CLEVELAND — Starting his route from the right slot, Eagles wide receiver Devon Allen lowered his helmet slightly and jetted upfield. The Olympic hurdler blew past the zone coverage deployed by the Browns, and within seconds, Allen completed his deep post route and then uncorked the top of the defense with the Browns safeties backwards.
After a few glances across the field, quarterback Reid Sinnett heaved the football toward the end zone. Sinnett connected beautifully with a streaking Allen, who secured the 55-yard touchdown reception with two hands. Allen celebrated by air hurdling his way through the end zone, while coach Nick Sirianni sprinted across the sideline in jubilation.
Allen’s go-ahead score gave the Eagles a 21-20 lead in the second half. The Eagles preserved the lead on their way to claiming their first victory of the preseason Sunday.
Attendance report
A plethora of starters did not play against the Browns:
— QB Jalen Hurts
— RB Miles Sanders (hamstring)
— WR A.J. Brown
— WR DeVonta Smith
— LT Jordan Mailata
— LG Landon Dickerson
— C Jason Kelce (elbow)
— RG Isaac Seumalo
— RT Lane Johnson
— DT Fletcher Cox
— DT Javon Hargrave (toe)
— DE Josh Sweat
— DE Derek Barnett
— DE Brandon Graham
— LB Haason Reddick
— LB Kyzir White
— LB T.J. Edwards
— CB Avonte Maddox
— CB Darius Slay
— CB James Bradberry (groin)
— S Marcus Epps
— S Anthony Harris
*Other players who did not play due to injury: WR Greg Ward (toe), TE Grant Calcaterra (hamstring) LB Christian Elliss (hamstring)
Sirianni made the decision to sit his starters with the team’s best interests in mind. Leading up to kickoff, a constant and heavy downpour hovered over FirstEnergy Stadium, resulting in sleek and slippery on-field conditions. Some starters, such as Hurts, Brown, and Smith participated in warmups that included individual routes, but they did not dress in uniform for the actual game.
For what it’s worth, a few other starting quarterbacks did play during their preseason Week 2 games, including Bills’ Josh Allen and Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. It also should be noted that the Eagles are traveling to Miami on Tuesday, which will mark consecutive weeks of joint practices with the Browns and Dolphins. The Eagles will play the Dolphins in their preseason finale, scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.
Run, Eagles, run
With Sanders nursing a hamstring injury, Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell were the team’s featured running backs. Scott handled the opening drive, while Gainwell got his turn in the subsequent series. Behind an impressive second-string offensive line (left tackle Andre Dillard, left guard Jack Anderson, center Cam Jurgens, right guard Sua Opeta, and right tackle Jack Driscoll), the Eagles ran early and often.
Scott and Gainwell appeared in only one drive apiece, but they received a heavy workload. The duo combined for 21 rushes, 79 yards and two touchdowns (one each). Gainwell (hip) and Scott (concussion) both missed the preseason opener due to injuries, so it was an encouraging sign for them to come out strong against the Browns.
Gainwell, in particular, was efficient. He was responsible for multiple first downs, including an impressive chain-mover on third-and-13, in which the second-year tailback executed a sidestep juke in open space en route to a 16-yard gain. During Gainwell’s rookie season, he recorded first downs on 33 of his 101 touches. His efficiency is a major reason why Sirianni entrusted Gainwell during high-pressure situations, including goal-line and two-minute packages.
Kelce 2.0?
Kelce, the team’s second-longest tenured player behind Graham, played a key role in scouting Jurgens out of Nebraska. Kelce was involved during Jurgens’ predraft process: He visited with Jurgens during his meetings at the NovaCare Complex, and he provided offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland with his assessment and feedback.
The Eagles wound up selecting Jurgens in the second round of April’s draft. At the time, some questioned the pick, but Jurgens is leaving no doubt with his production this summer. It’s extremely early in his professional career, but Jurgens continues to be one of the brightest stories of camp.
On multiple occasions, the Eagles used Jurgens as a pulling blocker on rushing plays, and he exuded extreme effort in getting to the next levels and laying out blocks. During the team’s first rushing play, Jurgens pulled to his right and bulldozed Browns safety D’Anthony Bell straight into the turf as Scott picked up a smooth 13 yards.
Kelce is expected to be ready for the season opener Sept. 11 at Detroit, but Jurgens has proved he’s a more-than-capable backup. Furthermore, he gives Stoutland and Sirianni plenty of reasons to be excited for the post-Kelce era – whenever that may be.
Backup QB watch
Hurts might not play another in-game snap this preseason. He was statically perfect in the opener, completing all six of his throws for 80 passing yards and one touchdown. Hurts built on that performance with a pair of highlight-filled joint practice sessions earlier in the week.
With Hurts out, Minshew played the entire first half. Minshew hasn’t had the greatest camp, but he was equally accurate and efficient versus the Browns. He completed 14-of-17 passes for 142 yards with a 101.5 quarterback rating. Unfortunately for Minshew, one of his three incompletions occurred on fourth-and-goal near the end of the first half. On the play, Minshew looked toward the flat to Britain Covey, who was completely covered by a pair of defenders. Minshew did connect on multiple occasions with wide receiver Deon Cain, who finished with a game-high five catches and 66 receiving yards.
Besides Minshew, Sinnett completed 4-of-9 passes for 69 yards and the Allen touchdown.
