Hurts gives Eagles a jolt, defeats Vikings

Though many of the elements that made the Philadelphia Eagles champions last season had been missing during this unsettling start, their confidence in themselves never lacked.

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SAQUON BARKLEY dives through a gap in the Vikings' defense on Sunday.

(ABBIE PARR Associated Press)

Even the external doubts had a rough day, with Jalen Hurts flashing his Super Bowl MVP form.

Hurts gave his lagging offense a jolt by throwing for 326 yards and three touchdowns, Jalyx Hunt returned an interception for a score, and the Eagles rebounded from back-to-back losses by beating the Minnesota Vikings 28-22 on Sunday.

“It’s not a time to wish or hope for something to happen,” said Hurts, who went 19 for 23 for a perfect passer rating. “It’s a time to make it happen.”

Hurts sparked a highlight-reel revival of what had been a dormant passing attack for the Eagles (5-2), hitting A.J. Brown for two touchdowns and DeVonta Smith for a career-high 183 receiving yards that included a 79-yard score.

Facing third and nine from their 44 with 1:45 left and the Vikings (3-3) still holding two timeouts, Hurts dropped back and dropped a 45-yard rainbow into Brown’s arms to seal it after he beat former teammate Isaiah Rodgers with a slick double move up the sideline. Rodgers, in his first season with the Vikings, also got beat on Smith's touchdown.

“You don’t have a game like that without the guys around,” Hurts said. “I give a lot of credit to the collective of everyone hanging in there.”