Eagles vs. Saints score: Jalen Hurts runs for 109 yards in first NFL start as Philadelphia shocks New Orleans

Hurts led the Eagles to a huge upset victory as New Orleans falls out of the No. 1 seed in the NFC

The Philadelphia Eagles pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the NFL season, halting the New Orleans Saints' nine-game winning streak in shocking 24-21 victory over the top team in the conference. Philadelphia rushed for over 240 yards on the ground as Jalen Hurts won his first career start. Hurts, who had 16 carries for 109 yards, became the first Eagles quarterback to run for at least 100 yards in a game since Michael Vick on Dec. 19, 2010. He finished 17 of 30 for 167 yards and a touchdown.

Miles Sanders was dominant in his first game with Hurts as the Eagles quarterback. Sanders finished with 14 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns, including an 82-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that was his third run of 70-plus yards this year (there have been 10 of them in the NFL this season). The Eagles defense had five sacks in the victory, with Josh Sweat having two of them and a forced fumble and Javon Hargrave notching a pair of sacks. The Eagles defense also forced three three-and-outs and had two takeaways against the Saints offense -- a top-five unit in points scored this season. 

The Saints struggled on offense throughout the afternoon, averaging 5.7 yards per play and committing two turnovers -- not helped with two missed field goals by Wil Lutz. Taysom Hill threw completed 28 of 38 passes for 291 yards with two touchdowns and an interception while Alvin Kamara had 94 yards from scrimmage with a score. The Saints trailed 17-0 at one point before rallying with 14 unanswered points to make it 17-14, but the Eagles responded with a six-play, 55-yard drive after stopping the Saints on fourth down. The drive was capped with a Miles Sanders touchdown run to put Philadelphia up 24-14 with 6:22 left. New Orleans had a late touchdown, but couldn't recover the onside kick to complete the comeback attempt. New Orleans falls out of the No. 1 seed in the NFC with the loss, giving the top seed to the Green Bay Packers, who defeated the Detroit Lions on Sunday. Philadelphia ends its four-game losing streak. 

here are takeaways from the biggest Eagles' win of the seaosn, and potentially the biggest upset in the NFL this year. A recap of this game can also be found in our live blog below. 

Why the Eagles won

Jalen Hurts ignited a spark in the Eagles offense a week ago, and that spark continued to burn in his first career start with the Eagles. Hurts ran for 100 yards in the Eagles' victory, becoming just the second quarterback since 1950 to run for 100 yards in his first career start (Lamar Jackson). Hurts stood tall in the pocket on several occasions, including a big fourth-down pass to Alshon Jeffery to give the Eagles a lead they never relinquished. Hurts finished with 273 total yards as the Eagles rushed for 246 yards on the ground, their most in a game in six years. Hurts is the first quarterback since Ron Jaworski in 1975 to beat a team with a nine-plus win streak in his first career start. He was excellent. 

Why the Saints lost 

The Saints didn't have an answer for Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders in this one, even though it was clear the Eagles were committed to the zone-read and running the football. The Saints defense didn't allow a 100-yard rusher in 56 games, yet Sanders and Hurts both had 100-yard games against the No. 2 run defense in the league. Philadelphia finished with 246 yards on the ground and shortened the field up with creative running plays to keep the time of possession in its favor. The Saints only forced one turnover, a mistake by Hurts when he tried to run the clock out. New Orleans has had to rely on its defense with Drew Brees out, but the Saints just couldn't get off the field consistently. 

Turning point

Jalen Hurts showed he could throw the football when Eagles head coach Doug Pederson decided to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Saints' 15-yard line. Hurts stood tall in the pocket and fired a pass to Alshon Jeffery for the 15-yard score, which was just Jeffery's third catch of the year. 

Hurts took a huge hit on the play -- which was called roughing the passer by the officials -- to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter. The throw was under pressure and Hurts delivered to a spot where Jeffery could catch it. 

Play of the game

Miles Sanders' 82-yard touchdown run put the Eagles up 17-0 in the first half. The touchdown run was the fourth-longest in Eagles history and Sanders' third run over 70 yards on the year. Sanders is the second player in Eagles history with multiple 70-yard rushing touchdowns, joining Wilbert Montgomery with that feat. 

The 82-yard touchdown was the longest for an Eagles player since Brian Mitchell had an 85-yard touchdown run against the Falcons in 2000. 

The quote 

"When I look back on this game, we left a lot of money on the table for us. There's a lot to work on, a lot to build on." -- Jalen Hurts on the Eagles' performance in his debut

The Eagles had 413 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per play, but left some plays on the field in Hurts' debut. Some of it was Hurts working on his progressions and some was missed plays by his receivers, but the early returns are solid. 

Up next

The Eagles (4-8-1) travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals while the Saints (10-3) host the Chiefs. Both games are in the 4 p.m. ET window next Sunday. 

[Dec 13, 2020 at 7:29 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

Jalen Hurts was greta today in his first start, with his biggest mistake being the fumble up 24-14 trying to run out the clock late. He still had a great debut and should start next week. Saints 9-game win streak snapped.

[Dec 13, 2020 at 7:28 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

Love the onside kick attempt by the Saints, but the Eagles did recover that. I thought the Saints initially had it, but that's just a good hustle play by Philly special teams. Barring another fumble, the Eagles are going to win this game.

[Dec 13, 2020 at 7:08 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

Second multi-rush TD game of the year for Miles Sanders.

First 100-yard, 2 rush TD game of his career.

[Dec 13, 2020 at 7:03 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

100 yards for Hurts

[Dec 13, 2020 at 6:59 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

What a play by Josh Sweat to shut down Taysom Hill with the strip-sack fumble on 4th-and-2. Say what you want about the Eagles defense, but they have been getting after the QB all year.

[Dec 13, 2020 at 6:55 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

This is the game where the entire Eagles defense just gets injured and is finished for the year. Derek Barnett, Rodney McLeod, Darius Slay -- that's three starters against a potent Saints offense. Just not the Eagles year.

[Dec 13, 2020 at 6:47 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

Well that should have been a Jalen Hurts INT.

Chauncey Gardner-Johnson read the end zone and not the ball. Saints have a chance to take the lead

[Dec 13, 2020 at 6:42 pm ET · Jeff Kerr]

Jalen Hurts might have had Miles Sanders open on 3rd down (but didn't see him). Still ran for a needed first down to keep the Eagles offense on the field as we head into the fourth quarter. Hurts has 98 yards rushing.