The Eagles score today: Saquon Barkley shines with a reverse jumper and two touchdowns in the Birds' 28:23 victory over the Jaguars

PHILADELPHIA – Saquon Barkley made a stunning reverse hurdle in a standout performance and Nakobe Dean had a game-saving interception to help the Philadelphia Eagles to their fourth straight victory, 28-23 over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night.

Barkley had 27 carries for 159 yards and a touchdown. He also had three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown.

The Eagles (6-2) held on after coach Nick Sirianni missed opportunities to put easy points on the field. The Eagles went 0-for-2 on fourth down and were 0-for-3 on 2-point conversions, forcing them to let Jake Elliott attempt a 57-yard field goal with 2:16 left.

Elliott missed, giving the Jaguars (2-7) the ball at their own 47-yard line.

Eagles defensive lineman Avonte Maddox was stopped for pass interference from 18 yards, which helped move the ball to the Eagles' 13 yards.

But Jacksonville's second-half comeback ended when Trevor Lawrence's terrible pass was intercepted in the end zone by Dean, giving the linebacker his first interception in his career.

The Eagles found their groove coming out of the bye and put together a winning streak behind Jalen Hurts and Barkley that has catapulted them into the center of the NFC East race.

Hurts was 18 of 24 for 230 yards. He threw for two scores and ran for another.

DeVonta Smith nearly matched Barkley with a play straight out of a video game with a one-handed 25-yard TD grab – reminiscent of New York Jets receiver Garrett Wilson's catch last week – late in the fourth period that cut the Eagles' lead expanded to 28-28. 16.

But all those lost points took a toll on the Eagles.

Lawrence – 16 of 31 for 169 yards and two interceptions – ran for two touchdowns for the Jaguars, including a 4-yard scramble with 4:04 remaining that made the score 28-23.

The Eagles can thank Barkley for this win.

Barkley, who has already proven to be a crucial free agent for the Eagles, had another dominant performance with arguably the most acrobatic play of the NFL season.

The play that left mouths agape: Hurts threw a second-quarter pass to Barkley, who outsmarted a defender and executed a dirty spin move that left another Jaguars defender on the floor before split-legged one Jacksonville cornerback Jarrian Jones jumped back over him for a 14-yard gain.

The reverse hurdle stunned the Jaguars and set up an Eagles field goal for a 10-0 lead. But Barkley also had a costly mistake.

Lawrence was the catalyst for Jacksonville's second-half rally, scoring on a 1-yard run and throwing a 2-point conversion pass late in the third period to make it 22-8. Barkley then fumbled on the next possession, Travon Walker grabbed the loose ball and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown. The Jaguars cut their score to 22-16 after another 2-point conversion.

The Eagles, wearing their fan-favorite classic Kelly green jerseys, let Barkley do most of the offense in the first half.

Barkley certainly didn't settle for routine plays for most of the game. Before rushing for the first down, Barkley threw an over-the-shoulder 20-yard touchdown catch into the corner of the end zone, making it 7-0 – important for the lead, yes, but also the Eagles scored their first points in the first quarter of the entire season.

After an Eagles touchdown was negated by offensive pass interference, Barkley got the ball on the next play and sprinted 19 yards for the score and a 16-0 halftime lead.

Unhappy homecoming

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson has gone 0-2 against the Eagles since Philadelphia fired him following the 2020 season.

Injuries

Jaguars: OL Mitch More was treated for a concussion. … OL Anton Harrison suffered a knee injury. … OL Cooper Hodges was carted off the field in the third quarter with a leg injury.

Eagles: WR AJ Brown suffered a knee injury. … LB Ben VanSumeren also suffered a concussion.

The Eagles lose star receiver AJ Brown to Jacksonville due to a knee injury

Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown left Sunday's game against Jacksonville with a knee injury.

After his last catch of the game late in the first half, Brown was slow to get back to his feet. He had two catches for 36 yards before exiting in the second half.

Brown has already missed three games this season due to a hamstring injury. He has two 100-yard receiving games this season and entered Sunday with 21 catches for 408 yards and three touchdowns.

Brown had 106 catches for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns for the Eagles last season and has been one of the top receivers in the NFL since his rookie season with Tennessee in 2019. Brown signed a three-year contract extension in April that included $84 million in guaranteed money.

Next

Jaguars: Return home to play Minnesota on Sunday.

Eagles: Travel to Sunday's game in Dallas.