GREEN BAY, Wis. — At first, it looked like a disastrous night for the Philadelphia Eagles.
But just like that, the Eagles completely reversed their fortunes after falling behind by 10 points in the second quarter, and went back and forth with the Green Bay Packers.
Nigel Bradham's interception in the end zone with 20 seconds left saved the Eagles as Green Bay was going for the game-tying touchdown and the Eagles held on for a 34-27 win on Thursday.
The Eagles (2-2) avoided a 1-3 start with a huge win against the previously undefeated Packers.
The Eagles did it despite losing three of their top four cornerbacks to injury. Sidney Jones left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury, and Avonte Maddox late in the fourth on a brutal hit by teammate Andrew Sendejo as the Packers got to the Eagles' 7 yard line with 1:06 remaining.
Maddox was down on the ground for several minutes before getting lifted onto a stretcher with the entire Eagles team standing nearby for support.
Two plays later, Packers quarterback threw into the end zone. The ball was tipped into the arms of Bradham, who earlier in the game dropped an interception that likely would have resulted in a touchdown.
They did it with a defense that couldn't stop Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers or wide receiver Davante Adams. Rodgers threw for 422 yards, while Adams had 10 catches for 180 yards.
They did it with a punishing running game. Jordan Howard had 87 yards rushing and 3 TDs and Sanders added 71 yards rushing.
And they did it by stopping the Packers on downs after Green Bay had a 1st-and-goal from the Eagles' 1 in the fourth quarter. Curiously, the Packers never tried running the ball.
The Eagles also had a strip-sack by Derek Barnett with 1:53 left in the first half that gave the Eagles the ball at Green Bay's 17 yard line. It was just the third sack for the Eagles this season and first by a defensive end.
Howard capped that drive with a 1-yard run with 59 seconds left for a 21-13 lead.
But Rodgers doesn't need much time as he moved the Pack down the field, completing a pass for 31 yards to Geronimo Allison to the Eagles' 19 with 17 seconds left. He then hit Allison again for the TD with 9 seconds left.
Rodgers threw for 241 yards in the first half.
Carson Wentz, meanwhile, threw two touchdown passes in the first half, both to players coming off injuries in Alshon Jeffery for 6 yards and Dallas Goedert for 3 yards.
Early on, the Eagles once again couldn't get out of their own way. They fell behind by double digits for the fourth straight game. They have also given up points on each opponents' opening drive.
This time, penalties did them in. On Green Bay's first play from scrimmage from its own 11 yard line, Aaron Rodgers threw a short pass to Jamaal Williams who was stopped for no gain. That's when Barnett came in helmet first and knocked Williams to the ground, where he remained for several minutes.
Williams was wheeled off on a stretcher with head and neck injuries. The Packers announced that he had movement in all of his extremities.
Still, instead of 2nd-and-long deep in its own territory, the Packers had a first down at the 26. And Rodgers immediately took advantage, hitting Adams over Jones for 58 yards down to the Eagles' 7. The Packers scored two plays later.
Green Bay stretched the lead to 10-0, again helped by a personal foul penalty against the Eagles when the Packers were deep in their own territory. This time, facing a 1st-and-20 from the 17, a short completion turned into a first down when Zach Brown was called for a facemask.
The Packers marched down the field before stalling at the Eagles' 12 as Andrew Sendejo broke up a pass into the end zone.
The Eagles finally came to life, however, helped by Miles Sanders' 67-yard kickoff return that enabled the Eagles to start at Green Bay's 34. Wentz capped off that drive with a 6-yard TD pass to Jeffery, making his return after missing last Sunday's game with a calf injury.
The Eagles defense again gave up yards, but held the Packers to a field goal.
Then they took the lead on Wentz's 3-yard pass to Goedert, another player coming back from an injury.
But there was still a long way to go, and the offenses were in total control.
That might have been expected from the Eagles. After all, they were already without cornerback Ronald Darby, who has a hamstring injury. When Jones left, Avonte Maddox went to the outside opposite of Rasul Douglas.
It was not expected from the Packers. They had allowed just 35 points total in their first three games.
But their run defense had been giving up an average of 131 yards per game. The Eagles took advantage of that.
So the offensive onslaught continued in the second half. The Eagles went ahead 27-20 on Wentz's 20-yard pass to Howard. Eagles coach Doug Pederson went for 2 points, hoping for a two-score advantage, but the pass failed.
The Packers tied it up on Rodgers' 14-yard pass to Jimmy Graham with 3:16 left in the third quarter. Rodgers went over 300 yards passing for the game on that TD. The Eagles came right back, however, as Howard powered his way down to the 2 yard line on a 16-yard run, then scored on the next play.
Follow the Delaware News Journal's Martin Frank on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
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