Recap
The Eagles put away their divisional rivals in the New York Giants on Sunday beating them 48-22 in what’s being called “The Massacre at the Meadowlands.” The offense was in rhythm from the start and jumped out to a 21-0 lead and never looked back, racking up 437 total yards over the course of the game. The defense was able shut down Saquon Barkley and the secondary made sure that Daniel Jones was a non-factor. Overall a great game from the offense, defense, and special teams.
Positive Observations
1.) “The System”
Jalen Hurts has been on an absolute tear this season and he further cemented his name in the MVP race on Sunday. Hurts accrued 294 total yards and had 3 total touchdowns, 2 through the air and 1 on the ground. Hurts is proving the doubters wrong each and every week; his leadership and production has been outstanding. What makes Hurts so valuable is his ability to limit turnovers; he has only given the ball up 5 times this season, resulting in a 32:5 touchdown to turnover ratio which is the highest in the NFL.
2.) 1,000 Club
With the hype surrounding Hurts and the Eagles explosive passing offense, Miles Sanders sometimes doesn’t get the respect that he deserves. Sanders has had a career year this year; he has rushed for 1,068 yards along with 11 rushing touchdowns, both are career highs for him. Sanders continued his success by rushing for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns on Sunday; Sanders is the first Eagles running back to surpass 1,000 yards since LeSean McCoy in 2014.
A.J. Brown had a decent day on Sunday, racking up 70 yards and a touchdown on 4 receptions. Although his numbers on Sunday weren’t anything outlandish, he accomplished something that no Eagles wide receiver has done since 2014; A.J. Brown has surpassed 1,000 receiving yards for the first time since Jeremy Maclin. Brown has been such a valuable pickup this season and his play has lived up to the hype.
3.) Defense
The Eagles defense has seemingly begun to gain some traction late in the season; they completely eliminated Saquon Barkley’s impact in the game on Sunday. The defense held Barkley to 28 yards on 9 carries with a 3.1 yard per carry average. In addition to this, the Eagles secondary held Daniel Jones to only 169 yards passing. Jones was under pressure almost the entire game, as the Eagles tallied 7 sacks on the day. If the Eagles defense can continue to play at this level, the rest of the NFC is in danger.
4.) Next Man Up
The next man up mentality was showcased in Sunday’s game after Arryn Siposs’ injury in the first half. Siposs picked up a blocked punt and attempted to scramble for the first down when he took a hard hit which knocked him out of the game. Jake Elliot took over punting duties and Britain Covey took over the holding responsibilities. Although this wasn’t a huge storyline in the game, props to these guys for being able to step up.
Negative Observations
1.) Nothing??
Other than K’Von Wallace looking fairly lost playing safety after Reed Blankenship went down with an injury, the Eagles really looked good this Sunday; there weren’t many negative observations that I noticed. Sirianni called a great game and the Eagles executed well.
Standings
The Eagles continue their momentum as the first place NFC East team, but Dallas is not far behind. Although their last minute 27-23 win over the Houston Texans wasn’t convincing, they are still a very dangerous team. The updated NFC East standings are as follows:
- Philadelphia Eagles: 12-1
- Dallas Cowboys: 10-3
- Washington Commanders: 7-5-1
- New York Giants: 7-5-1
Upcoming Game
The Eagles travel to Soldier Field to face the Chicago Bears at 1pm on Sunday. The Bears have had a rough season so far, but have put together some pretty good games despite their fairly unsuccessful season. Justin Fields is a dangerous player who likes to use his legs to create big plays. The Eagles should win this game, although if they look ahead to their matchup against Dallas prematurely, the Bears can definitely shock them. If the Eagles stack the box and make Justin Fields throw the ball against their talented secondary, I see the Eagles leaving Chicago with a 13-1 record.
Final Thoughts
The Eagles have had an incredible season so far and much of their success is due to Jalen Hurts. His commitment to excellence and hard work has paid off, as he is in the running for the NFL MVP award. Although he has had a great year so far, some believe that he is a system quarterback, and the system is the main contributor to his success.
Personally, I believe that all quarterbacks are system quarterbacks; there are certain systems that certain quarterbacks excel in, and Hurts is certainly excelling in Sirianni’s system. To claim that Hurts’ success is solely based off of the system that Hurts is in is ridiculous; Hurts has had arguably the best season of any NFL quarterback this year and deserves respect.
Overall this Eagles team has been a fun one to watch this season; the sky truly is the limit. If the Eagles continue playing at this level, I don’t see a team who can stop them in the playoffs. 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.
