State of the Eagles: Week 3 (2023)

Eagles vs. Vikings Recap

The Eagles beat the Vikings in Week 2 by a score of 34-28; this was an ugly game that left much to be desired. The Eagles struggled with consistency during this game, nearly allowing the Vikings to come back from being down 27-7 with just over 9 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter. The Eagles offense showed flashes at times, but too many mistakes almost cost them the game. The defense played well despite the final score, but injuries to the secondary continue to mount as the Eagles lose Avante Maddox for the year due to a torn pectoral muscle. The Eagles struggled on 3rd down as well, which is a stark contrast from last year; they converted a mere 6-14 on 3rd downs, good for a 43% conversion rate.

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Positive Observations

1.) D’Andre Swift

Swift was an animal during the game on Thursday, amassing a career-high 175 yards on the ground on 28 carries. Swift had an insane 6.3 yards per carry, forced 9 missed tackles, and was absolutely electric; in addition to this, his 175 rushing yards on Thursday night is the most by an Eagle since LeSean McCoy in 2013. Swift consistently made defenders miss and his ability to bounce the ball outside was clear during the game.

2.) DeVonta Smith

Smith showed off his speed during the game, absolutely toasting the Vikings secondary on two deep ball throws from Jalen Hurts. Smith made the most of his 5 targets, boasting 4 receptions, 131 yards, and a TD. There was much debate on whether Smith should be considered a top-10 receiver in the NFL during the offseason, but Smith has silenced the doubters so far this season.

3.) Defensive Line

The Eagles defensive line gave us glimpses of the dominant group from last year during Thursday’s game, recording 4 sacks in addition to allowing only 28 yards on the ground. The D-Line is headlined by two former Georgia Bulldogs in Rookie Jalen Carter and 2nd year player Jordan Davis. Davis had a particularly outstanding game, recording 2 pressures, 2 QB hits, and a sack. Davis was constantly pushing bodies around and was constantly disruptive during the game.

DE Josh Sweat also had a great game, recording 8 (!) pressures, 5 QB hits, 1 sack, and 1 forced fumble. Sweat is slowly but surely becoming one of the best defensive ends in football; his speed and power is a nightmare for NFL offensive lines. He ended the game with a 92.6 pass rushing grade and a 26.7% pressure percentage.

4.) Jordan Mailata

Mailata had an absolutely outstanding game against the Vikings; he was given a 96.9 grade by PFF, which is the highest grade an Offensive Tackle has been given by PFF in NFL history. In addition, Mailata’s 96.9 PFF grade is the highest grade given for any offensive lineman since Week 12 of the 2013 season. Mailata’s ability to get to the second level as well as protect Hurts’ blindside is huge for this Eagles team.

5.) Jalen Hurts

Although Hurts has been criticized for his start to the 2023 NFL season, I thought that he played decently well on Thursday night. Hurts has certainly not looked like his explosive self from last year, but he showed flashes of that during the game against the Vikings. Aside from one bad read resulting in an interception, Hurts took care of the ball and made the reads for the majority of the game. He was particularly successful while under pressure; he threw for 120 yards and 1 TD with a passer rating of 149.3 passer rating while under pressure.

Negative Observations

1.) Secondary

The Eagles secondary struggled on Thursday night; Cousins was able to complete 70% of his passes for 364 yards and 4 TD’s against a banged up Philadelphia secondary. In all fairness, covering Justin Jefferson, TJ Hockenson, and Jordan Addison is a tall order for a secondary missing James Bradberry and Avonte Maddox; with that being said, there were a few blown coverages that almost allowed the Vikings to climb back into the game.

2.) Offensive Play Calling 

This year’s Eagles team looks quite different than last year’s team, especially offensively. Although the Eagles put up 34 points on Thursday night, the offensive play calling was fairly stale. I’m glad to see that the Eagles started to take more shots down the field, but the offense is far from the well-oiled machine that we saw last year.

Upcoming Opponent

The Eagles (2-0) travel to Tampa Bay (2-0) this week to face the Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. The Buccaneers are coming off of a win against Chicago and honestly, they look decent this year. Baker Mayfield seems comfortable in their offensive system and has developed a great connection with Mike Evans so far this season. Although the Tampa Bay offense looks better than expected, I think that the Eagles defensive line is simply too much for them to handle. I expect the Eagles offense to continue to find their rhythm and lead the Eagles to victory.

Final Prediction- PHI: 28, TB: 17

NFC East Standings

The Commanders won in a wild game against Denver, while the Cowboys beat the Jets decisively. The Giants had a crazy come-from-behind win against the Cardinals in Week 2, before losing to the 49ers to kick off Week 3 on Thursday Night Football. The Cowboys continue to look dominant; so far it seems like they are the biggest threat to the Eagles in the NFC East. The updated NFC East standings are as follows:

1. Dallas Cowboys: 2-0
2. Philadelphia Eagles: 2-0
3. Washington Commanders: 2-0
4. New York Giants: 1-2

Final Thoughts:

The Eagles looked better against the Vikings than they did in Week 1; although the passing offense wasn’t outstanding, Hurts started to find his rhythm as he works off the rust from the offseason. The defensive line was able to get more pressure, and the young duo of Davis and Carter are looking great to start the season. Although I would have liked to see the Eagles decisively put the game away last Thursday, I think that they are beginning to figure things out on both sides of the ball. It’s no doubt that the Week 2 win wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but the Eagles are sitting at 2-0 without having played their best football yet. As always, Go Birds!