Detailed PS Game Review – PHI 39, GB 26

The third preseason game used to be a dress rehearsal for the regular season. This year didn’t feel like that. Aaron Rodgers and some other starters missed the game for Green Bay. The Eagles only played their full starters for part of the 1st half.

Dominant showing by the Eagles. They led 39-14 at the half. They could do no wrong, coming up with big plays on offense, defense and STs.

It was only preseason football, but that 1st half was…amazing.

Best of all, no major injuries.

OFFENSE

Plays

* 2-pt Play. Peters got knocked back by ILB Sam Barrington. Shocking to see that. Trey Burton was TE on that side. Didn’t get ideal push. Tebow ran to their side and couldn’t fight through for the score.

* 2nd 2-pt Play. Looked like Lane Johnson may have blocked the wrong person and left blitzer free off the edge. Also looked to me that Nelson Agholor was at fault for letting the DB cross his face. If Agholor runs that route harder, the DB hits him or he catches the ball. Instead the DB got in front of him and broke it up.

Players

QB

BRADFORD – 10-10-121 with 3 TDs. Great game. Led 3 drives and all of them ended in TDs. The first TD was a touch pass to Darren Sproles. Bradford knew where to go with the ball (great matchup), but there wasn’t much room to work with. Bradford put the ball over the LB and right into Sproles hands. Great combination of touch and accuracy. The second TD was a short throw over the middle to Trey Burton. The best part of this play is that a rusher was coming right at Bradford, but he kept his eyes on the receivers. Bradford got the pass off and then took a hit. He bounced up and gave a big fist pump to show his happiness with the play. Last week Bradford was slow to get up from hits. That rust appears to be gone now. The final TD pass was the easiest. Celek came wide open over the middle and Bradford had a fairly clean pocket.

Bradford’s best throws were a pair of passes to Jordan Matthews on corner routes. One was a precise pass that helped create a gain of 27 yards. the other came with Matthews covered. Bradford put the ball up high so Matthews could go get it, which he did. That play was for 17 yards.

Beyond throwing passes, Bradford looked good in other ways. The offense played at a high tempo. He looked comfortable in the pocket. He was in complete control on the field and made good reads in the passing game.  

SANCHEZ- Played better this week. 13-19-150 with 2 TDs. My favorite pass came on an incompletion. The Eagles were at the GB 25. Sanchez dropped back and tried to hit Nelson Agholor in the end zone. The coverage was good, but Sanchez put the ball in a good spot and gave him a chance. Agholor couldn’t hold onto the ball. Last year it seemed like Sanchez was too dink and dunk so it was good to see him try a tough throw. Sanchez did hit Jeff Maehl with a couple of good throws, one of which went for a TD. The other TD was a good throw to a wide open Trey Burton at the end of the half. That pass had good velocity and was on target. The big play was a screen pass to Kenjon Barner that went for 50 yards and set up the late TD.

Pocket presence was an issue a couple of times. Had good initial blocking on both, but didn’t see anyone open. Mental clock went off even though he wasn’t under pressure and he looked panicked. Threw poor incompletion on 3rd/15 play like that. Sanchez did handle blitz well late in the half. Rushers were coming at him in the RZ. Didn’t panic. Threw the ball away safely. Put it up high, giving WR chance to make miracle grab or to have it be incomplete.

Had some nice touch throws. Hit Burton for a 1st down with a quick throw to the left flat. Hit Barner there in the RZ. Got ball over LB, but didn’t lob it. Tried to hit Barner on wheel route for TD, but the pass was a bit too high. Good read. Throw just needed to be better.

BARKLEY – 5-9-28. Not his best performance. That said, also had some bad luck. A dropped pass stalled one drive. A receiver made a bad read on a WR screen and that cost yards on another drive. Still, Barkley is in his third season and should be playing better than what he is. Made good throw on corner route to TE Tomlinson in the mid-3rd, but he dropped the pass. Hit Bailey with quick pass on screen and there was room, but Bailey made a poor read and only got a minimal gain. Good throw on 3rd down. Barkley had a defender closing in, but kept his eyes downfield. Hit Martino for a gain of 12 and moved the chains. Tried to hit Mostert down the sideline on 3rd/6. Wasn’t real open and also not a great throw.

