Recap
Unfortunately, the Eagles are undefeated no more. The Eagles fell to the Washington Commanders in an ugly game by a score of 32-21 on Monday Night Football to wrap up Week 10 of the 2022 NFL season. This was definitely the sloppiest game that the Eagles have played this season, both on offense and on defense. The Commanders out gained the Eagles 330 yards to only 264; in addition to this, Washington’s time of possession was at a whopping 40:24, whereas the Eagles’ time of possession was a mere 19:36. Let’s take a closer look at how the Eagles performed.
Positive Observations:
1.) Jalen Hurts
Overall, Jalen Hurts had an “okay” game. His numbers weren’t flashy, he had some poor throws, but ultimately, he put the Eagles in positions to win the game. Hurts compiled only 175 yards through the air, had a completion percentage of 65%, and threw for 2 touchdowns in addition to a rushing touchdown. This game was easily the worst game that Hurts has had this year, although I fully expect him to bounce back this week.
2.) CGJ
C.J. Gardner-Johnson had himself yet another good game; he totaled 6 solo tackles, 2 passes defended, and an interception. CGJ now leads the NFL in interceptions, notching his 6th in 5 games. Although Monday night was a brutal loss for the Eagles, CGJ certainly showed that he was a valuable acquisition.
Negative Observations:
1.) Johnathan Gannon
To be frank, Gannon called an abysmal game on Monday. Not only did the Eagles defense allow 330 yards to a Washington offense led by their 2nd string quarterback, but the Eagles defense were simply incapable of getting off the field on 3rd down; the Eagles gave up 12 3rd down conversions, which is the most by an Eagles team in 31 years. The defense and Gannon simply didn’t seem to be on the same page on Monday night, with the Eagles only having 10 players on the field multiple times.
2.) Run defense
The Eagles defense had some issues with the run game earlier in the year, but Washington exposed the Eagles front in a bad way on Monday night. Washington seemed to be able to move the ball at will; nothing that Gannon or the defense did stopped them. Washington averaged 4.1 yards per play and were able to take advantage of Jordan Davis being off the field with injury. Overall a very poor game from the Eagles defensive line and linebackers.
3.) Turnovers
The Eagles had taken care of the ball better than every single other NFL team this season, but Monday night was something different. The Eagles had 4 total turnovers, one interception that bounced off the hands of A.J. Brown and three fumbles. These turnovers proved costly as the Eagles were completely unable to find any momentum in the game.
4.) Offense
The offense looked like the 2021 early season Eagles offense; they completely abandoned the run game at the beginning of the game and were unable to get it going until it was too late. The Eagles have more than a serviceable running back in Miles Sanders, but for whatever reason, he only was given 12 carries. In order to be successful, the Eagles must commit to running the ball early on in games.
5.) Refs
Before I get into this segment, allow me to say that the Eagles 100% deserved to lose Monday night’s game; they were lethargic, sloppy, and ultimately didn’t do enough to win the game. With that being said, the officiating was atrocious on Monday night; what makes matters worse is that these calls, or no-calls, came at crucial moments in the game. You always have to beat the opposing team as well as the refs, but man, this was.a rough game in the officiating department.
Standings
Although the Eagles lost their first game, they still hold a narrow lead in the NFC East. The updated NFC East standings are as follows:
- Philadelphia Eagles: 8-1
- New York Giants: 7-2
- Dallas Cowboys: 6-3
- Washington Commanders: 5-5
Upcoming Game
The Eagles travel to Indianapolis to play the Colts on Sunday at 1pm. Typically I would be confident in a win, but Monday night’s outing has given me some doubts. On paper, the Eagles should completely annihilate the Colts; Indy is sporting an interim Head Coach in Jeff Saturday, and Matt Ryan has been mediocre this year at best. With that being said, the Colts have an outstanding running back in Johnathan Taylor; this game can get out of hand quickly if the Eagles run defense doesn’t show up.
Final Thoughts
Losing was inevitable; although it would have been great to go undefeated, its much better to have an off game and lose now than for the same to happen in the playoffs. Monday night’s game was concerning; the run defense was nowhere to be seen and the Eagles are coming up on a rough stretch of games where they face talented running backs. With that being said, now is not the time to panic; the Eagles are in a great position and the signings of Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh will help the run defense immensely. Here’s to hoping this week’s game fares better than the last; 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.
