For the ones whose position is in the air, the field is narrowing! Fortunately, a couple of unfamiliar names are starting to emerge from beneath the surface and make big plays.
Almost Plays
Tay Gowan Interception
Gowan has been a name I’ve been keeping track of for a bit. He popped at times last week, and while I believe his showing against the Jets was better, he still had a couple of plays that impressed, including a pass that sailed his way that should have been an interception towards the end of the game. It’s unfortunate that the ball bounced harmlessly to the ground. If Gowan caught this ball (where he was the only one in the area), I would have been ecstatic.
Group Plays
All Aboard the Cain Train
It’s unfortunate this drive didn’t end in a touchdown, but on the bright side, I know Deon Cain’s name now, and I’m sure the coaching staff was paying attention as well. It might not have been against the ones, but having two catches for 55 yards is a pretty good way to make a statement, regardless of who he was lined up against, especially with how physical one of the catches were.
Tay Gowan Push Out
Speak of the devil. Gowan wasn’t content with almost having a great play, and instead resolved to push a receiver out of bounds to prevent a big gain before he could get his second foot down. I feel bad for Gowan since most of his best plays seem to be lost to those who make note of them while watching the game, as it’s difficult to find them on Twitter. Even Josh Jobe had a clip from this game put on Twitter. If anything, this ambiguity makes me want to root for him harder than just about anyone on the roster.
Chache Real Smooth
Andre Chachere had a good day today. It’s easy to question the defensive scheme when running backs are running wild on your defense, but to their credit, the DBs mostly made the plays they needed to. Chachere had two big plays: a pass breakup and a stuff on a QB scramble.
Good Jobe
Give credit to the announcer for giving this play proper context. Jobe’s assignment was keeping contain, and when D’Ernest Johnson broke back inside, he made the tackle to prevent a large gain. Despite a later pass interference call, I liked what little I saw from Jobe today. He’s only a rookie, but he was around the ball a couple of times today, getting a tackle and a pass breakup to keep the Browns from shifting the balance in what ended up being a close game.
You Shall Not Pass!
Scoring opportunities for opponents are extremely stressful. There are these built-up nerves on the couch as fans wait to see whether or not the defense will break. To my pleasant surprise, I found that the defense held quite well in these high-pressure situations. It was difficult to stop the Browns’ run game, but two specific moments where the Eagles held their ground were towards the end of the second half when their options became stand tall or go home without a win. Questions linger regarding the depth of our defense, but for today, the defense held strong when it needed to.
Individual Plays
Kenneth Gainwell 4th down conversion
For a minute, Boston Scott was giving the Eagles something to think about for the RB2 job, despite how well Gainwell did last year. Everyone knows nothing is set in stone, though, so Gainwell had to show, “hey, I can still run, too!” So when Gainwell got in the game, he picked up where he left off last year, first going for 16 yards on a 3rd and 13 halfback draw (a down and distance call that made me think Doug Pederson was calling plays for a second). Then, after making up for getting stuffed earlier, he further made his presence felt by punching in a TD for a game where, again, every point mattered.
Boston Scott TD
Kenneth Gainwell is nice. This has been known, It was a joke, however, that Scott seemingly only shows up against New York teams. Well, last I checked, the Browns are from Cleveland, and the Eagles have a killer offensive line. So, to put the narratives around him to rest, Scott did good work on a rainy day in CLE’s stadium, pushing his team down the field the same way Cain did. Seeing the Eagles commit to the run is so refreshing. Perhaps it’s because it’s the preseason, perhaps it’s because of the ridiculous depth on our offensive line, but it was nevertheless refreshing. Even better was unlike on the Cain drive, Boston Scott capitalized to put the Eagles ahead six, setting the tone early.
Devon Allen TD
For anyone who’s been keeping tabs on Allen, he’s been one of the more interesting ones to watch this offseason: an Olympic gold medalist track and field runner who is now getting his shot with the Philadelphia Eagles. With that kind of speed, it was inevitable he was going to show up big at one point or another. I was not expecting, however, that he would haul in a 55-yard touchdown on his first touch as a Philadelphia Eagle. Similar to the Cowboys with KaVontae Turpin, the Eagles found they had a gem within moments of Allen having an opportunity. Beautiful.
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Dylan Patrowicz is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Dylan, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