TEBOW – 2 of 2 for 15 yds as a passer. Didn’t stand out in any way. Hit Bailey on crossing route. Ball was low, but catchable. Other completion was screen to Mostert. There was a poor exchange between Tebow and RB on read option. Fumble. Tebow did recover by stealing it away from the defender. Ran the ball a couple of times, with a long carry of 5 yds. Didn’t show anything that made me say “That’s definitely the guy I want as my #3 QB!!!”

RB

MURRAY – 6-28 on the ground. 2-12 in the air. Had some good blocks when helping Matt Tobin handle pass rushers. Murray ran hard. Used a good stiff arm on one outside run. It will be interesting to see how he does with wearing down defenses. Fought for every yard. Opening play was a swing pass. He easily could have stepped out of bounds. Instead he ran into LB and got pushed out. I love his running style. Focuses on going N-S. Will go outside, but heads upfield when he finds a gap. Doesn’t try to get all the way outside because he knows he doesn’t have that kind of speed.

MATHEWS – 7-22 as a runner. 2-12 as a receiver. Ran hard. Tough, physical. Called for facemask in early 2nd Qtr. Grabbed defender as he was about to be hit. Good call.

SPROLES – Matchup weapon. Eagles isolated him on ILB Sam Barrington and that led to the short TD catch. Also had a 33-yard gain when he got by Barrington on crossing route and then turned upfield. Thought Sproles might go all the way for a minute there.

BARNER – Only 2-4 as a runner, but delivered biggest offensive play of the night. Caught screen pass and turned that into a gain of 50 yds. Showed good vision and speed on that. Eagles have seen enough of him. Didn’t see need to take chances by running him a lot.

MOSTERT – Dropped pass in the flat late in the half. Should have been easy catch. Was 2-17 as a receiver. Only 3-1 as a runner, but didn’t have much room.

MONANGAI – 5-28 on the ground. Another solid outing. Doesn’t show NFL level ability, but he does have talent.

TE

CELEK – Very good night as a run blocker.

ERTZ – DNP

BURTON – Led team with 4 catches and 2 TDs. Got open and showed good hands. Flashed good RAC ability on 2 plays. Good athlete and that shows when he is in space. Blocking is up and down. Effort is never a question. Sometimes struggles vs bigger defenders.

TOMLINSON – Only had one ball come his way and he dropped that. Did okay as a blocker. Shows flashes because of his size and effort. Could develop into a solid blocker.

TUKES – Didn’t notice him.

GLEICHERT – Good effort as a blocker.

WR

MATTHEWS – 3-51. Looked terrific.

COOPER – No targets.

AGHOLOR – Caught back-to-back passes in the early 2nd Qtr. Both were good hands catches. First one showed some RAC ability. Moved the chains.

MAEHL- Very good game. 3-43 with a TD. Played in the slot and outside. Did a good job of getting open. Showed good RAC ability as he turned quick screen into a gain of 19. Drew a penalty as well. Helped himself.

HUFF – DNP

AUSTIN – Caught pass on second drive. Was down in RZ. Found a hole in the zone, sat down and caught the ball when it came to him. Turned upfield and came up just short of the end zone.

BAILEY – 2-10 as receiver. Didn’t have much of a chance to stand out.

AJIROTUTU – No targets. Good on STs.

PRATT – Had one pass come his way, but couldn’t make the grab.

MARTINO – 1-12. Nice catch. Moved the chains on 3rd/12.

OL

PETERS – Up and down game. Had some terrific blocks, but also a couple of mistakes. Got blown up on first 2-pt try and that threw off the play. Appeared to miss blitzing DB on 3rd/GL run when the guy shot the gap and got a TFL. G and C had defenders to block so it seems like Peters should have tried to pick off the DB.

BARBRE – LG. Another good showing. Got outside to block on screen. Didn’t get a clean shot on his defender. If he did, Murray might have had a TD. Play only went for 7 yds. Good seal block on run up the middle. Pulled left and had good block on outside run. Stayed in with backup OL in 2nd Qtr. Handled stunt well on 3rd/15. Handed his rusher off to Tobin and then blocked the looping rusher. Did a good job on stunts when working with Tobin in the 2nd Qtr.

