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Eagles rally past Jags to avoid season-opening stunner

Sep 8, 2014 - 12:24 AM Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - The Philadelphia Eagles were on the brink of opening the season with an embarrassing loss to one of the NFL's worst teams from a year ago.

Then they played the second half.

Nick Foles' 68-yard touchdown to Jeremy Maclin midway through the fourth quarter gave the Eagles their first lead of the day and they poured it on late to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, 34-17, on Sunday.

Foles threw for 322 yards with a pair of touchdowns and an interception, while Maclin hauled in four passes for 97 yards and the game-winning score for Philadelphia (1-0), which ran off 34 unanswered points to win its fourth consecutive season opener.

Zach Ertz also caught a touchdown pass in Philadelphia's eventful come-from- behind win, and Darren Sproles added a touchdown run.

LeSean McCoy, the NFL's leading rusher last season, finished with 74 yards on 21 carries and also recorded 41 yards on six receptions.

"It showed the battle we had," said McCoy. "Things weren't right. We fought hard, fought back strong and then win. There are going to be some tough games like that."

Jaguars rookie wide receiver Allen Hurns, who was undrafted out of the University of Miami, was a bright spot during a promising first half for the Jaguars (0-1), catching four passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He was held without a reception in the second half.

Trailing 17-0 after a lackluster first half, Philadelphia finally got on the board on a gamble early in the third quarter.

The Eagles were faced with a 4th-and-1 at the Jags' 49 on their opening possession of the second half when Philadelphia coach Chip Kelly opted to go for the first down. Sproles took a handoff from Foles and burst up the middle untouched for a 49-yard touchdown, the longest TD run of his career.

Following a three-and-out from Jacksonville, Philadelphia was aided by a 22- yard punt return from Sproles that set up a 6-play, 40-yard touchdown drive. Foles hooked up with Ertz for a 25-yard touchdown to cap the short march and help the Eagles cut the deficit to 17-14.

Rookie Cody Parkey, who beat out Alex Henery for Philadelphia's kicking job in the preseason, nailed a 51-yard field goal with just under 11 minutes remaining in the fourth to tie the game at 17-17.

"The thing about this team is, being down 20, 30, we score so fast that it doesn't matter," McCoy admitted. We make plays. We score fast."

Foles and Maclin then hooked up for the game-winning score on the first play of the Eagles' next drive. Maclin snuck past the secondary and Foles floated it to his wide open wideout for a 24-17 lead with 6:59 to play.

Parkey supplied a 28-yard field goal later in the quarter, then Fletcher Cox scooped up a Chad Henne fumble and returned it 17 yards for the final margin.

Henne threw for 266 yards and two touchdowns in the setback.

"It's going to be a good lesson for us," said Jags head coach Gus Bradley. "To take a look at this game and see it is a full 60 minutes to play. It's not just on the players, but everybody in that locker room."

The first half was one to quickly forget for the Eagles.

Philadelphia moved the ball just past midfield on its first touch of the season, however, former Eagle Chris Clemons forced a fumble on a sack of Foles. Ryan Davis pounced on the loose ball to recover for the Jags at the Philadelphia 44.

It only took Jacksonville four plays to punch it into the end zone from there, as Henne connected with Hurns for a 34-yard touchdown to open the scoring.

Foles coughed it up again on the Eagles' ensuing possession and much like the first turnover, Henne connected with Hurns for a touchdown. On 2nd-and-10 from the Eagles 21, Henne threw across the middle to Hurns, who broke a pair of tackles inside the 10 and reached out over the goal line for the touchdown.

Philadelphia pinned the Jags at the 1-yard line late in the first, but Hurns quickly changed field position by hauling in a 46-yard pass on the first play of the drive. A penalty by Cox on a horse collar tackle moved the ball into Eagles territory and Josh Scobee capped the scoring march with a 49-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead in the first minute of the second quarter.

Scobee missed a 50-yard attempt on the Jaguars' next possession, then Philadelphia drove to the Jacksonville five highlighted by a 30-yard catch from Jordan Matthews. However, Foles threw short of Brent Celek in the back of the end zone and Alan Ball intercepted the pass to keep the Eagles off the board.

The Jags moved into field-goal range later in the drive, but Scobee's attempt was blocked by Brandon Bair. The Jags, though, still brought a comfortable lead into the locker room at the break.

Game Notes

Philadelphia overcame a 17-point deficit and won for the first time since doing so against Kansas City in 2005 ... Foles had never committed three turnovers in a game in his career ... Eagles' All-Pro guard Evan Mathis left the game with a left knee injury in the second quarter and did not return. He will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the injury ... Jacksonville leads the all-time series, 3-2 ... Dating back to last season, the Eagles have won eight of nine regular season games. They have also won five straight in the regular season at Lincoln Financial Field ... Philadelphia has a takeaway in 14 straight games, the first time doing so since 2004 when they had a turnover in 15 straight games ... Toby Gerhart rushed for 42 yards on 18 carries in the setback.