Eagles news: Birds address kick return issues; Howie Roseman goes viral; Philly called Shedeur Sanders on draft day
The Eagles will face Baker Mayfield and the undefeated Buccaneers in Week 4.
The Eagles defeated the Los Angeles Rams 33-26 Sunday in the most unlikely way — a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown by Jordan Davis.
Howie Roseman's reaction to the blocked field goal went viral on social media, while Merrill Reese went from despondent to exuberant.
Eagles grades: Jalen Hurts and the passing game came to life. A.J. Brown wants the Birds to stop being conservative.
Reaction's to the win from our columnists: Mike Sielski | Marcus Hayes | David Murphy
The Eagles needed a slap in the face. Fred Johnson, of all people, was ready to do it.
The Eagles will hit the road in Week 4 and face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-0).
Eagles' injury report
On the opening kickoff of the second half, wide receiver Darius Cooper appeared to injure his left shoulder. He visited the medical tent and later was ruled out.
Cornerback Adoree’ Jackson dropped out of the game with a groin injury in the second half. Jakorian Bennett took his place at outside cornerback.
Tackle Lane Johnson said after the game that he suffered a stinger and that he expects to be back in action next week when the Eagles face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Eagles reportedly add wide receiver Xavier Gipson
The Eagles are adding a new receiver and return specialist into the fold, claiming Xavier Gipson off waivers from the New York Giants on Monday, according to a report from the NFL Network.
Gipson, 24, spent just a week and a half with the Giants, who had claimed him off waivers from the New York Jets earlier this month. He signed with the Jets in 2023 as an undrafted free agent out of Stephen F. Austin, but the team cut him after their Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In that game, former Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell forced a fumble on Gipson during a fourth-quarter kickoff as the Jets sought to protect their 26-24 lead. Pittsburgh recovered the loose ball, setting up their go-ahead touchdown that helped secure their 34-32 victory.
Eagles players were mic'd up during game-winning play: 'Fat boy touchdown!'
Nick Sirianni speaks to reporters following Sunday's victory
The Eagles called Shedeur Sanders on draft day, according to Deion Sanders
Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders made plenty of headlines in the offseason, and even more during the NFL draft when the projected first-round pick fell all the way to the fifth before finding a home with the Cleveland Browns. Since then, there have been reports that the Baltimore Ravens were also interested in the quarterback, but Sanders let them know he wasn't interested in riding the bench.
Deion Sanders confirmed those reports and explained Shedeur’s reasoning on the latest episode of New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce. He also made some more headlines by revealing another team that showed interest in his son: the Eagles.
“How in the world, they made a big deal out of — Philly called us on draft day,” Sanders said. “They didn’t mention that. I just let a cat out of the bag.”
More Tush Push controversy coming
It is the injury the haters have craved.
Lane Johnson said he suffered a neck stinger on the Eagles’ first possession against the Rams while executing one of two Tush Push plays. He seemed unaffected after both plays but did not return for the next series.
It was the second Tush Push of the day and the eighth in the Eagles’ last two games, since they ran six in Kansas City last week.
Eagles-Buccaneers early odds
The last time the Eagles and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers met, the Eagles were without starting wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. They ended up losing to Tampa, 33-16, in a game that saw Mayfield throw for 347 yards and two touchdowns. Now, both teams are heading into Sunday undefeated, and are coming out of games that saw them both win in dramatic fashion.
Similar to the Eagles comeback win, which featured Jordan Davis blocking the game-winning field goal and returning it 61 yards for a touchdown as time expired, Mayfield and the Bucs rallied from behind to cap off a win against the New York Jets with two minutes remaining — making this the team’s third consecutive game with a comeback drive from the quarterback.
With both teams sitting at 3-0, the sportsbooks are favoring Philadelphia going into Week 4 as they open as 3-point and 2.5-point favorites.
ESPN pundits coming around on Jalen Hurts
In the second half, Jalen Hurts finally got to throw the ball, and with that, show the rest of the NFL why Eagles fans were so defensive of his place in the upper echelon of the league’s quarterbacks.
Everyone else is finally waking up.
“If he was 6-foot-5, he’d be in the conversation as the best quarterback in this league,” Rex Ryan said on Get Up! on Monday. “That is my opinion. He doesn’t look the part, but he certainly plays the part. Nobody plays a winning quarterback better than Jalen Hurts.”
