DeVonta Smith saved the night. His fourth-quarter touchdown was the spark the Philadelphia Eagles desperately needed to survive the Green Bay Packers. The defending champs somehow escaped with a narrow 10-7 win. But soon after the game, Smith’s words cut through the locker room noise.

“Offensively, we don’t feel good at all… we need to be better. The defense is playing their a*s off. We need to help those guys out. We need to be better. That’s gonna come. You have your up and downs. We have good weeks, we have bad weeks, and this week wasn’t one of our best.”

Notably, the game crawled through three quarters before anyone saw points. Philly had to settle for a field goal midway through the third. Then, finally, at the 10:35 mark in the fourth, Jalen Hurts uncorked a deep ball on first down. Smith came down with it in stride, breaking through the quiet.

Soon after, the Packers also tried to hurt the Eagles, but Smith was the difference. The lone touchdown belonged to him, and he made sure it counted.

He finished with four receptions on seven targets for 69 yards, leading all receivers. Two of those catches moved the chains on third down, keeping the Eagles’ slim hopes alive.

But this win felt more like survival than dominance. And Jalen Hurts knows it, too.

Jalen Hurts’ blunt statement about the rivals

QB Jalen Hurts didn’t have his best night under the lights at Lambeau Field. The game felt like a grind from start to finish, and he knew it. After the final whistle, Hurts didn’t hold back on his thoughts about Green Bay’s defense.

He said, “The Packers are the best defense they have faced this season.”

It showed too. Hurts completed 15 of 26 passes for 183 yards and a single touchdown. Even Packers head coach Matt LaFleur admitted his defense came to play.

“We knew it was going to be a four-quarter fistfight. Our defense was outstanding, and, unfortunately, just too many mistakes offensively to overcome it.”

However, overall, the game was a cagey one. Neither side found the rhythm easily. Still, Hurts found his moment. In the fourth quarter, he connected with DeVonta Smith on a 36-yard strike to make it 10-0 with just ten minutes left at Lambeau Field.

But Green Bay didn’t roll over. Josh Jacobs broke through with a six-yard run to cut the lead, and suddenly it was tense again. Then came the near heartbreak. Brandon McManus’ 64-yard field goal fell short, sealing Philly’s narrow win. Earlier, Jordan Love’s fumble in the final minute of the first half had already cost Green Bay a scoring shot.

Now, the Eagles sit at 7-2, locked in a three-way fight atop the NFC with the Seahawks and Rams. Meanwhile, Green Bay’s grind continues. At 5-3-1, and with two straight home losses, the Packers sit third in a competitive NFC North.