In settling Jalen Hurts-A.J. Brown tension, Eagles got lucky vs. Steelers — but not in the way you might think

Jalen Hurts took his seat at the podium.

Without cracking a smile, the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback quipped: “So that’s what y’all wanted to see, huh?”

Hurts knew the noise surrounding the Eagles’ recent passing game reduction had struck a nerve the past week. Hurts’ own receiver, A.J. Brown, had aired his discontent with a passing attack that was actually plenty efficient but (to Brown’s dismay) selectively used.

The Eagles entered this week ranked dead last in pass attempts and first in rushing attempts. The offseason acquisition of running back Saquon Barkley was reaping massive benefit … but frustrating teammates whose targets had shifted toward their once-division rival.

So Philadelphia made a change.

In a 27-13 win over the playoff-bound Pittsburgh Steelers, Hurts targeted Brown a season-high 12 times and DeVonta Smith a season-high 11. Each hauled in a touchdown and more than 100 yards on a day when the Eagles’ 270 net passing yards marked their second most of the season and highest mark in more than two months.

The results were undeniable, the effectiveness of shifting from a run emphasis to a pass emphasis integral to the Eagles’ franchise-record 10th straight win.

The reason for this shift may not be as intentional as the narrative surrounding it seems. Perhaps it doesn’t matter. But it’s fair to say the Eagles, and especially Brown, got lucky.

The luck element wasn’t about production, Brown fully earning his 110 yards thanks to immense talent and extra meetings in the week leading to this game.

“You talk about something 10 times, you’re like ‘OK, I got it,’” Brown said after his fifth 100-yard receiving game this year. “It’s needed, though. And who cares how long we stay in there when we come out and put on a performance like today?”

The luck wasn’t about beating the Steelers, either. Pittsburgh’s offense was anemic without George Pickens (sidelined by a hamstring injury), the Steelers unable to capitalize even with their defense and special teams each forcing a turnover. Pittsburgh knew it should lose.

“They played way better than us tonight,” Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson said.

Rather, the Eagles got lucky because on a week when they needed the passing game to be the answer, a defense welcoming just that came to town. As the Eagles improve to 12-2 and at last tie the Detroit Lions for the NFC’s best record, what they learned from a combination of luck and work may take them deep into the playoffs.

“There are multiple ways to win,” Hurts said.

Shifted game strategy helped Eagles beat Steelers – and re-establish themselves

Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has a core philosophy: “Aggressively take what the defense gives us.”

To paraphrase: Game plans should adjust weekly to opponent and matchup. But they need not to do so passively; they can anticipate rather than only respond.

The “aggressive” element of Moore’s philosophy alone would have encouraged emphasizing the pass against the Steelers, as highly compensated and highly talented receivers began to resent their usage. The Eagles need not look back further than last season to see what happens when their locker room and coaching staff unravel.

But the defensive matchup element of the philosophy is where the luck came in. On a week when the Eagles decided it was worth cheering up Brown and Smith, the Steelers arrived with the 18th-ranked passing defense and the fourth-best rushing defense. Complaints or not, more air emphasis was going to be warranted.

“The way they play defense, they add a lot of guys into the box so we knew they were coming in,” Smith said. “It was just a matter of getting that one team who wanted to stop the run and wanted us to win the game through the air.

“The confidence was always there. It was just a matter of getting an opportunity.”

The confidence line might border on revisionist history. But excuse the Eagles if the post-win glow left them looking through Kelly Green-colored glasses. Philadelphia outgained a 10-win Steelers team 401 yards to 163. The Eagles were eight seconds shy of doubling Pittsburgh’s time of possession, and they never trailed.

Hurts found Brown on the second play of the game for 7 yards and later in the first quarter on a 24-yard, back-shoulder fade that cornerback Joey Porter Jr. couldn’t pace. The duo connected on a touchdown for just the second time in the past seven games, and before the first quarter ended, Smith had also scored.

Hurts’ 32 passing attempts were his most since September.

The quarterback who speaks often in metaphors had his imagery ready.

“The grass will be green where you water it,” Hurts said. “We decided to water it and saw the fruits of our labor. Obviously, we’d been watering the running game a little bit, and it’s kind of natural to put an emphasis on one thing and take an emphasis off the other.

“We want to continue to be well-rounded. Push to be well-rounded and water all areas.”

As Eagles look past disagreements, ‘everybody kissed and made up’

If the Eagles beat the Washington Commanders next week, they will clinch the NFC East.

Already Philadelphia has clinched a playoff spot and is well-positioned to secure the NFC’s top overall seed and lone bye.

The Eagles are peaking at a time when their fellow NFC 12-2 team Detroit continues to lose more defenders to injury. Philadelphia doesn’t have a perfect bill of health, with Hurts playing through a broken left ring finger and Barkley receiving medical evaluation and some rest during Sunday’s win. But the Eagles have only division games left and should be capable of winning any. They could have Week 18 and perhaps also the wild-card round to rest injured players.

The diversified winning recipes is one reflection of the Eagles’ peak. Head coach Nick Sirianni said their response to conflict and noise this week is another.

“What seemed like chaos on the outside … we used as something to kind of galvanize us and get better from,” Sirianni said. “If, during chaos, you can have calmness during that — that’s huge.”

The Eagles appear far more temperamentally capable to handle highs and lows than a year ago.

They appear more schematically ready, too.

Philadelphia has stars on each level of its defense, from 2023 first-round draft pick Jalen Carter on the line to special teamer-turned-likely-Pro Bowl linebacker Zack Baun cleaning up the next level. Rookie cornerbacks Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell have helped shore up Philadelphia’s secondary.

And that’s just the beginning of the personnel that has settled impressively into their first season in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme.

Offensively, a team that already was stacked at the line of scrimmage and behind it got deeper when adding Barkley. The Eagles’ quarterback, and their weapons, can win by air or by ground. They’ve shown that throughout this year — and they’ve shown both recipes as recently as this month.

Hurts values that.

“I’ve always said and believe that you want to make sure all of your tools are sharp,” Hurts said. “Just wanting to be multiple and make sure all our tools are sharp when we need them. You may not need every tool in the tool box. But just to know it’s in good shape doesn’t hurt.”

The Eagles’ running game is sharp. Their passing game, too. And that conflict resolution muscle?

Brown touted how “it’s easy for us to have these tough conversations” because of their shared goals. Smith said the team’s “uncomfortable conversations with each other [are] why this team is so good.”

The Eagles weren’t stressing after yet another big win against a playoff contender.

“Olive branches [were] extended,” right tackle Lane Johnson said. “Everybody kissed and made up. Sometimes, brothers fight. We have a lot of great players on this team.

“So that’s how I see it: brothers disagreeing, and we came out and answered the bell tonight.”