Detailed Game Review – PHI 24, NYJ 17

Gritty. That’s how Chip Kelly described it. Ugly was a word plenty of other people used. No matter how you described it, the outcome was beautiful. After an 0-2 start, you don’t really care how the first win comes. At that point, you’re really in survival mode.

The Eagles got up 24-0 and life seemed really good. A late TD by the Jets gave them life and made it 24-7. Neither team scored in the 3rd quarter. The Jets put up 10 points in the 4th quarter and the Eagles had to hold on for dear life. It took a really dumb penalty by the Jets to finally seal the game and allow Eagles players and fans to breathe a sigh of relief.

Like I said…beautiful.

COACHING

There were no key decisions in terms of replay challenges or whether to go for it on 4th down.

OFFENSE

The Eagles ran the ball. Not great, but effectively. RBs were 36 for 125. This was one of those games where the number of attempts was as important as the yardage. By running the ball as much as they did, the Eagles kept Todd Bowles from being able to blitz relentlessly.

Kelly and Pat Shurmur used outside zone runs effectively. They knew the Jets were too stout up the middle to run inside on a consistent basis. The coaches were also smart to use the wheel route to get the ball to the RBs out in space. They were a mismatch against the Jets LBs.

Ryan Mathews fumbled late in the game. That was bad for the obvious reason that it gave the ball away, but also because the offense looked like it was getting on a roll. Mathews ran 13 yards on 1st down. That moved the chains. He ran for 9 yards after that. Then he ran for 2, again moving the chains. He was hit right at the LOS on the next play and fumbled. An extended drive and even a FG could have basically put the game away.

Field position was a major issue. There were 3 drives that started at or inside the 10-yard line. Another 4 drives started at or just inside the 20. You aren’t going to sustain long drives against the Jets on a regular basis.

MISC

* Only 4 of 15 on 3rd downs.

* 1 for 2 in the Red Zone.

* Unbalanced line to the right, ran left. Sproles tried to go wide.

* The offense was incredibly sloppy on the final drive. They had too many men on the field, coming out of a timeout no less. Then there was a false start on Ertz. 3rd/6 turned into 3rd/16. Coples hands to the face penalty bailed them out.

Players

QB

BRADFORD – Bad game. 14-28-114. Made some good throws, but overall was sloppy and missed too many opportunities.

• Horrible, horrible decision on first throw. Tried to hit crossed and ball went to ILB. Lucky it wasn’t picked off.
• Made terrific throw to Matthews on 3rd/long to extend the opening drive.
• Middle screen to Sproles was blown up in RZ.
• Had Austin open for a TD on opening drive, but overthrew him.
• Bad throw to Agholor on 3rd down.
• Cromartie broke up 3rd/3 throw to Austin.
• Bad throw to Mathews on wheel route in early 2nd Qtr. Still should have been caught, but a good throw results in a big play, possibly a TD.
• Real good play. Scrambled to his right. Found Ertz wide open. 21 yds.
• Great throw to Mathews for the TD. Accurate. Great touch. And did that as he was about to be hit.
• Terrible throw to Agholor right after the Marshall turnover. Had him open in the Red Zone and bounced the ball. Had a pretty clean pocket.
• Was under duress due to free blitzer in mid-3rd. Made perfect throw to Sproles down the sideline. Should have been huge play, but dropped.

RB

MURRAY – DNP

MATHEWS – Good game. Did a great job of running in traffic. Fought for every yard. Found space where there wasn’t much to work with. Great job on 27-yd run on first drive. Went left and ran through LB tackle. Shrugged off hit from DB and got down the sideline. Caught short pass on 3rd/long. Raced wide and then turned upfield. Moved the chains and helped not to give Jets great field position. Terrible drop in early 2nd Qtr. Bradford tried to hit him on a wheel route. Ball was off-target, but easily catchable. Cost the offense at least a 20-yd play, maybe a huge gain. Ran really well on a 4th Qtr drive, gaining 24 yards on 3 carries. Unfortunately he got hit on the 4th carry and fumbled the ball away. Coaches showed their faith in him by having him run twice on the next series.

SPROLES – Quite game on offense. Made his impact on STs. Only 11-17 on the ground. 4-19 as a receiver. Mis-read early run in the RZ. Had small hole to work with, but tried to go wide. DE set the edge and pursuit got him for a loss. Later ran for a TD. Got low and pushed his way in from the 1-yard line.

