PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Jalen Hurts smacked A.J. Brown helmet-to-helmet after a touchdown pass for a celebration that seemed to release the pent-up tension that came tethered to a losing streak.
Nick Sirianni tossed an arm around Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles coach yelled some happy words at the QB who weathered recent criticism as the season started to bend toward a collapse. The sideline vibes were good for the Eagles. The offense, even better. Against a Las Vegas Raiders team that has bottomed out as one of the worst in the NFL, the defense was simply elite — just 75 total yards allowed.
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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts reacts to a touchdown by Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert during the second half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt (58) grabs Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett (15) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt (58) grabs Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett (15) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) is brought down by Las Vegas Raiders outside linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs with the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) hands off the ball to Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, left, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Hurts rebounded from his worst NFL game to throw three touchdown passes, Saquon Barkley had a 2-yard touchdown run and the Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak with their first shutout in seven years in a 31-0 win Sunday.
“I feel like we got caught up in stuff that doesn’t matter,” Barkley said. “The only thing that matters is winning football.”
The Eagles (9-5) were able to get their maligned offense under embattled coordinator Kevin Patullo right against the woeful Raiders and finally showed signs of life with a nice mix of play calling in bitter cold temperatures and topped 21 points for the first time in six games.
Hurts had his moments — that included a shovel pass for a score to Dallas Goedert on a day that started with the field blanketed in several inches of snow. Hurts also hit DeVonta Smith on a 44-yard reception on a drive that stalled in the second quarter and settled for a field goal by Jake Elliott and a 10-0 lead. He pitched a 4-yard TD pass to Goedert in the third for a 24-0 lead.
The Eagles defense had their first shutout since Dec. 30, 2018, against Washington. The Eagles limited the Raiders (2-12) to 46 yards rushing and sent them to their eighth straight loss. The Raiders got an anemic performance out of Kenny Pickett in his first start at quarterback for the injured Geno Smith.
“This is the result against the world champs last year who maybe weren’t playing quite like that for a month here or whatever, but they looked like it today,” Raiders coach Pete Carroll said. "It looked like a great team today.”
Hurts needed a personal win in his first game since he thew four interceptions and lost a fumble in an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Hurts’ season has been erratic – he threw five picks against only two touchdowns the last two games, 10 months after he won Super Bowl MVP. Sirianni scoffed at a “ ridiculous ” question on his weekly Philadelphia sports talk radio appearance when he was asked if Hurts would keep his starting job this season.
Hurts turned the game into a blowout when he threw a 27-yard touchdown to Brown early in the fourth for a 31-0 lead. He finished 12 of 15 for 175 yards passing.
As for the celebration?
“Just a natural reaction,” Hurts said through his usual stoicism.
The Eagles also staved off talk they were on the brink of their second December collapse under Sirianni in the last three seasons. The 2023 Eagles started 10-1 and finished 11-6 and were bounced in their first playoff game.
Hurts and this year’s Eagles have the benefit of a soft schedule down the stretch that started against the Raiders and includes two games with Washington. The Eagles still control the NFC East and have a home playoff game in sight — and yes, they can still repeat as Super Bowl champions, even as Barkley recently criticized the sideline demeanor noted how it seemed “the sky's falling outside the locker room.”
Barkley is still well off his 2,000-yards rushing pace from a season ago but added 78 yards rushing and his TD run sent the Eagles into halftime with a 17-0 lead.
“We've been committed to playing Eagles football and doing the things we need to do to play Eagles football,” Sirianni said. “That’s tough, detailed, together, and that happens during the week. If we rode the wave of the outside noise, then you’re not able to do that.”
Brandon Graham had his first two sacks with the Eagles since he ended his short-lived retirement after the Super Bowl and returned to the team in late October.
At 37 years, 255 days old, Graham became the oldest player in Eagles history with a sack. Richard Dent was 37 years, 1 day when he had a sack in 1997.
“We were just going stingy with everything,” Graham said of the defense's success.
Pickett won a Super Bowl ring last season as Hurts' backup. In his return to Philadelphia, Pickett threw for only 64 yards and was sacked four times.
Smith injured his right shoulder and hand in the third quarter of last Sunday’s 24-17 loss to Denver. Smith has a good chance to return next week when the Raiders visit Houston.
Carroll offered faint praise: “The only good thing that happened, we didn’t have anybody hurt today.”
Former President Joe Biden attended the game and told a sports reporter from the local NBC TV station he was rooting for the Eagles.
“Go Birds, man, all the way,” Biden said. “Gotta win the Super Bowl again.”
Hurts and Barkley were both checked out by trainers on the sidelines but stayed in the game until the score got out of reach. Both players said after the game they were fine.
Raiders: Play Sunday at Houston.
Eagles: Play Saturday night in Landover, Maryland, against the Commanders.
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Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts reacts to a touchdown by Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert during the second half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt (58) grabs Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett (15) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jalyx Hunt (58) grabs Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kenny Pickett (15) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) is brought down by Las Vegas Raiders outside linebacker Elandon Roberts (52) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) runs with the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) hands off the ball to Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, left, during the first half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A person of interest was in custody Sunday after a shooting during final exams at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others, though key questions remained unanswered nearly 24 hours after the attack.
The attack Saturday afternoon set off hours of chaos across the Ivy League campus and surrounding Providence neighborhoods as hundreds of officers searched for the shooter and urged students and staff to shelter in place. The lockdown, which stretched into the night, was lifted early Sunday, but authorities had not yet released information about a potential motive.
Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief, said Sunday afternoon that the person in custody was in their 20s and that no one has been charged yet. Perez, who previously said the person was in their 30s and that no one else was being sought, declined to say whether the detained person had any connection to Brown.
