Recap
The Philadelphia Eagles moved to 9-1 on Sunday, beating the Colts in a close game by a score of 17-16. The birds looked sloppy during the majority of the game; the offense had trouble generating any type of momentum and the score reflected that. While the offense was struggling to move the ball, the defense stepped up in a huge way, holding the Colts’ star running back Jonathan Taylor to only 84 yards. Although this was an ugly win, a win is a win and the Eagles did just barely enough to survive.
Positive Observations
1.) Jalen Hurts
QB1 played well against the Colts; however, there is certainly room for improvement. Hurts had 276 total yards and 2 touchdowns on Sunday; his stats weren’t incredible but he did what he needed to do to put the offense in positions to be successful. Hurts looked shaky during the first three quarters, but turned it around in the 4th quarter. With the Eagles down 10 points in the 4th quarter, Hurts totaled 130 yards and 2 touchdowns to put the Eagles ahead.
2.) Defense
The defense was outstanding on Sunday; they shut down the run against one of the best running backs in the NFL. After Jonathan Taylor rushed for 49 yards on the opening drive of the game, the Eagles defense shut him down and only allowed 35 yards to Taylor afterwards. For a team whose weakness is the run defense, they showed out and played exceptionally well after being embarrassed by Washington.
3.) Howie Roseman/Linval Joseph/Ndamukong Suh
Howie Roseman’s midseason acquisitions of Joseph and Suh could not have come at a better time; the duo stuffed the run and anchored the defensive line in the absence of Jordan Davis. Both Joseph and Suh were among top 10 highest graded defensive tackles in the NFL on Sunday; Sunday’s win should be credited in part to Joseph and Suh as well as Roseman for bringing them in.
4.) T.J. Edwards
The linebacker position has been a brutal one to watch during recent years as Eagles fans, but T.J. Edwards has been outstanding this year. Edwards is one of three players with 95+ tackles and multiple sacks, as well as being top 5 in most tackles in the NFL this season. Edwards has been stellar this season and doesn’t look to be stopping anytime soon.
Negative Observations
1.) Offense
The offense simply couldn’t get anything going on Sunday; granted, they were playing a great defensive unit. With that being said, the Eagles offense simply has too much firepower to be able to be shut down like they were in the first three quarters of Sunday’s game; they need to find ways to move the ball more effectively. Part of the reason that the offense couldn’t get in rhythm is due to penalties; at one point, the Eagles offense were in a 1st and 35 situation. This needs to be addressed quickly.
2.) Nick Sirianni
I might be nit-picking here, but there were a few decisions made by Sirianni that were mind boggling to say the least. In the 3rd quarter, Sirianni decided to try and pick up a first down on 4th and 10 while the Eagles had been struggling to move the ball offensively. In addition to this, Sirianni opted to run with Boston Scott 3 straight times in the redzone rather than using Miles Sanders. At the end of the day, the Eagles won, but Sirianni certainly made some questionable decisions.
Standings
After securing a narrow victory, the Eagles hold a 2 game lead on the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East. Although the Eagles have only lost one game, this division is still up for grabs. The updated NFC East standings are as follows:
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-1
- Dallas Cowboys: 8-3
- New York Giants: 7-4
- Washington Commanders: 6-5
Upcoming game
The Eagles host the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football at 8:20pm. The 4-7 Packers are coming off of a loss to the Titans and look to right the ship in Philadelphia. Facing Aaron Rodgers is no easy task; although he has had a down year, he still possesses the ability to shred defenses like he did in Week 10 against the Cowboys. Although Rodgers is a great player, I don’t believe that Green Bay has the offense to keep up with Philadelphia. I would be shocked if the Eagles don’t go into next week as a 10-1 team.
Final Thoughts
This game was an ugly one; mistakes, penalties, and a sluggish offense almost cost the Eagles the win. With that being said, a win is a win, and at the end of the day, all that matters is the win-loss column. Although the Colts may not look like the best team in the NFL, they are a formidable opponent; after all, they beat the Chiefs in Week 3. The Eagles certainly have some things that they need to improve on; they need to move the ball more effectively so that they can look like the Eagles team from the beginning of the season. Overall I’m not too worried; this Green Bay game will be a good test to see how good this Eagles team really is. 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.
