PHILADELPHIA – Rookie Josh Huff returned the opening kickoff a record 107 yards for a touchdown to springboard the Philadelphia Eagles to a 43-24 victory over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

The victory sets up a showdown for first place in NFC East when the Eagles (8-3) travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. The Titans (2-9) have lost nine of 10 games after upsetting Kansas City on opening day.

Fans who were late getting to their seats missed the most explosive play of the game. Huff took the opening kickoff, broke through a seam on the right side and found running room down the sideline. Two Titans had a chance to tackle him, but Huff stiff-armed kicker Ryan Succop and then Brandon McGhee before finishing off the scoring play, the longest kickoff return in Eagles history. The previous best was 105 yards, set by Timmy Brown vs. Cleveland in 1961.

Then, after Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin recorded a sack to force a punt and give his offense good field position on the Titans 49, the Eagles quickly drove for another score, this time on a 4-yard run by Darren Sproles. That gave the Eagles a 14-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.

The Eagles added a 36-yard field goal by rookie Cody Parkey and held a 17-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. But on the first play of the second, an underthrown pass by Titans quarterback Zach Mettenberger was tipped by safety Malcolm Jenkins right into the hands of wide receiver Justin Hunter, who finished the 40-yard scoring play to make it 17-7 just nine seconds into the second quarter.

After the Eagles added another field goal, the Titans took advantage of a long pass (68 yards to tight end Delanie Walker) and a costly penalty (a facemask call against Eagles’ defensive end Vinny Curry on a third-down sack that gave the Titans first-and-goal from the 4) to pull within six points, 20-14, on Shonn Greene’s 2-yard run with 8:22 left in the second quarter.

But the Eagles gave themselves some breathing room before halftime on LeSean McCoy’s 2-yard run. The 69-yard drive was keyed by two third-down conversions, including a 21-reception by wide receiver Riley Cooper from quarterback Mark Sanchez on third-and-6 that put the ball on the Titans’ 2. McCoy, who rushed for 130 yards on 21 carries, scored on the next play to give the Eagles a 27-14 lead with 4:35 left in the first half and Tennessee never threatened that lead after halftime.

NOTES: Andrew Gardner replaced Matt Tobin at right guard for the Eagles, giving them a different starting offensive line for the eighth time in 11 games. LT Jason Peters is the only offensive lineman to start every game. … For the Titans, Mike Martin started at defensive end for Robert Pitoitua (coach’s decision) and Coty Sensabaugh started at cornerback for Blidi Wreh-Wilson (back). … The Titans came into the game averaging 16.8 points per game, 30th in the NFL, and they surpassed that in the first half, when they scored 17. … The Titans used to be the Houston Oilers before they moved to Tennessee in 1997 and the Oilers never beat the Eagles (0-6) whereas before Sunday’s game the Titans had never lost to them (4-0).