KELCE – C. Good as always.

GARDNER – Pretty good game. Pulled to the right and dove at ILB. That block gave Murray room to get upfield for 7 yds. Had a very good block when he got upfield and took on ILB on inside run. Gave Murray room to that area. Almost beaten to the outside in pass pro, but got enough of the DL to give Bradford time to get the throw off from a clean pocket. Got moved back by Daniels in pass pro. Pushed Gardner right into Sanchez’s face. Gardner never gave up on the block, but needs to anchor better.

JOHNSON – Left game with knee issue in 1st Qtr. Looked like someone fell into the back of his legs.

TOBIN – LT2. Johnson left game with a knee injury and Tobin took over at RT. Not his best performance. Got help from RBs in pass pro. Almost whiffed on Peppers on TD pass to Celek. Good thing Bradford got the ball out quickly. Didn’t get much push in the run game. Tobin just seems more comfortable on the left side. Moved to LT with backup OL. Got driven back toward QB on one pass play. Good down block on run play to his side. Struggled a couple of times with anchoring in pass pro. Doesn’t have great feet. Has to hop and keep them active, which makes it tough to plant and anchor vs power moves.

VANDY – LG2. Didn’t play until the 2nd half.

MOLK – C2. Had good block on 3rd/15 play. Gardner was engaged with rusher. No one was on Molk so he then hit Gardner’s guy in the side and put the guy on his butt. Always like to see OL with nasty streak. Struggled with backup NT Mike Pennel on a couple of plays. Got driven back to blow up run in early 3rd Qtr. Nasty block of ILB in the mid-4th. Got to the ILB, engage him and then threw the guy to the ground. Ouch.

MOFFITT – RG2. Got on the field in the late 3rd Qtr. Light may have finally come on. Seemed quicker, more natural. Good combo block in the mid-4th opened nice hole for Monangai. Didn’t have many standout blocks, but just looked better.

KELLY – RT2. Beaten to the inside by spin move of backup OLB and gave up sack in early 2nd Qtr, but facemask penalty wiped it out. Had good run block of DL on play to his side. Positioning helped, but still sealed the defender completely. Up and down in pass pro. Looked very good at times, but also struggled with backup OLB Andy Mulumba and some of his speed rushes.

BOYKO – LT3.

GRAF – RT3.

ANDREWS- C. Came in and played some LG with the backup OL at the end of the 3rd Qtr. Tenacious. Very good effort as run blocker. Got upfield on screen pass and tried to take out DB, but the guy moved and Andrews whiffed.

WHEELER – LG3.

BUNCHE – RG3.

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DEFENSE

MISC

* As Chip Kelly noted, penalties were an issue. One wiped out an INT in the RZ. Others extended drives.

* Screen passes were an issue. Some came when the D ran ILB blitzes. That left big holes in the middle of the field. Some guys struggled to get off blocks. Tackling was an issue. There wasn’t just one thing to fix.

PLAYERS

DL

COX – GB tried to run vs Nickel with Cox at DT. He shed block and just engulfed the RB for no gain.

LOGAN – Dominant and disruptive. Gave GB fits. While the Packers didn’t have their full starting OL in the game, they did have their starting C. Logan owned him, using strength and quickness to continually control the middle of the line.

THORNTON – Got blown off the ball on opening play, but then settled in and played well. Blew up run by driving RG several yds into backfield. Shed him and tackled RB. Hit QB as his arm started forward and the ball came loose in the mid-2nd Qtr.

CURRY – Disruptive. Quiet on the stat sheet, but made his presence felt.

BAIR – Stuffed 3rd Qtr run that came right at him. Funneled run back to middle in early 3rd and let pursuit limit play to small gain.

ALLEN – NT. Solid job, but doesn’t feel like he’s as good this year as he was last summer. Maybe it’s just my expectations. Had some good moments. Will battle vs the run.