Eagles numbers: Jalen Hurts' streak, Quinyon Mitchell's effectiveness
The Eagles escaped Lincoln Financial Field with a 33-26 victory thanks to two blocked field goals and an offense that seemingly flipped a switch and remembered it had elite pass-catching weapons to throw the ball to.
A lot of things stood out, and here’s a look at some notable numbers after the Eagles improved to 3-0.
We’ll start there. The Eagles are 3-0 for the third time in the last four seasons. They also started 3-0 in 2022 and 2023 and are the only team with three such starts since 2021. Nick Sirianni is the first coach in Eagles history to have three 3-0 starts with the franchise.
Sirianni, meanwhile, improved to 4-0 over Sean McVay and the Rams. It’s the most wins without a loss against any opponent under Sirianni. The Eagles have won 10 of their last 11 against the Rams.
The Eagles have 12 consecutive wins at Lincoln Financial Field, their longest winning streak at home since the stadium opened in 2003.
Other streaks continued: The Eagles have now won 17 consecutive games started and finished by Jalen Hurts. They are now 19-1 in their last 20 games, the best 20-game stretch in franchise history.
To some of the game stuff we go … Quinyon Mitchell played shadow on Davante Adams and was really effective. He aligned with Adams on on 27 of 34 routes and matched up with him in coverage on 22 of those routes, holding Adams to just two receptions on five targets, according to Next Gen Stats. Adams’ other reception was a 44-yard score on safety Reed Blankenship.
The Eagles were mostly dinking and dunking in the passing game through their first 10 quarters. But Hurts completed 7 of his 9 passes over 10 air yards in the second half for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns, according to Next Gen Stats. Prior to the second half, Hurts had just two completions on seven attempts of 10-plus air yards through 10 quarters of the 2025 season.
2K Watch: Saquon Barkley was held to 46 rushing yards on Sunday, and a repeat 2,000-yard season is getting further out of reach through three games. Barkley would need to average 129 yards over the next 14 games to hit the mark.
Sunday was the 50th anniversary of last time Eagles blocked two field goals
The Eagles won Sunday for a number of reasons, but at the top of the list are their two blocked field goals.
Jalen Carter got his hand on the first one more than six minutes into the fourth quarter, and then Jordan Davis walked it off with a block, a scoop, and a run to the end zone as time expired.
How’s this for coincidences: The last time the Eagles blocked two field goals in a game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau? Sunday was the 50th anniversary.
Eagles snap counts: Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis were workhorses again
The snap counts from Sunday’s Eagles game are in. Here are some notes:
Saquon Barkley’s 63 snaps were the second-most he’s had in a game since joining the Eagles last season, and his 94% share was his largest. AJ Dillon saw just five snaps, and newcomer Tank Bigsby has yet to see the field as a running back. He saw 12 special teams snaps, and he and John Metchie had a tough day dealing with Joshua Karty’s knuckleballs on kickoff return.
Speaking of Metchie, he and Darius Cooper saw a significant drop in their usage from last week. The Eagles deployed the two receivers more frequently against Kansas City and more often in obvious run situations to take advantage of their blocking ability compared to Jahan Dotson’s. But the Eagles were playing catch-up Sunday.
Matt Pryor’s 15 snaps were enough of a sample size to know Fred Johnson should’ve been the first man up off the bench after Lane Johnson went down with a stinger.
On defense, the Eagles continue to use Sydney Brown at safety in base, and his 30% share is relatively consistent with how things have looked so far in 2025. Drew Mukuba, meanwhile, played 74%.
The Eagles dressed just four edge rushers/outside linebackers on Sunday. Nolan Smith (70%) and Jalyx Hunt (65%) saw a large workload while Za’Darius Smith (36%) and Joshua Uche (29%) provided some relief.
Rookie defensive tackle Ty Robinson dressed but did not see any action. Jalen Carter, after Vic Fangio criticized the shape he was in last week, played 91% of the snaps while Jordan Davis was on the field for 68% of the defensive plays. The Georgia guys have been workhorses, and so has Moro Ojomo (50%). Byron Young joined the mix for just 10 defensive snaps (15%).
In the wake of an unlikely win, Jordan Mailata offers a warning
Jordan Mailata’s voice turned serious.
Strangely so.
