Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts took advantage of the return of Desean Jackson for an 81-yard pass against the Dallas Cowboys.
A broken ankle has kept Jackson out of action since Oct. 22. But after missing seven games, Jackson returned with a bang by turning his first reception Sunday into his first attack of the 2020 season.
On a first and ten times after a Dallas field goal, Hurts unleashed a 50-throw to Jackson behind the Cowboys secondary. The showdown led Philadelphia 14-3 by 5:48 in the first quarter.
With 25 receptions of at least 60 yards, Jackson has more than any other player in NFL history.
The finish was the third longest in the NFL this season behind an 85-year-old from Derek Carr to Nelson Agholor for the Las Vegas Raiders against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday and an 84-year-old from Ben Roethlisberger to Chase Claypool for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 20 against the Denver Broncos.
Hurts became the sixth Alabama alumnus with an NFL finish of at least 80 yards, joining Joe Namath, Bart Starr, Ken Stabler, Richard Todd and Scott Hunter.
Hurts’ passing was the longest throw for a former Alabama player since Richard Todd teamed up with Wesley Walker on an 87-yard TD pass against the Oakland Raiders on October 23, 1977.
The longest of Hurts’ 51 rounds was 42 yards before Sunday’s turn.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @ AMarkG1.