HART – Good game. Drove the RG back on 1st Qtr run and blew up the play. Shed RT and stuffed run play that came his way in the early 3rd. Cleanly beat the RG and hit Hundley as he threw the ball in the late 3rd. Has very good combo of size, strength and athleticism. Still needs work, but flashes real potential at times.

MIHALIK – Should have had sack in 4th Qtr. QB held ball and gave rushers time to get there, but Mihalik couldn’t get hold of him cleanly. Had a couple of nice plays.

RACITI – Good showing. Played NT and DE. Does a solid job of 2-gapping. I love his motor as well. Battles on the inside, but then chases the ball. Has an NFL future. Flashed at both spots. DE is more natural to him right now.

HILL – Sacked QB in 4th. Cleaned up when Mihalik just missed getting QB down.

OLB

BARWIN – Solid game. Played run well. Got some pressure on a couple of pass plays. Tipped ball in early 2nd Qtr that was picked off, but that got wiped out by penalty. Got TFL when Graham blew up a run and Barwin was there to clean up.

GRAHAM – Good game. Played the run well. Got by the LT and into the QB’s face on the pick-6 play. Lined up in slot over TE. Played off and put a shot on the guy at the 5-yd mark. Knocked him to the ground. Got penalty for making contact with QB’s helmet to open the 2nd Qtr.

SMITH – DNP

BRAMAN – Flushed QB with good rush in the late 3rd. Used great spin move to beat his blocker and hit the QB, but got him low and drew a flag. Jammed TE and really stunned the guy when covering.

JONES – Set the edge well on run plays. Credited with a couple of tackles. Didn’t stand out as a pass rusher.

D WATKINS – Quiet night. Was hoping for more. Best rush came when RB was trying to block him.

ILB

KENDRICKS – First game of the summer. Rusty. Failed to make tackle of WR on pass over the middle and that became a huge play. Covered TE on play where QB scrambled. Let TE go to focus on QB and the pass went to the TE. Bit on the cheese. Worst moment came at end of 1st Qtr when he simply whiffed on RB and turned screen pass into big play. Called for PI when covering in the end zone in the early 2nd Qtr.

RYANS – Like Kendricks, first game and looked rusty. Credited with 1 tackle. Tough vs inside runs. Didn’t show much in the way of making pursuit plays, but that makes sense with his injury recovery.

ALONSO – DNP

HICKS – Best game so far. Came in the game in the early 2nd Qtr. Good job on run play. Flowed with ball and then tackled runner as he started upfield. Was under control and strong enough to handle RB. Good job on pass play. Started to blitz and saw the QB rolling away from him. Slowed down to read the play. QB scrambled back his way and Hicks came up aggressively, but under control. Forced QB to move and throw the ball away. Looked athletic on that play. Illegal contact penalty wiped out 4th Qtr sack. Showed good athleticism and instincts.

GOODE – #2 ILB. Also his best game. Credited with 4 solo stops. Timed a run blitz perfectly and hit the RB just as QB gave him the ball. Did good job of covering RB on RZ pass play. When QB started to scramble up the field, Goode went after him. Chased down RB who got free on run up the middle. Disruptive when allowed to attack OL off the snap on run plays. Had TFL when RB dumped ball to RB and Goode was watching. Flew at him and put the guy down forcefully.

SKINNER – #2 ILB. Made good tackle of WR after short catch over the middle. Fought through traffic to make strong tackle of RB in the mid-3rd.

S

THURMOND – Had pick-6 in the mid-1st Qtr. Bit of luck and skill. Covered the TE, but played off. TE came upfield. There was light contact and then the TE fell down. The ball came to Thurmond, who picked it off and then highstepped 28 yds for a TD. Good ball skills. Came over and got hit on WR after catch down sideline to start 2nd Qtr. No “House of Pain” game type hit. Played some down in the box. Willing to be in there, but not as comfortable as when he’s back in space.

JENKINS – Took a bad angle to the ball on play where WR caught ball over the middle and turned that into a huge gain. Called for penalty in early 2nd Qtr and that wiped out INT. Covered slot guy and tried to jam him. Instead, mostly missed and then got called for holding.