BARNER – Didn’t play on offense.

TE

CELEK – Poor block on the opening run or Sproles might have had a good gain. Great block of LB on OZ run to his side. Kicked the guy out and sustained the block. LB non-factor in the play. Mostly did a good job of blocking. Remains a key part of the run gmae. If he’s not blocking well, the Eagles aren’t going to run.

ERTZ – Made good catch in early 2nd Qtr. Had to extend for the ball, leaving his midsection open to a hit, which he got. Gained 21 yards on catch over the middle when Bradford scrambled.

BURTON– Didn’t see him on offense.

WR

MATTHEWS– 6-49. Great effort to almost score a TD. Caught the ball near the goal line and did everything he could to break the plane, but was stopped just short. Drew PI flag down sideline to start 2nd half. DB had hold of his arm.

COOPER – Great block on Mathews long run. Took on big S and ate him up. Did a good job as a blocker on multiple run plays. Didn’t have any passes come his way.

AGHOLOR – Good effort as a blocker. No catches. 4 passes were thrown to him.

HUFF – DNP

AUSTIN – Poor block on WR screen on opening drive. Needed to sustain 1 more second. Got behind Cromartie on 3rd/goal on opening drive, but the ball was too far. Should have been TD. Targeted several times on blitzes. Cromartie was all over him, but it was inside 5 yards so mostly legal.

AJIROTUTU – Didn’t see him on offense.

OL

PETERS – LT. Stumbled and missed block of DL, which led to TFL of Sproles. Key block on Sproles TD run. Coples slanted to inside and JP just caved him in. That left big enough crease for Sproles. Wilkerson got by him in the early 3rd to help sack Bradford. Great block of DB on outside run in early 4th. Guy came into the box at the last second. JP got to him and drove him completely out of the play. Gave Mathews a clean alley to attack. Got banged up late in the game and Tobin took over for him.

BARBRE – Good backside block of Wilkerson on Sproles 2nd Qtr run that went for 12 yds. Great block of L. Williams on OZ run to his side. Reach blocked and was able to sustain, giving Mathews room to run for 1st down.

KELCE – C. Better game. Had some great reach blocks early on, especially going to his left. Able to get wide and wall off DL, giving the RB a lane to work with. Very impressive block on run in early 4th. Passed NT off to Tobin, then went and got backside ILB. Sustained that and kept him from ever getting in on the play. Got pushed back a few times.

GARDNER – RG. Got away with borderline holding on 2nd play. DT started to get by him. AG had him almost hooked. Close. Real good block on 2nd Qtr run to his side. Had to reach block Wilkerson. Did that and walled him off. Mathews ran to that hole and got 11 yds. Had key block on run to right side where Sproles went for 12 yds. Able to seal his guy and create hole. Williams got around him and hit Bradford on the TD pass to Mathews.

TOBIN – 2nd H. Got beat by Williams for sack in early 3rd. Terrible block on Wilkerson in mid-4th. Didn’t get into him solidly. Wilkerson shed the block easily and blew up the run. Moved to LT in late 4th.

JOHNSON – Terrific block of Wilkerson on OZ run to his side. Sealed him and let Mathews get to that side for a solid gain in the RZ.

KELLY – Took over at RG in late 4th. Whiffed on Wilkerson. That led to TFL.

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DEFENSE

Bill Davis put together a really good gameplan. He knew Ryan Fitzpatrick got the ball out as quickly as any QB in the league. Rather than waste time blitzing, the focus was on coverage. Davis used a lot of different looks. They ran lots of 3-3-5. That would be 3 DL, plus Ryans, Hicks and an OLB, along with 5 DBs. Davis moved his players around. Connor Barwin lined up all over the field. The ILBs would sometimes line up in the A-gaps, showing blitz, and then drop into coverage. They mixed in stunts and loops.

The man coverage was mostly very good. There were some holes in zone coverage. It can take time for players to really get good at working together in zone.

The run defense was outstanding and the Jets gave up on the run game after falling behind. There were more than 60 pass plays and only 12 carries by RBs.

MISC

* Jets were 7 of 17 on 3rd downs.

* They were 2 for 2 in the Red Zone.

* The Eagles broke up or deflected 9 passes. That’s important when facing a QB who gets the ball out quickly.

