Recap
The Eagles finally won their first game against Andy Reid, taking down the Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 21-17. The birds looked rough in the first half; they trailed 17-7 at halftime with momentum swinging the Chiefs’ way. The Eagles were able to make some key halftime adjustments and held KC scoreless in the second half to win an ugly one. This game was the definition of a tale of two halves, as the Eagles were able to make the necessary adjustments to come out on top.
Positive Observations
1.) 2nd half defense
I feel like a broken record at this point; the Eagles defense played absolutely lights out in the 2nd half against the Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs to secure the win. After an abysmal first half, the Eagles defense stood tall and didn’t allow a single point after halftime. The Chiefs 2nd half drives ended in: 4 punts, 1 fumble, and 1 turnover on downs. In a close game against one of the NFL’s top teams, the Eagles defense showed that they can hang with the best.
2.) Jalen Hurts
Although Hurts didn’t have his best game ever, he made the necessary plays to win the game. Hurts has won 7 straight games when trailing by double digits, which is the most by any QB in the NFL. Hurts simply finds a way to win, which is such an impressive quality to have. Hurts accounted for 2 of the Eagles 3 total touchdowns, and threw a beautiful deep ball to DeVonta Smith to set up a first and goal at the 1.
Negative Observations
1.) Coaching
The play calling in this game left many Eagles fans scratching their heads; there were moments in the game where the Eagles looked completely lost on offense. Brian Johnson made some questionable calls throughout the game, but what was more concerning was how he seemingly couldn’t figure out the flow of the offense; he called screen plays to Julio Jones, three screens in a row, and a QB draw against cover 1.
2.) Offensive Line
Although they are the one of the best position groups on the Eagles roster, the offensive line certainly struggled against the Chiefs on Monday. The Chiefs were able to get consistent pressure on Jalen Hurts, who was sacked 5 times during the game. Hurts was under pressure on almost every play in the first half; that being said, the Eagles offensive line played much better in the 2nd half.
3.) Inability to finish
This has been a theme throughout the first half of the 2023 NFL season; the Eagles have had opportunities to put games away in the last few games, and haven’t taken advantage. The Eagles had the ball with 5:28 to go in the 4th quarter, and ended up punting after 5 plays. Although the Eagles ended up winning the game, the Eagles offense needs to be able to put the game away.
Upcoming Opponent
The Eagles (9-1) host the Buffalo Bills (6-5) in Lincoln Financial Field at 4:25pm this Sunday. The Bills are 1-2 over the last 3 games, with their lone win coming against the Jets. Josh Allen has thrown the 2nd most interceptions in the NFL this year with 12, and the Bills defense is pretty banged up coming into this game. Although the Bills are a formidable team, I think that their injuries on the defensive side on the ball coupled with some recent shaky offensive play will result in an Eagles win.
Final Prediction- PHI: 35, BUF: 24
NFC East Standings
The updated NFC East standings are as follows:
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-1
- Dallas Cowboys: 8-3
- Washington Commanders: 4-8
- New York Giants: 3-8
Final Thoughts
The Eagles had a rough week, but were still able to leave with the win; they still haven’t put together a complete game on all sides of the ball, yet they sit at 9-1 and are the front runners for the number 1 seed in the NFC. Although it would be much more comfortable to see them blowing teams out, but at the end of the day, a win is a win. They definitely need to clean up some things, but overall, they have done what they have needed to in order to win. These next few games will be interesting; I’m excited to see how the Eagles respond to the tough schedule they have ahead of them. As always, Go Birds!
Subscribe to our posts and bookmark these feeds:
* * *
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
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.