MARAGOS – Didn’t seem to play much on D.

REYNOLDS – Came in the game in the early 2nd Qtr. Played with Thurmond. Aggressively came downhill vs run and helped force the RB out of bounds. Came up quickly to tackle RB after short catch late in the half. Tried to tackle RB in early 3rd, but couldn’t get him under control and the RB broke free. WR went up to catch pass in the late 3rd. Reynolds caught the guy and slammed him to the ground. Showed some pop, but guy held onto the ball and got up quickly. Looked like he got confused in the late 3rd. Should have exchanged WRs at snap, but stuck with his guy initially and that let the other guy get open quickly. Had solid coverage of WR on RZ pass play. Failed to make clean tackle of WR on pass play right in front him. Went low and only got part of one leg. His good moments are impressive, but there are still other plays where he leaves you wondering if he’s got the physicality to deal with NFL players.

COUPLIN – Led the team with 5 solo stops. Tackled WR in flat after short catch in the early 3rd. Came up to get WR and guy used good stiff-arm. Couplin still got him out of bounds. Got WR down after catch and run in the late 3rd. Made good tackle of WR after short catch over the middle. Helped to tackle RB who got loose up the middle in the 4th. Had impressive TFL in the 4th. RB got ball on toss play. Couplin came up quickly and belted the guy, knocking him backward. Wish I had a better feel for his cover skills.

PROSINSKI – Tackled RB on inside run play in the early 4th. Didn’t seem to play much. Didn’t stand out when he was on the field.

CB

MAXWELL – Picked off deflected pass in the early 2nd Qtr, but penalty wiped it out.

CARROLL – Showed great hustle in chasing down WR after long catch and run in the mid-1st Qtr.

WATKINS – Another good game. Covered well on the outside. Almost picked off pass late in the half. Read the play and got in good position. Tight coverage of WR on sideline in the early 3rd. Forced the ball to go out of bounds. That came on 3rd/12 and forced a punt.

ROWE – Up and down. Janis got behind him for catch down sideline to open the 2nd Qtr. Made strong tackle of WR after catch over the middle. Put him down with authority. TE caught short TD on him. They ran rub route. Rowe read it right, played it well and made a quick tackle, but the TE only needed 4 yds for the score. Just barely broke the plane. WR got half a step behind him in the 4th and the ball went deep. Wasn’t able to make the grab. I like the fact he has NFL ability and that he’s smart. Still learning how to play, though. Needs time.

BIGGERS – Up and down. Watching live, I thought Biggers played poorly. Looked better on tape. Gave up catch in mid-3rd. Was in okay position, but WR made good play on ball and Biggers never got turned around to find the ball. Got PI call on that play. Seemed to blitz off the edge quite a bit and was effective. Gave up catch to slot receiver in the 4th. Good initial coverage, but guy got loose after QB scrambled to buy time. Biggers did made quick tackle. Gave up 5 yds. Tight coverage of WR down the sideline. Pass came to him, but coverage made throw really tough and ball was too far out front. Beaten by Janis for TD out of slot. Coverage was okay, but throw and catch were terrific.

RICE – Played the slot late in the game.

EVANS – Played late. Outside CB. Very quick break on ball when playing off and short throw coming to his side. Picked off errant pass. Was stumbling backward, but still made the catch.

ANTHONY – Played late. Tackled well. WR almost got by him on quick screen, but he got enough to drag the guy down after a couple of yards.

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ST’s

JONES – Averaged 46 yds per punt and had 3 downed inside the 20.

PARKEY – DNP. Kip Smith took his place and was erratic.

– MISC –

KOR – Mostert got his first KOR of the summer. He opened the game with a 67-yd return. Had good blocking, but also showed his physical gift…speed.

PR – No big plays.

* The usual guys stood out in coverage…Maragos, Braman, etc.

* Jordan Hicks had a good tackle on a KO in the mid-1st.

* Reynolds almost let rusher get by him to block a punt in the early 3rd.

* Watkins hustled downfield and tackled PR on punt in mid-3rd.

* Rowe did terrific job covering 4th Qtr punt. Got held on the play, but still made the tackle.

GAMEBOOK