The person was taken into custody at a Hampton Inn hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Providence, where police officers and FBI agents remained Sunday, blocking off a hallway with crime scene tape as they searched the area.
The shooting occurred during one of the busiest moments of the academic calendar, as final exams were underway. Brown canceled all remaining classes, exams, papers and projects for the semester and told students they could leave campus, underscoring the scale of the disruption and the gravity of the attack.
As police scoured the area for the shooter, many students remained barricaded in rooms while others hid behind furniture and bookshelves. One video showed students in a library shaking and wincing as they heard loud bangs just before police entered the room to clear the building.
University President Christina Paxson teared up while describing her conversations with students both on campus and in the hospital.
“They are amazing and they’re supporting each other,” she said at a news conference. “There’s just a lot of gratitude.”
The gunman opened fire inside a classroom in the engineering building, firing more than 40 rounds from a 9 mm handgun, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Two handguns were recovered when the person of interest was taken into custody and authorities also found two loaded 30-round magazines, the official said. One of the firearms was equipped with a laser sight that projects a dot to aid in targeting, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity.
One student of the nine wounded students had been released from the hospital, said Paxson. Seven others were in critical but stable condition, and one was in critical condition.
Durham Academy, a private K-12 school in Durham, North Carolina, confirmed that a recent graduate, Kendall Turner, was critically wounded. The school said her parents were with her.
“Our school community is rallying around Kendall, her classmates, and her loved ones, and we will continue to offer our full support in the days ahead,” the school said.
On Sunday evening, city leaders, residents and others gathered at a park to honor the victims. The event originally was scheduled as a Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah lighting.
“For those who know at least bit of the Hanukkah story, it is quite clear that if we can come together as a community to shine a little bit of light tonight, there’s nothing better that we can be doing,” Mayor Brett Smiley said at a news conference earlier in the day.
Smiley said he visited some wounded students and was inspired by their courage, hope and gratitude. One told him that active shooting drills done in high school proved helpful.
“The resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me, is frankly pretty overwhelming,” he said.
Investigators were not immediately sure how the shooter got inside the first-floor classroom at the Barus & Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the School of Engineering and physics department. The building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices, according to the university’s website.
Engineering design exams were underway. Outer doors of the building were unlocked but rooms being used for final exams required badge access, Smiley said.
Emma Ferraro, a chemical engineering student, was in the lobby working on a final project when she heard loud pops. Once she realized they were gunshots, she darted for the door and into a nearby building where she waited for hours.
Surveillance video released by police showed a suspect, dressed in black, walking from the scene.
Eva Erickson, a doctoral candidate who was the runner-up earlier this year on the CBS reality competition show “Survivor,” said she left her lab in the engineering building 15 minutes before shots rang out.
The engineering and thermal science student shared candid moments on “Survivor” as the show’s first openly autistic contestant. She was locked down in the campus gym following the shooting and shared on social media that the only other member of her lab who was present was safely evacuated.
Brown senior biochemistry student Alex Bruce was working on a final research project in his dorm across the street from the building when he heard sirens outside.
“I’m just in here shaking,” he said, watching through the window as officers surrounded his dorm.
Brown, the seventh-oldest higher education institution in the U.S., is one of the nation’s most prestigious colleges, with roughly 7,300 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduate students.
Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press journalists Jennifer McDermott in Providence and Alanna Durkin Richer and Mike Balsamo in Washington contributed.
Passers-by walk past crime scene tape at an entrance to Brown University, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Providence, R.I., following the Saturday, Dec. 13, shooting at the university. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
A bouquet of flowers rests on snow, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, on the campus of Brown University not far from where a shooting took place, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
A pedestrian walks across the intersection of Waterman St. and Hope St. Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, after a shooting on Saturday in Providence, R.I. (Lily Speredelozzi/The Sun Chronicle via AP)
Pedestrians walk past and glance at the scene of a shooting at Brown University Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, after a shooting on Saturday in Providence, R.I. (Lily Speredelozzi/The Sun Chronicle via AP)
Police caution tape lays askew at Brown University's Ittleson Quad Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, after a shooting on Saturday in Providence, R.I. (Lily Speredelozzi/The Sun Chronicle via AP)
Police tape off hotel rooms where the person of interest was arrested in a shooting in Coventry, RI., (AP Photo/Kimberlee Kruesi)
Police tape off hotel rooms where the person of interest was arrested in a shooting in Coventry, RI., (AP Photo/Kimberlee Kruesi)
A police officer hangs yellow crime tape at Brown University in Providence, R.I., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, during the investigation of a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Emergency personnel gather on Waterman Street at Brown University in Providence, R.I., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, during the investigation of a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Police vehicles rest in intersections in a neighborhood near Brown University, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Providence, R.I., following a shooting at the university Saturday, Dec. 13. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
A police vehicle rests at an intersection near crime scene tape at Brown University, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Providence, R.I., following a Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 shooting at the university. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Mayor Brett Smiley speaks to reporters during a Brown University news conference, in Providence, R. I., Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Kimberlee Kruesi)
Law enforcement officials carry rifles while walking on a street in a neighborhood near Brown University in Providence, R.I., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 during the investigation of a shooting. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Brown University President Christina H. Paxson attends a news conference addressing the investigation following a shooting on Brown University's campus Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Providence, R.I. (Lily Speredelozzi/The Sun Chronicle via AP)
Students are escorted by law enforcement officers to a building at Brown University after a shooting, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Providence, R.I.. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Law enforcement officials carrying weapons gather near Brown University in Providence, R.I., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, during the investigation of a shooting. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
A law enforcement official walks past articles of clothing on a sidewalk near an entrance to Brown University, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Providence, R.I., during the investigation of a shooting. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
