,” Albert told The Inquirer. “It’s hard to believe that it’s that many games, and that your name’s up there with some of those folks. It’s just crazy.”

Sunday’s game between the Eagles and Browns is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. Eastern on Fox. Kenny Albert and Super Bowl champ Jonathan Vilma will be in the booth for Fox, with Megan Olivi reporting from the sidelines at the Linc.

Eagles-Browns will also air on the radio on 94.1 WIP, where fans can listen to the familiar voices of Merrill Reese and former Eagles receiver Mike Quick. WIP host Howard Eskin will handle sideline reporting duties.

Rickie Ricardo, Oscar Budejen, and Dave Gerhardt will call the game in Spanish on La Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia, 93.9 FM in Atlantic City, and 103.3 FM in Vineland/Millville.