The veteran left tackle was standing in the corner of a locker room that buzzed with an exhilarating blend of jubilation: part pride, part relief, part glee. The Eagles had just overcome a 19-point deficit to beat the Rams, 33-26, for their 19th win in 20 games. They did so on the strength of four fourth-down conversions, a 17-play game-winning drive, and two blocked field goals, the second of which was returned for a gratuitous 61-yard touchdown by a 336-pound defensive tackle to cover the spread with no time remaining.
The Eagles' record during their last 20 games is wild
The Eagles are reigning Super Bowl champs, so it's no surprise they've been among the NFL's best teams the past two seasons. But did you know they were this good?
Over the Eagles last 20 games (including the playoffs), the Birds have gone 19-1. Their only loss during that stretch was in Week 16 last season against the Washington Commanders, a game Jalen Hurts left in the first quarter with a concussion.
That's a .950 winning percentage, for everyone counting at home.
'The Rams are standing silently': Merrill Reese's call of game-ending field goal block
"Have you ever seen anything like this?" an excited Merrill Reese asked following one of the most unlikely endings in Eagles' history.
The Birds blocked not one, but two field goals in the fourth quarter — the second returned for a touchdown by Jordan Davis — to sneak away with a 33-26 win against the Los Angeles Rams.
Reese, in his 49th season as the voice of the Eagles, went from downtrodden over the Birds' missed two-point conversion to loud and overjoyed.
Howie Roseman's reaction to blocked field goal goes viral
Just three seconds remaining. Rams down by a point getting ready to kick a game-winning 44-yard field goal. Sad Merrill Reese lamenting the Eagles' missed two-point conversion.
We all know what happened next. A blocked field goal by Jordan Davis rescued the Eagles from their first loss of the season and sent the crowd at the Linc into a frenzy.
Among them was Eagles general manager Howie Roseman, whose reaction to the blocked field goal was captured by NBC10's John Clark.
Eagles head to Tampa in Week 4 to face undefeated Buccaneers
The Eagles' (3-0) difficult stretch to start the season continues next week, when the Birds travel to Tampa Bay to take on the undefeated Buccaneers (3-0).
The Bucs won a thriller on Sunday, edging the New York Jets 29-27 that will likely be most remembered for Aaron Glenn's celebratory dance following a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown.
Unfortunately, the blocked field goal came with 1:49 remaining in the game. Baker Mayfield calmly drove the Bucs down the field and got them in position to kick a 36-yard game-winner.
NFC East standings: Birds on top
Not only are the Eagles still in first place in the NFC East thanks to their comeback win against the Rams, they are one of just xx teams that remain undefeated through three games.
The other five 3-0 teams are: San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, and Indianapolis Colts.
NFC East standings
Photos from Eagles' win against Rams
2025 Eagles schedule
Week 1: Eagles 24, Cowboys 20
Week 2: Eagles 20, Chiefs 17
Week 3: Eagles 33, Rams 26
Week 4: Eagles at Buccaneers, Sunday, Sept. 28, 1 p.m. (Fox 29)
Week 5: Broncos at Eagles, Sunday, Oct. 5, 1 p.m. (CBS3)
Week 6: Eagles at Giants, Thursday, Oct. 9, 8:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime Video)
Week 7: Eagles at Vikings, Sunday, Oct. 19, 1 p.m. (Fox 29)
Week 8: Giants at Eagles, Sunday, Oct. 26, 1 p.m. (Fox 29)
Week 9: Bye week
Week 10: Eagles at Packers, Monday, Nov. 10, 8:15 p.m. (6ABC, ESPN)
Week 11: Lions at Eagles, Sunday, Nov. 16, 8:20 p.m. (NBC10)
Week 12: Eagles at Cowboys, Sunday, Nov. 23, 4:25 p.m. (Fox 29)
Week 13: Bears at Eagles, Friday, Nov. 28, 3 p.m. (Amazon Prime Video)
Week 14: Eagles at Chargers, Monday, Dec. 8, 8:15 p.m. (6ABC, ESPN)
Week 15: Raiders at Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 14, 1 p.m. (Fox 29)
Week 16: Eagles at Commanders, Saturday, Dec. 20, TBD (Fox 29)
Week 17: Eagles at Bills, Sunday, Dec. 28, 4:29 p.m. (Fox 29)
Week 18: Commanders at Eagles, TBD (TBD)