Recap
The Eagles may be the most confusing team this season; the first half of their game against Buffalo was abysmal, while they finally figured things out in the 2nd half. This game quite literally was a tale of two halves, and the Eagles were able to squeak out an overtime win by a score of 37-34. The Eagles were down 24-14 at the end of the third quarter and had only 76 passing yards through three quarters, but found a way to win yet again.
Positive Observations
1.) 2nd half Jalen Hurts
Hurts was outstanding in the 2nd half after struggling for the first two quarters; Hurts was 14/20 with 210 total yards, 4 TD’s and no turnovers in the 2nd half. Although he had a rough start to the game, he led the Eagles team well and made some outstanding plays to claw back into the game. Hurts has now won an NFL leading 8 consecutive games when trailing by 10+ points.
2.) Slay & Bradberry
In a season where both Slay and Bradberry have slightly struggled, they bounced back well against Buffalo. Josh Allen was 1-5 for 22 yards with a 39.6 rating when targeting Slay, and went 6-15 for 62 yards and an INT with a 42.4 rating when targeting Bradberry. Both corners played 95 snaps, and Bradberry’s interception helped shift the momentum in the game.
3.) Jake Elliott
Signing Jake Elliott off of the Bengals practice squad in 2017 may have been Howie’s greatest move as GM; Jake Elliott went 4/4 on extra points and hit a clutch 59 yard field goal in the rain to force overtime. Elliott has been the epitome of consistency this season; an argument can be made that he is the best kicker in the NFL right now.
4.) Georgia boys
Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter have been so special for the Eagles so far this season; they combined for 9 tackles while Carter blocked a field goal late in the first half. Both players got off the ball quickly & were wreaking havoc in in the Buffalo backfield.
Negative Observations
1.) Play calling
Death, taxes, and Brian Johnson calling bubble screens to Julio Jones on 3rd down… although Johnson found a rhythm in the 2nd half, the first have was nothing short of abysmal. Questionable situational football & some head-scratching play calls left Eagles fans less than thrilled during the first half of the game; simply put, Johnson needs to figure out how to get his offense going early on in games. (A great way to do this is give Swift more than 3 carries in the first half).
2.) Defense
The defense was… not great on Sunday; they gave up 505 (!) total yards & a whopping 29 first downs. The defense was seemingly unable to get off the field, as Buffalo had the ball for over 40 minutes in the game. Although they tightened up in the 4th quarter, the defense certainly left much to be desired.
3.) First half Jalen Hurts
Hurts struggled in the first half; he went 4/11 with 55 total yards, 1 Td, and 2 turnovers. He showed a little bit of his 2021 self during the first half, as he bailed from the pocket early and didn’t look comfortable. Buffalo was able to score 14 points off of Hurts’ turnovers in the first half; although Hurts played well in the 2nd half, more is expected from the Eagles franchise QB.
Upcoming Opponent
The Eagles (10-1) host the San Fransisco 49ers (8-3) Sunday at 4:25pm. The 49ers are looking like a dangerous team this year, as they are the biggest threat to the Eagles in the NFC. Brock Purdy has had a great year so far, the 49ers defense is one of the best in the NFL, and CMC is having an outstanding year as well. The key to this game lies within the trenches: Brock Purdy’s QBR drops significantly while under pressure; the Eagles need to pressure him into making mistakes. The Eagles need to get the run game going as well, as Swift provides the offense with a spark that makes Hurts’ life much easier.
Final Prediction- PHI: 30, SF: 20
NFC East Standings
The updated NFC East standings are as follows
- Philadelphia Eagles: 10-1
- Dallas Cowboys: 9-3
- New York Giants: 4-8
- Washington Commanders: 4-8
Final Thoughts
Although it looked ugly at first, the Eagles are the first team this year to 10 wins; they consistently find ways to win regardless of the circumstances. Although many Eagles fans want to see opponents getting blown out, it’s important to remember that the Eagles are playing a much more difficult schedule as opposed to last year, and that wins are the most important stat. That being said, if the Eagles continue to let teams hang around late in games, chances are it’ll come back to bite them. As always, Go Birds!
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Nate Eichner is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Nate, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
