A lightning-fast game, a debatable fashion choice, and more from the Eagles-Raiders Fox broadcast
The Eagles throttled the Raiders, but were humane with the speed in which they did it.
A quick, stress-free Eagles win? Been a while since we’ve had one of those!
The 31-0 shutout victory over the Raiders went by so quickly (2 hours, 31 minutes) that you could’ve blinked and missed it. In case you want to relive the victory, here are the best moments from the broadcast …
» READ MORE: Eagles grades: High marks for the defense as the three-game skid ends in a big way
Presidential presence
Former President Joe Biden braved the cold weather on-site at Lincoln Financial Field to cheer on his beloved Birds, alongside wife Jill Biden.
Bradley Cooper and Mike Trout were also at the Linc for the game, but honestly it feels like it would be bigger news if those two missed a game.
Hurts makes up for fashion faux pas
Jalen Hurts made the walk into the Linc in a Yankees hat.
Look, would you love to see him only repping Philly? Sure. But if he keeps playing like he played today — even against a Raiders team that’s “not very good,” according to Fox color analyst Greg Olsen — Hurts can wear whatever he wants.
“That even-keeled personality, I think people sometimes have a hard time understanding how to react to it,” Olsen said. “He can be so calm in the big moments, and when you expect a lot of emotion, you expect a lot of fire, that’s just not his personality, but I do think it serves him so well when things do get rocky and everyone else is riding those emotional ups and downs. He’s just so steady.”
Mistaken identity
After firing former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, the Raiders have a new offensive coordinator — Greg Olson. Olsen wanted to stress during the Raiders’ first offensive drive that they are not the same person.
“Not me, I am not calling plays for the Raiders,” Olsen said. “Olson with an O.”
» READ MORE: Ridiculous indeed: Jalen Hurts plays his game in an Eagles bounce-back blowout
Old heads are having a moment
After retiring in the offseason, Brandon Graham came back mid-year, and earned his first sack of the season on Kenny Pickett in the first quarter.
But Colts quarterback Philip Rivers stole some of his thunder, making his first start since 2020 for the Colts against the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon.
“This is the year of retired guys coming back,” Fox play-by-play commentator Joe Davis said. “Philip Rivers saw Graham come back and said, why can’t I?”
“There’s old, and then there’s Philip,” Olsen joked.
Could Jason Kelce be next? Wishful thinking? Troy Aikman said it, not me!
Joy in Whoville
Of course, when you think of snow games in Philadelphia, you think of the famous Santa game. But given how the Birds had been playing coming into Sunday’s game, you’d be forgiven for feeling more like the Grinch.
But thanks to the Birds’ shutout victory, even the Grinch’s heart may have grown a few sizes …
The vibes were positive from the start, even given the cold weather. Just look at this stadium staffer Fox caught on camera pregame.
Shortest game ever?
To what I imagine was the delight of the fans freezing at the Linc, the Eagles played one of the shortest games in franchise history, clocking in at 2 hours, 31 minutes, give or take a minute.
But it could have been a contender for the all-time record for shortest game, set in 1996 at 2:29 by the Colts and the Chargers. Of course, ad space is king, and a long ad break just seconds after the two-minute warning stretched the game out just enough to block the Birds from setting an NFL record.
They’ll settle for a shutout win, I’d imagine.