Recap
The Eagles were able to lock up a first round BYE in the Playoffs after beating the New York Giants 22-16. The Eagles looked fairly mundane in this game; the game plan was fairly simple due to Hurts coming back from injury. The game itself was a rough one; the Eagles didn’t look like themselves as they struggled to put the game away against the Giants’ backup players. With that being said, a win is a win, and the Eagles now look to face the same Giants team this coming week in the Divisional Round.
Positive Observations
1.) A.J. Brown
Brown had a decent game, racking up 4 receptions for 95 yards. What stands out in this game, however, is that A.J. Brown now holds the Eagles single season record holder for receiving yards with 1,484 yards on the season. Brown was a fantastic acquisition by Howie Roseman, and will look to continue to be Hurts’ favorite target throughout the postseason.
2.) DeVonta Smith
Similarly to Brown, Smith also broke a record in the game against New York; he now holds the Eagles single season record for receptions by a wide receiver with 91 on the year. Smith totaled 7 receptions for 67 yards during the game as he aims to continue his successful 2nd year with the Eagles in the Playoffs.
Negative Observations
*Disclaimer: Due to the Eagles playing conservatively, I am not being as critical as I typically would be
1.) Defense
Although the Eagles played a very simple game plan against the Giants to avoid tipping their hand in the playoffs, it was concerning to see Davis Webb have some decent success against the Eagles defense. Webb only threw for 168 yards throughout the game, but he also had 2 total touchdowns; there were times that the Eagles seemingly had trouble stopping him.
Upcoming Opponent
The Eagles host the Giants at Lincoln Financial Field at 8:15pm on Saturday. This game will certainly be a tougher one than the last, being that the Giants will be playing all of their starters. Although the Eagles did not win convincingly in the final week of the regular season, I fully believe that the Eagles will be able to win on Saturday. The Eagles will need to keep pressure on Daniel Jones and restrict him from scrambling as well as limiting Saquon Barkley’s impact. Overall, the Eagles have a much better team and I believe that will show on Saturday.
Final Thoughts
Well, the Eagles have made the playoffs as the #1 seed in the NFC. Although the Eagles looked rusty at best in the last few games of the season, they are a dangerous team that is definitely capable of winning it all. The Eagles have playmakers all over the field and if the Eagles get hot, I like their chances against any team. 14-3 is not a fluke, and the Eagles have set themselves up well for a long postseason run. I’m looking forward to see how far the Eagles go this playoffs. As always, Go Birds!
Subscribe to our posts and bookmark these feeds:
* * *
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.
