There were many great moments in the Eagles 2022 season, so picking the top 10 was a tough task. We tried to pick the most entertaining moments that also had the biggest impact on our season.
Eagles best moments of 2022
1. HAASON REDDICK SACKS NINERS’ BROCK PURDY AND KNOCKS HIM OUT OF THE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME.
Some of the pregame chatter before the Eagles-Niners NFC Championship Game focused on the amazing Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, the Niners’ third-string quarterback. Purdy had stepped in for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 and won all seven of his starts.
Soon, there was no happy talk. On the 49ers’ sixth play, Haason Reddick charged from the left edge, blew past back-up tight end Tyler Kroft and drove in and through Purdy’s right arm. The ball flew forward. The strip-sack was recovered by Livall Joseph.
Purdy was done for the rest of the first half. He tried to play in the second half after fourth-stringer Josh Johnson was squashed by Ndamukong Suh but couldn’t throw the ball downfield.
“I just set the tone and let them know what kind of day it was going to be,” Reddick said.
The Eagles’ defense dominated San Francisco and won, 31-7, clinching a berth in the Super Bowl.
2. A.J. BROWN CATCHES TOUCHDOWN PASS VS. TITANS IN WEEK 13 WITHOUT EXTENDING HIS ARMS.
Brown ran down the left sideline into the end zone, closely guarded — and maybe held — by the Titans’ Tre Avery. Jalen Hurts delivered a beautiful pass right on target. What made this play so amazing is that Brown never extended his arms to catch the ball. Hurts’ pass was perfect — dropped in the bucket — and Brown had a 29-yard touchdown reception.
Brown had eight catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns against his former team in the Eagles’ 35-10 victory.
“I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say I circled this game,” Brown said. “I’m just trying to be consistent. I just kept my emotions down all week and focused what I need to focus on. Today, I let it all loose.”
3. JALEN HURTS’ RUN IN WEEK TWO VS. VIKINGS.
Jalen Hurts had dozens and dozens of memorable plays in the Eagles’ 14-3 season. His 26-yard touchdown on Monday Night Football was one of his greatest.
With the Eagles ahead, 14-7, late in the first half, Hurts rolled right looking to convert a third-and-two. Hurts cut upfield, a path cleared by tight end Dallas Goedert. Hurts broke a tackle at the 7-yard line, another at the 4-yard line then bulled into the end zone.
It was a touchdown but it was more. It was a signature moment for Hurts — with many more to follow. It was a signature game for Hurts. He had arrived, in a dominant way. So had the Eagles, beating a serious conference opponent, 24-7.
Hurts was 18-of-21 for 251 yards and a touchdown in the first half, along with 50 yards on seven carries and two touchdowns.
- “Big-time performance on a big-time stage,” Nick Sirianni said about Hurts.
4. A.J. BROWN TRACKS DOWN JALEN HURTS’ PASS FOR TOUCHDOWN IN SUPER BOWL.
With the Super Bowl tied, 7-7, Hurts threw a 45-yard touchdown pass into the left side of the end zone. Brown was double-teamed and made a great adjustment on the ball.
He ran past one defender and over another to catch up to the ball. It was one of the Eagles’ best touchdown plays of the season— lost by the events later in the game, a 38-35 Chiefs’ victory.
“Yeah, you can say the future’s real bright,” Brown said two days after the loss. “Right now, I can’t really think about the future. Right now it’s just so tough to even look that far.”
5. THE EAGLES SACK CARSON WENTZ NINE TIMES IN WEEK THREE.
This game had been circled on the Eagles’ calendar for months — Week Three, Sept. 25, at Washington.
Against Carson Wentz.
The Eagles went after their former quarterback with gusto. They hit him 17 times and sacked him nine times. The Eagles jumped out to a 24-0 lead and won, 24-8. This wasn’t an individual moment, it was nine of them.
- “I think we did a really nice job of getting him to known-pass, and then our defensive line, they just went out and hunted,” Sirianni said.
The sacks set a tone for the game and were a warning for other opponents. The Eagles were coming after your quarterback. They finished the season with 70 sacks, third-best in NFL history.
- “Nine sacks. That’s crazy,” Hurts said.
6. A.J. BROWN GRABS TWO TOUCHDOWN PASSES AGAINST DOUBLE-TEAMS VS. STEELERS IN WEEK EIGHT.
By Week Eight, Brown had established himself as one of the NFL’s top receivers. He took it a step further against the Steelers in a 35-13 Eagles’ victory.
He caught three touchdown passes in the first half. On two of them, he beat double-teams to make the catch. After the third touchdown, which put the Eagles ahead, 21-7, Brown pointed to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ahkello Witherspoon, the two defensive backs covering him.
