By Matt Ryan, Sports Talk Philly Contributor
The 3-6 Eagles visit the 5-4 Broncos in week ten of the regular season. The Birds are coming off a solid outing against the Chargers where they fell on a last-second field goal, 27-24. The Eagles have put together an impressive first half with Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith leading the way and lead, 20-10. Here’s what we saw in the first 30 minutes of action:
QB Jalen Hurts
Hurts has looked extremely sharp thus far. The second-year quarterback finished the half with 176 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and 52 rushing yards. Hurts completed 15 of his 20 pass attempts and made some big-time throws on key plays, notably a 36-yard touchdown to Smith, who made an exceptional catch.
DE Derek Barnett
On a 3rd-and-11 late in the first half, Barnett made the defensive play of the first half for the Eagles, sacking Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. This was the Eagles’ first sack since their win over the Lions in week eight.
Eagles Defensive
Over the first two quarters, the Eagles’ defense has not played great but hasn’t been poor. They gave up a long touchdown drive and, on the ensuing Broncos’ possession, allowed a 64-yard completion that led to a field goal. With the Eagles leading at the half, if the defense can hold up, the Birds should be in good shape.
RB Melvin Gordon
When the Broncos got to the red zone on their first scoring drive, it was all Gordon. He had a big first down run and, after a seven-yard gain, ran virtually untouched for a one-yard score. Gordon finished the half with 24 yards on four carries.