Recap
The Philadelphia Eagles unbeaten streak came to an end against the New York Jets, as the Eagles fell 20-14. The Eagles jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the 2nd quarter, and then was pitched a shutout (Go Phils) in the 2nd half. This was an ugly game; the offense couldn’t figure out how to move the ball, turned the ball over 4 times, and once again struggled to score in the red zone. Although the defense struggled at times, they did more than enough to win the game; the offense simply disappeared.
Positive Observations
1.) Strong start
Although the Eagles offense disappeared during the 2nd half, there were some positive parts to Sunday’s game. The offense connected early and Hurts made some great plays, including throwing a strike while stiff arming a defender. Brian Johnson looked decent through the first three drives, and called some creative plays during them.
2.) AJ Brown
Brown had another great game on Sunday, hauling in 7 receptions for 131 yards. He was a security blanket for Hurts throughout the game, constantly getting open and making tough catches. After Sunday’s game, Brown became the first ever Eagle to record 125+ receiving yards in 4 straight games; he was the bright spot in an otherwise ugly offensive game.
3.) Defense
Although this wasn’t an absolutely outstanding game from the defense, they did enough to keep the Eagles in the game. The Eagles defense held the Jets offense to only 155 passing yards and 89 rushing yards. They also held the Jets to 2-11 on 3rd down, good for a 18% 3rd down conversion rate. It wasn’t pretty, but the Eagles defense kept them in the game.
Negative Observations
1.) Offense
The Eagles came out completely flat in the 2nd half offensively; they scored their last points of the game with 2 minutes and 53 seconds left in the 2nd quarter. In addition, the play calling was completely unbalanced; Brian Johnson called 55 pass plays and only 14 rushing plays. The Jets came into the game with the 29th rushing defense in the league, even with their top CBs out, the Eagles should’ve run the ball much more than they did.
2.) Offensive Line
Lane Johnson’s injury completely crippled the Eagles offensive line; they looked lost. Hurts was only sacked twice on the day; however, he was pressured on 40% of his dropbacks (a season high) while only being blitzed on 16% of his dropbacks. To say that the offensive line struggled against the Jets is a complete understatement.
3.) Jalen Hurts
This might have been Hurts’ worst game as a Philadelphia Eagle. He went 28/45 with 280 yards, 1 TD, 1 rushing TD, and 3 INTs. Hurts looked shaky in the pocket and did not read the defense well throughout the game. He had some good plays, but ultimately his performance wasn’t up to par for a $255 million quarterback.
Upcoming Opponent
The Eagles (5-1) host the Miami Dolphins (5-1) on Sunday Night Football. The Dolphins are coming off a 42-21 beatdown of the Carolina Panthers. The Dolphins have an outstanding pair of wide receivers in Tyreek Hill & Jaylen Waddle, and a dangerous quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa; the Eagles CBs will certainly be tested. Lane Johnson seems to be giving it a go on Sunday night’s game, which gives the Eagles a fighting chance. Although the vibes will be high with the debut of the Eagles throwback kelly green uniforms, I think that the Eagles still don’t know their offensive identity enough to hang with the Dolphins.
Final Score Prediction: PHI- 24, MIA- 31
NFC East Standings
Although the Eagles dropped their first game of the season, they are still at the top of the NFC East. The Cowboys and Commanders both won, while the Giants have now lost 4 straight. The updated NFC East standings are as follows:
- Philadelphia Eagles: 5-1
- Dallas Cowboys: 4-2
- Washington Commanders: 3-3
- New York Giants: 1-5
Final Thoughts
This game was ugly and I am ready to forget about it. I’m not sure if the Eagles took the Jets lightly or if the coaches simply got too passive, but one thing is clear: Nick Sirianni & Co. were absolutely out-coached on Sunday. With that being said, I have full faith in Sirianni to right the ship. This is a long season, and this next stretch of games will show us whether the Eagles are a good team, or a great team. 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.
