Eagles rally in rain to remain undefeated
PHILADELPHIA — Haason Reddick split his family’s loyalties over his first five seasons. The New Jersey native and former Temple standout always had his parents and friends rooting for him — and for teams that weren’t the hometown Philadelphia Eagles.
Reddick closed that fissure when the linebacker signed a free-agent deal with the Birds. Then he played his best homecoming game yet: two sacks, two fumble recoveries in the rain, and one big role in keeping the Eagles undefeated.
“To be able to be home, where I grew up at, it’s a lovely thing,” Reddick said.
Miles Sanders ran for 134 yards and two touchdowns, Jalen Hurts threw for 204 yards and ran for a score and the Eagles spoiled former coach Doug Pederson’s return to Philadelphia with a 29-21 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Sanders led an Eagles (4-0) offense that rushed for 210 yards against one of the tightest run defenses in the league.
“I’m excited as heck,” Sanders said. “The best part about being 4-0 is the chance to go 5-0.”
Trevor Lawrence threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns to Jamal Agnew. Lawrence was strip-sacked on the final drive of the game that sealed the win for the Eagles. It was one of four lost fumbles for the second-year quarterback.
Reddick and the Eagles defense had their fill of harassing the the 2021 No. 1 draft pick.
Pederson went 42-37-1 in five seasons with the Eagles. He guided the Eagles to two division championships and three playoff appearances before going 4-11-1 in 2020. Pederson was fired less than three years after that Super Bowl win.
On a rainy Sunday in Philly, Pederson got his due.
As the fans cheered for Pederson, the camera cut to a shot on the big screens of the 2017 World Champions banner that hangs from the above the top deck at the Linc.
Pederson, who already had a statue of himself and former QB
Nick Foles erected outside the Linc thanks to their Super Bowl victory, seems to have the Jaguars (2-2) motoring in the right direction.
Nick Sirianni, Pederson’s replacement, has the Eagles playing like a team that might have to make room in the rafters for more banners.
The Eagles shook off an abysmal start — Hurts had a pass intercepted by Andre Cisco and returned 59 yards for a TD — and a 14-0 hole after the first quarter before they started playing like the lone undefeated team in the NFL.