He was fined $10,609 for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Brown tweeted after the fine: My two little finger points the other day cost me 5k a piece. I will keep my hands, feet, and other objects to myself from now on lol
Brown and the 7-0 Eagles were on the way.
7. INJURED JALEN HURTS CONNECTS WITH A.J. BROWN DOWN THE RIGHT SIDELINE AGAINST BEARS IN TIGHT WEEK 15 GAME.
The Eagles were locked in a close game at Chicago, ahead only 17-13 with 5:35 to play. The Eagles had played sloppily, with Hurts throwing two interceptions against the 3-10 Bears.
Then, Hurts uncorked an on-the-money strike to Brown on the right sideline for a 68-yard gain. Brown made a beautiful, over-the-shoulder catch. Three plays later, Hurts scored on a 1-yard run and the Eagles led 25-13.
The catch was great enough but the throw was more impressive. Hurts had been injured on a run in the third quarter — smashed into the ground by Chicago defensive end Trevis Gipson — resulting in a shoulder sprain that sidelined him for two games.
- “It wasn’t the first time I’ve been slow [getting up], won’t be the last,” Hurts said after the 25-20 victory that improved the Eagles’ record to 13-1.
8. DEVONTA SMITH GOES UP AGAINST COMMANDERS’ DOUBLE-TEAM TO MAKE SPECTACULAR CATCH IN WEEK THREE.
This catch was one of many for Smith, who had no sophomore slump. Against the Commanders, Smith set a career-high for receptions (eight) and receiving yards (169).
Smith’s great catch was on a 44-yard pass to the 1-yard line. Smith was in the middle of the field. He went up and high-pointed the pass while he twisted his body. He landed flat on his back, hard, and was taken out of the game briefly.
- “He’s a great all-around player,” Hurts said of Smith after the Eagles’ 24-8 victory in the Wentz sack game. “He’s the slim reaper. By the eyes, he might be a little sly. But he’s plays like a big boy. He’s a grown man.”
Smith had 95 receptions for 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. In almost every game, Smith made a twisting, turning, down-the-sideline catch that amazed fans.
9. EAGLES RALLY FROM 14-0 DOWN IN THE RAIN AGAINST JAGUARS AND DOUG PEDERSON IN WEEK FOUR AND PULL OUT 29-21 VICTORY.
In Week 4, we didn’t know a lot yet about the 3-0 Eagles. They had a test in the opener at Detroit, then destroyed the Vikings at home and Carson Wentz and the Commanders on the road.
The Eagles appeared on-track for a big season.
Then, Pederson and the Jags showed up. At the end of the first quarter, the Eagles trailed 14-0. Maybe this team wasn’t as good as everyone thought.
But the Eagles’ defense took over, forcing five turnovers. Miles Sanders gained 134 yards on the ground and scored two touchdowns.
The signature moment was actually two of them. Haason Reddick strip-sacked Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence twice.
- “Today, this team didn’t flinch,” Hurts said. “We found a way. We persevered. We were unwavering in how we played. Nothing was able to deny us.”
10. JOSH SWEAT GETS PICK-SIX AGAINST COWBOYS QUARTERBACK DAK PRESCOTT IN WEEK 16.
This amazing play was in a loss but still deserves credit. Prescott tried to throw over Sweat, who got his hands on the ball, made the catch and ran 42 yards for a touchdown, giving the Eagles a 10-0 lead.
The game turned around with Dallas winning 40-34 and stopping the Eagles from clinching the NFC East. The Eagles led by 10 points in the third quarter — sound familiar? — but Prescott shook off the early interception and picked apart the Eagles’ defense. That sounds familiar, too.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
When a team goes 14-3, wins two playoff games and goes to the Super Bowl, there are more than 10 great plays. We added six honorable mentions — all memorable and all important.
- Jalen Hurts’ quarterback sneaks. Hurts was successful 36-of-40 times. The Eagles were so successful, the NFL reportedly is considering changing a rule that will forbid offensive players from pushing runners forward, part of the tactic the Eagles used with Hurts.
- James Bradberry’s pick-six against Lions off a tipped pass by Kyzir White to put Eagles ahead, 21-7.
- Bradberry’s interception against the Giants, his former team, in the divisional playoff.
- Dallas Goedert’s one-handed catch and 16-yard touchdown rumble into end zone in the divisional playoff against Giants.
- DeVonta Smith’s non-catch/catch against the 49ers on fourth down in the NFC title game.
- Reed Blankenship’s interception against Aaron Rodgers.
