Eagles vs. Jaguars observations: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia survive Jacksonville rally for fourth straight win

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Eagles didn't have the prettiest of games in a 28-23 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, but were able to preserve a massive first-half lead in a game which they lost A.J. Brown to a knee injury.

There were a few questionable decisions by coach Nick Sirianni, a failure of the "tush push," and a few other interesting aspects of the game that are addressed in the observations below. These occurred as the game unfolded. 

• The Eagles added a wrinkle to the "tush push" where DeVonta Smith ran outside on a fourth-and-1 at their own 49. Jalen Hurts was going to roll to his left, but Jack Stoll committed a false start -- forcing the Eagles to punt. While the wrinkle didn't work, the Eagles got a turnover on the punt return. Austin Trammell fumbled after the catch, as Sydney Brown forced the fumble and Kelee Ringo recovered. Philadelphia tried this version of the "tush push" later in the third quarter as Hurts got a first down. 
• Two plays later, Hurts found Saquon Barkley for a 20-yard touchdown pass. This was the first points the Eagles have scored in the first quarter this year. Philadelphia is trying to become the first team to make the playoffs after going scoreless in the first quarter of the first seven games since the 1933 Chicago Bears. 
• The Eagles defense got a few big plays from Zack Baun on its first possession. Baun had a pass defended on the first play from scrimmage and two tackles on that next three plays. That's two tackles and a pass defended on the first four plays. Josh Sweat had a sack on third-and-4 to get the defense off the field. The Eagles entered Week 9 leading the NFL in sacks since Week 6 (14). 
• Philadelphia had 94 total yards in the first quarter, Hurts went 6 of 7 for 57 yards with a touchdown and a 140.2 passer rating. Grant Calcaterra has become a reliable pass catcher at tight end filling in for Dallas Goedert, catching all three of his targets for 17 yards. 
• Barkley had a backward hurdle (or leapfrog) over Jaguars cornerback Jarrian Jones that is arguably the highlight play of the day. On a third-and-6 in the second quarter, Hurts dumped a pass off to Barkley -- who had one defender on him. Barkley reached out his hands and caught the pass in stride, juking past Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell and spinning past linebacker Devin Lloyd for the first down. Barkley wasn't done, as Jones went low to make the tackle. Barkley spun and jumped over the diving Jones in a backward hurdle as the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field erupted. Two more defenders had to bring Barkley down has he amassed a 14-yard gain on the play. 

• Barkley exited the game for a few plays, but returned later in the drive. The Eagles ended up with a field goal, capping a 15-play, 68-yard drive that took 8:53 off the clock and took a 10-0 lead. 
• The Eagles defense has held the Jaguars for 27 yards on 13 plays after three possessions. A desperate Jaguars team went for it on fourth down at its own 39-yard line, but Trevor Lawrence's pass to Evan Engram was incomplete as Cooper DeJean was in coverage. A 2-6 team down 10-0 on the road tries this move, especially with coach Doug Pederson fighting to save his team's season. The Eagles didn't get any points on the ensuring possession.
• Why didn't the Eagles get points on that ensuing possession? Hurts had Brown open on a fourth-and-3 at the Jaguars' 22-yard line, but the throw was short of Brown -- leading to an incomplete pass with Darnell Savage in coverage. A better throw from Hurts results in a first down. The Eagles could have kicked a 39-yard field goal, but a field goal only puts them up 13-0 while converting the fourth down puts them in position to go up three scores. The decision by Sirianni is understandable. 

• Josh Hines-Allen had two sacks for the Jaguars in the first half. Is Hurts holding on to the ball too long or is Fred Johnson (as most left tackles) having a tough time with Hines-Allen. It's likely both, but Hurts isn't turning the ball over either. Hurts is living to see another play and not forcing passes. He's been very smart with the football over the last month (0 giveaways in last 14 quarters). 

• Add to the dominant Baun first half with an interception off Lawrence, forcing the Jaguars' second turnover of the half. Baun has six tackles, two passes defended and an interception in the first half. 

• Barkley had 101 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in the first half. The Eagles had a third-and-17 from the Jaguars' 19-yard line and Philadelphia ran a draw play with Barkley, which he had a wide-open hole up the A gap and took it outside for the touchdown to put the Eagles up 16-0 in the final minute of the first half. Barkley had 13 carries for 61 yards and three catches for 40 yards in the first half. The Eagles went for two, but failed to convert the "tush push." The Jaguars called two timeouts to stop it. 
• Jahan Dotson has been biding his time waiting for an opportunity. With Brown sustaining a knee injury and not returning, Hurts targeted Dotson deep and he snapped a pass from Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell and juggled it to come down with the 36-yard catch. The Eagles later scored on the drive on a Hurts 18-yard touchdown run, capping off a seven-play, 78-yard drive to go up 22-0. Philadelphia is just outclassing Jacksonville at this point, even though the Eagles are 0-for-2 on the "tush push" on two-point conversions. 
• A surprising turn of events made this game close in the third quarter. The Jaguars drove the ball down the field to get their first score of the game on a 10-play, 61-yard drive (then converted a two-point conversion) to make it 22-8. On the first play of the Eagles ensuing possession, Barkley fumbled and the ball was returned for a touchdown by Trayvon Walker. The Jaguars got another two-point conversion to make it 22-16, scoring 16 points in 14 seconds. An Eagles blowout has turned into a one-possession game late in the third quarter. 
• Leave it to Smith to bail the Eagles out without Brown. Smith caught a 46-yard pass off a perfect deep ball from Hurts to get the Eagles into Jaguars territory. Smith then had one of the catches of the year in the right corner of the end zone, a 25-yard snag from Hurts to make it 28-16 with 7:43 left. Somehow Smith got one hand on the ball and dragged both feet in bounds. Smith had three catches for 78 yards in the second half, showcasing he's a No. 1 wide receiver in his own right. 
• Sirianni's decisions do not go unnoticed in this game. The Eagles had two missed two-point conversions, a fumble lost (although that one is up for interpretation), and a turnover on downs on a fourth-and-1 in which the Eagles did not use the "tush push" because it failed twice on the two-point conversions earlier. Sirianni couldn't decide whether to chase points or take them throughout the game, passing up on a 39-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter (turnover on downs) and 42-yard attempt in the third quarter (turnover on downs). Then he decided to kick a 57-yard field goal with Jake Elliott instead of going for it on fourth-and-4 at the Jaguars' 39-yard line, which Elliott missed. Overall, that's eight points Sirianni left on the board with his decisions. 
• The Eagles won 28-23, but survived as Nakobe Dean picked off Lawrence in the end zone to preserve a major collapse. Dean's interception in the back of the end zone was a play a receiver would make, but his athleticism showed on a play that proves why he started over Devin White at linebacker to begin the season. Again, not a perfect day for the offense or defense -- but the Eagles survived. They are 6-2 heading into Dallas.