Eagles evade scare, leave Tennessee with hard-fought win

After a disappointing home opener that looked much like what they produced throughout 2025, the Tennessee Titans played host to a strong Philadelphia Eagles side, who look poised to top the NFC East for a 3rd consecutive year on the back of their Week 1 victory against the Washington Commanders.

Concerns were raised throughout the week as to whether the Titans’ league-worst offense would have any chance at competing with the Eagles’ defense, filled with talent. Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons had plenty of confidence in his side of the ball, however, believing they’d give themselves every chance to win the game if they just ‘(made) Jalen Hurts play quarterback’.

Philadelphia’s defense made it clear they were here for business from the get-go, wasting no time forcing the Titans off the field, but after a prolonged drive in response, 2025’s best redzone offense came away with nothing, as Hurts was picked off in the end zone by Amani Hooker, who returned it all the way back to the Eagles’ 10-yard line.

Cam Ward made hard work of making the most of elite field position, but eventually got a score on the board himself, with a 4th down sneak attempt, as Tennessee surprisingly took an early lead.

Doing what he does best, Hurts shook off his mistake to lead another methodical drive down the field in response, and with Saquon Barkley sidelined with a stinger, Tank Bigsby got the opportunity to find the end zone, which he did to tie the game.

The Titans were unable to find any offensive spark when not helped by premium field position, only maintaining posession of the ball for a total of 8 minutes for the entire first half. Despite running in a touchdown from short yardage, Ward had just 6 passing yards with 2 minutes to halftime in an uninspiring effort all around.

This allowed the Eagles to compile another prolonged drive, completing it this time with a perfectly weighted throw to DeVonta Smith for a 22-yard touchdown. The Titans offense did look its best during the ensuing 2-minute drill, putting up points as the away team led 14-10 heading into the locker room.

Barkey returned to the game for Philadelphia in the second half, and although the teams traded punts early on, Jake Elliott nailed a field goal from long-range to give his team some breathing room on the scoreboard.

In unlikely fashion, given the early dominance of the Eagles’ defense, Ward led a length-of-the-field drive to tie the game, as he ran in another touchdown to make a real game of it.

The door was really opened for Tennessee to pull off a major upset when Hurts’ second interception struck with 6 minnutes to play. The Titans parlayed this into some instant offense, as Elic Ayomanor hurdled defenders to pick up 41 yards, setting up a go-ahead field goal with under 2 minutes to play.

Composure was once again key for Hurts and the Eagles offense. Smith made 4 catches for 38 yards on what proved to be the game-winning drive, with the defining touchdown coming through an unlikely source in Darius Cooper, as just 9 seconds remained on the clock.

Philadelphia escaped with another narrow win, as they’ve had a knack of doing in the last few years. They’ll face a genuine challenge next week in Chicago and have no choice but to step it up. 2-0 is 2-0, however, and this is a team who have made it known that winning is their only focus.

Despite the loss, this may have been the best performance of Cam Ward’s professional career. He overcame a slow start, remaining calm against an elite defense and showing more than flashes of what he could become.

Touchdowns
Philadelphia: Bigsby, Smith, Cooper
Tennessee: Ward 2

Top Performers
Philadelphia: Hurts, Smith, Smith Jr., Carter
Tennessee: Ward, Townsend, Harris, Hooker

Injuries
Philadelphia: N/A
Tennessee: N/A

Crowd: TBC