Recap
The Philadelphia Eagles finally got their first home win, knocking off the Trevor Siemian-led New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The Eagles rushing attack gashed the Saints the entire game; the Eagles run game was virtually unstoppable. The final score of the game was 40-29, with the Eagles surviving a late-game attempt at a comeback from the Saints. Overall great game from the birds who look to ride this momentum into a possible playoff spot. Let’s take a closer look at how the Eagles did this Sunday in our Week 12 State of the Eagles.
Positive Observations
1.) Nick freaking Sirianni
Nick Sirianni was in his bag on Sunday. Ever since he has figured out how to balance the run and the pass, the Eagles offense has looked electric. He called a great game on Sunday; the Eagles had 380 total yards on the day, with 242 coming on the ground. I guess the flowers are starting to bloom?
2.) Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts continued his campaign to be the Eagles franchise quarterback with another great outing against the Saints. He had 69 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. His dual-threat capability keeps defenses guessing, and he truly shined on Sunday. In addition to having a great game on the ground, he didn’t turn the ball over. The best part of his game on Sunday in my opinion is something that won’t show up on the stat sheet; Hurts had some great pocket presence throughout the game. His growth this season has been outstanding; I, for one, am excited for what is to come.
3.) Jake Elliott
Jake Elliott has quietly had a really good season; he has made 18 out of 20 field goal attempts for a 90% rate. In addition to this, Elliott has not missed an extra point this season. This is statistically Elliott’s best season to date; he’s been on a tear this season. It’s a big plus to have a consistent kicker who can get you 3 points almost automatically.
4.) Darius Slay
Big Play Slay has been an absolute force this season. He had an incredible game on Sunday; his matchup was targeted three times for one completion that went for 9 yards. In addition to this, he also had a pick-six to close out the first half. Slay has been a true lockdown corner this year; he received a 94.0 coverage grade this Sunday, which is the second-highest coverage grade received by any corner this year.
5.) TJ Edwards
Edwards is making his case to be one of the Eagles starting linebackers next year with another great performance this Sunday. He grabbed a pick on an athletic diving play, as well as racking up 10 tackles, 2 pass deflections, and a fumble recovery. Edwards was rewarded for his great play with a contract extension; apparently, the Eagles believe that he has what it takes. After his performance on Sunday, I can’t say that I disagree with them.
6.) Jonathan Gannon
Gannon finds himself in my positive observations again; I’m hoping that this becomes a pattern for him. He coached well on Sunday and I enjoyed watching his defensive scheme work. The Eagles brought pressure against Siemian early in the game which rattled him to say the least; it’s funny how when you blitz, positive things happen.
7.) Offensive Line
The Offensive Line of the Eagles has been stellar during this stretch of the season; they have not only protected Hurts in the pocket, but they have also opened up some massive holes which have allowed the Eagles rushing attack to be so successful. The Offensive Line is such an underrated and underappreciated position group in football, and they are the cornerstone of the Eagles’ recent success. Side note: Jordan Mailata is a beast.
Negative Observations
1.) Taking the foot off the gas
The Eagles entered into halftime with a 27-7 lead. Both sides of the ball looked great; it seemed as if this game was going to be a blowout. The Saints didn’t score in the third quarter but had a surge of scoring in the fourth. The Saints outscored the Eagles 22-7 in the 4th, and almost came back. Although the Eagles were able to escape with a win, I would’ve liked to see the Eagles continue to play with intensity throughout all four quarters.
2.) Miles Sanders
Overall, Sanders had a good game in his first game back from injury. He racked up 94 yards and broke a few runs for 20+ yards. Although he was efficient during his return, he put the ball on the ground twice. One fumble was lost, and the other was considered down due to forward progress. Although I’m not extremely worried about this going forward, it’s something to keep an eye on.
3.) Penalties
The Eagles ultimately played well on Sunday so there really isn’t much to bring up that was negative. With that being said, penalties started creeping back during the course of Sunday’s game. The Eagles were penalized 6 times for 49 yards. Although this isn’t nearly as bad as what it was during the beginning of the season, it still wasn’t pleasant to see. Hoping that the Eagles can clean things up next week.
Standings
Both the Eagles and the Washington Football Team won this weekend, whereas the Cowboys and Giants both lost. Although the Cowboys lost, they did so to the Kansas City Chiefs, a more than formidable opponent. Although the Cowboys look mortal, I still believe that this is their division to lose. With that being said, the Eagles do have a shot to take it from them if things continue to trend this way. The updated NFC East standings are as follows:
- Dallas Cowboys: 7-3
- Philadelphia Eagles: 5-6
- Washington Football Team: 4-6
- New York Giants: 3-7
Upcoming Game
The Eagles take a short bus ride to MetLife Stadium to play the New York Giants this coming Sunday at 1pm. The Giants are coming off of a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which they looked non-threatening, to say the least. The Eagles have won two straight and look to continue to ride that momentum. Although divisional games are always hard, I feel fairly confident that the Eagles will leave MetLife Stadium with a 6-6 record.
Final Thoughts
I’m currently having mixed feelings about this season. At the beginning of the season, I figured that the Eagles were going to be just as bad as we were last year. I think that it’s now safe to say that I was wrong. With that being said, I’m still not sure what kind of a team that the Eagles have. On one hand, the Eagles rushed for 242 yards on the NFL’s #1 ranked defense who had previously been allowing only 72.9 rushing yards per game. On the other hand, the Eagles beat a team with a 2nd string QB playing for them. Regardless of that, this Eagles team has been fun to watch these past two weeks; they look competitive and are putting up a fight regardless of who they play. A playoff berth may be more likely than what we first thought; I’m looking forward to see how this team plays as the season wears on. 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.
