The Philadelphia Eagles had another strong performance in Week 3 of the preseason against the Green Bay Packers.
The Eagles returned to Lambeau Field on Saturday night for the first time since suffering a 53-20 loss to the Packers in week 11 of the 2014 NFL season. If they wanted revenge, they got it.
A near-perfect night for Sam Bradford helped the Eagles get rolling early and never look back in a 39-26 win over the Packers.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 0 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 26 |
| Eagles | 25 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 39 |
On the opening kickoff, Eagles kick-returner Raheem Mostert took the ball for a 67-yard return. The Eagles gave the ball to DeMarco Murray on four straight plays, resulting in two first downs. Ryan Mathews then carried the ball for a five-yard gain. Bradford finished off the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Darren Sproles.
The Eagles started off hot on their next drive. Murray carried the ball for a first down on the first play of the drive and Bradford hit Jordan Matthews for a gain of 27 yards. On fourth and goal, Bradford hit Trey Burton for a three-yard touchdown pass.
With rookie quarterback Brett Hundley into the game, safety Walter Thurmond greeted him with a 28-yard interception return for a touchdown. The return gave the Eagles an 18-0 lead with 6:30 left in the first quarter.
The Eagles brought Bradford out for a third drive on their next offensive possession. Bradford capped-off the drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Brent Celek. Bradford ended the night 10-for-10 for 121 yards and three touchdown passes.
The Packers finally got on the board on their next drive. Hundley converted a couple of passes for first downs on the next drive for the Packers. Byron Maxwell would have had the second interception of the game, but Malcolm Jenkins was called for holding on the play, keeping possession with Green Bay. James Starks ran the ball in for a 1-yard touchdown run.
The Eagles struck for another score with 3:04 to play in the second quarter. Sanchez hit Jeff Maehl for a 9-yard touchdown pass.
The Packers did answer on the final drive of the half. After a near interception by Jaylen Watkins, Rajion Neal took the ball 36-yards on a screen for the score.
With under a minute left in the first half of play, Sanchez led the Eagles 92 yards for another touchdown. The drive started with a screen to Barner for a gain of 50 yards. In the closing seconds of the half, Sanchez connected with Burton for his second touchdown reception of the night.
The second half started with three solid defensive stands by both teams.
On Matt Barkley's second drive, Eric Tomlinson and Quron Pratt dropped two potential first down conversions. Barkley was then sacked on third down, resulting in a second consecutive Eagles punt.
On the next drive, E.J. Biggers helped Hundley and the Packers stay on the field. Biggers was called for pass interference on a 3rd and 4. On the next play, Hundley connected with Jeff Janis for a first down. Najee Goode was penalized for roughing the passer on the next play, giving the Packers the ball in the red-zone. Hundley ended the drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to Kennard Backman.
After the Eagles offense stalled again, Matt Blanchard received some snaps at quarterback for the Packers. Bryan Braman was called for roughing the passer on the first set of downs. Blanchard connected with White for a first down, with Rowe in coverage. Blanchard ended 10 play drive with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Janis to cut the Eagles lead to 13.
Trying to trim the lead even further, Blanchard picked up two quick first downs on the next drive for Green Bay. Blanchard went deep on the next pass, but was intercepted by sixth-round draft pick Randall Evans.
Tebow's second drive went better than his first one. He carried the ball for a first down that would help the Eagles run the clock out.
Passing Summary:
Packers
- Brett Hundley: 22-for-31, 315 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
- Matt Blanchard: 8-for-11, 87 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
Eagles
- Sam Bradford: 10-for-10, 121 yards, 3 TD
- Mark Sanchez: 13-for-19, 150 yards, 2 TD
- Matt Barkley: 5-for-9, 28 yards
- Tim Tebow: 2-for-2, 15 yards
Top-Performing Receivers:
Packers
- Ty Montgomery: 2 receptions, 71 yards
- Myles White: 9 receptions, 89 yards
- Rajion Neal: 4 receptions, 60 yards, TD
Eagles
- Jordan Matthews: 3 receptions, 51 yards
- Trey Burton: 4 receptions, 21 yards, 2 TD
- Jeff Maehl: 3 receptions, 43 yards, TD
Top-Performing Rushers:
Packers
- Eddie Lacy: 4 carries, 2 yards
- Rajion Neal: 4 carries, 23 yards
- John Crockett: 6 carries, 23 yards
Eagles
- DeMarco Murray: 6 carries, 28 yards
- Ryan Mathews: 7 carries, 22 yards
What's Next:
- Thursday, September 3, 2015 at New York Jets (1-1), 7:00 pm
- TV: NBC10; Radio: 94 WIP
Michael Malia is a contributing intern for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Facebook (Michael Malia) or Twitter @Michael_Malia.
