Recap
The Eagles won a close game on Sunday Night with a score of 40-33. The Eagles offense looked absolutely electric and the run game could not be stopped. Although the Eagles offense put up some insane numbers, the defense continuously allowed the Packers back in the game and seemingly couldn’t get off the field; they surrendered 342 total yards over the course of Sunday’s game. Ultimately, the Eagles were able to survive a suspect game from their defense and move to 10-1 on the year.
Positive Observations
1.) Jalen Hurts
Hurts had a phenomenal game on Sunday; he accrued 153 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air, and had a whopping 157 yards rushing as well. Hurts’ rushing explosion was historical; he is the first Quarterback in 30 years to have at least 100 rushing yards in a quarter. By using his legs, Hurts was able to keep the Packers defense off balance which opened up throwing lanes. Outstanding game from Hurts.
2.) Offense
The offense as a whole was incredible; the Eagles put up 500(!) total yards, 363 of those on the ground. To further put this in perspective; the Eagles had more yards rushing (363) than the Packers offense did total (342). Miles Sanders also had a career day on the ground with 147 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Eagles offense simply looked unstoppable on Sunday.
3.) Reed Blankenship
Although Blankenship had one bad play that resulted in a Packers touchdown, he did an outstanding job coming in for an injured C.J. Gardner-Johnson; Blankenship tallied 1 tackle for loss, 1 interception, 1 pass deflection, and led the team in tackles with 6. He certainly still has some growing to do, but all things considered, he had a great game.
Negative Observations
1.) A.J. Brown
Brown has been an outstanding addition to the Eagles offense this year, but his past 2 weeks have been on the rougher side; he has lost a fumble each of the last 2 games and has seemingly disappeared from the offense at times. With that being said, Brown was not fully healthy on Sunday; he had been dealing with an illness that caused him to lose 7 pounds last week. Despite Brown’s disappointing output the last 2 games, I fully expect him to bounce back this coming week.
2.) Defense
The Jonathan Gannon-led defense that we all know and love reared its ugly head on Sunday; although the Eagles defense was able to hold Aaron Rodgers to a measly 140 yards, they simply couldn’t seem to keep the Packers from scoring. The 33 points that the Packers scored is the most the Eagles defense has allowed since Week 1 against Detroit; if the Eagles can’t figure out how to keep opponents out of the end zone, this next stretch of games will be a rough one.
3.) Special Teams
One of the biggest issues on this Eagles team is the special teams unit; the eye test alone shows that they are below average, and the Packers game was no different. Not only did the Eagles struggle to gain significant yardage on kickoffs and punts, but the coverage team was equally as painful to watch. This unit needs to be fixed sooner rather than later.
Standings
The NFC East has turned into a powerhouse of a division this year; every single team is over .500 and if the season ended today, all 4 teams would make the playoffs. The Eagles hold a 2 game lead over the Cowboys, but this division is still completely up for grabs. The updated NFC East standings are as follows:
- Philadelphia Eagles: 10-1
- Dallas Cowboys: 8-3
- New York Giants: 7-4
- Washington Commanders: 7-5
Upcoming Game
The Eagles host the Tennessee Titans this Sunday at 1pm in what could be the A.J. Brown revenge game. Tennessee is coming in as a 7-4 team with emphasis on their run game. Derrick Henry is an outstanding running back and he can absolutely take over a game. The key to an Eagles victory will be limiting Henry, as the Titans’ WR room is fairly thin. The Eagles have reinforcements coming on the defensive side as Jordan Davis looks to make his return from injury, but it would not surprise me if the Eagles fall to a 10-2 record on Sunday.
Final Thoughts
All in all, the Philadelphia Eagles have had an incredible season; Hurts has been playing at an elite level, the offense is one of the best in the NFL, and the defense has had some great games. With that being said, there are some improvements that need to be made. When the offense and defense are both playing at a high level together, this Eagles team will be almost impossible to stop. For now, I’m enjoying the success that the Eagles have had so far. this season. 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.