PLAYERS

DL

COX – Lined up at NT in Dime and drove C right back into QB’s face, forcing quick throw short of the sticks on early 3rd down. Just missed a sack in the late 3rd. Drove the RG back and reached for Fitzy. Got held, but no call. Flushed the QB. Drove the LT into the QB, causing errant throw in the 4th Qtr. Used power rush moves all game and gave the Jets fits. So good…

LOGAN – Was in on 3 tackles. Didn’t stand out as a pass rusher. Played NT and DE. Tackled RB for no gain on screen pass. Blew up 4th Qtr run by himself. Beat the RT and got the RB for a short gain.

THORNTON – DNP

CURRY – Very good game. Terrific bull rush in the mid-2nd drove the RT back into QB’s face and forced errant throw. Split the RG and C with a quick move and got TFL on run play late in the half. Great play later on that series. Drove the LG back into the QB, causing him to stumble. Barwin got the sack. Was getting blatantly held on the TD pass late in the half, but no call. Used an explosive move to get around the C and disrupt a WR screen in the late 3rd Qtr. Stat sheet shows a single TFL, but Curry was disruptive all game long. Please sign this guy to an extension.

BAIR – Started at LDE. Stuffed the opening run play of the game. Fought off TE block and stuffed run play in the early 2nd Qtr. Came very close to a strip-sack in the early 3rd. Hit the QB just after his arm had started to come forward. F Cox recovered the loose ball, but it was ruled incomplete pass. Batted down a pass in the mid-3rd. Watched Fitzy the whole play and then got his arms up at the right moment. Showed good hustle when he chased Fitzy out of bounds for short gain after Cox scared him out of the pocket. Hustled out wide to help tackle TE after short pass in the early 4th Qtr. Made a huge play late in the game. Eagles blitzed and the QB got moved off his spot. Bair got his arms up and deflected a pass that Hicks picked off. Came up with another batted pass late in the game.

ALLEN – Backup NT. Got in on 1 tackle. Limited pass rusher so the pass happy game wasn’t his ideal situation.

HART – DNP

OLB

BARWIN – Good game. Versatile game. Had a terrific play in the early 2nd Qtr. Lined up over the C and showed blitz. At the snap, turned as if he was going somewhere away from the ball. Paused. Then turned and fired up the field. Blockers had looked elsewhere and Barwin had a free run right at the QB. Hit him and forced errant throw, led to punt. Had a hand in the strangest play in the game. Lined up on the LOS in late 2nd Q. Hustled back at the snap to cover. Marshall caught pass on crossing route and Barwin went to get in on the tackle. Marshall tried to pitch the ball to a teammate, but Barwin was there at the last second and the ball bounced off him to a teammate. Used a good power rush to drive back the RT late in the half and put himself in position for a sack. Curry drove back the RG into the QB and that helped Barwin to finish the play. Jumped offside in early 3rd. Was used to help jam Marshall out wide. That had mixed results, but it was an interesting wrinkle to throw at the Jets. Barwin finished with 4 tackles and a sack.

GRAHAM – Used creatively. Didn’t simply line up at ROLB and rush. Played DE and LB. Lined up at DT at least once. Played back in space at times. Got pressure on initial 3rd down by looping to the inside. Forced quick throw, which came up short of the sticks. Used bull rush vs LT to drive him back on next 3rd down. Pressure from him and Cox forced quick throw, small gain. Disrupted 2nd Qtr run by shooting to the inside of the TE. Forced RB outside, where S got him. Blew up screen pass in mid-2nd. Read the play and dove to make the tackle. Forced the RB back inside for no gain. Good rush last in the half. Drove the LT back into the QB and came close to sack, but Fitzy got away and threw TD on the play. Got TFL on 3rd Qtr screen. Read the play and flew up to blow up the RB. Tackled Kerley for no gain on WR screen. Hit Fitzy late in the game, but couldn’t get his arms free to make the sack. Got late pressure due to a stunt on 4th Qtr play where Thurmond got his INT. Looped inside on 3rd down and flushed the QB, forcing him to dump the ball off. Just missed sack.

SMITH– Didn’t play on defense.

BRAMAN – Didn’t play on defense.

JONES – Didn’t play on defense.

ILB

KENDRICKS – DNP

RYANS – Was in on 3 tackles. The lack of run plays took Ryans out of his comfort zone. Not as good in coverage as he is playing the run. Blitzed off the edge and got a shot on Fitzpatrick on screen pass.

ALONSO – DNP

HICKS – Terrific game. Looped on run stunt and tackled RB for minimal gain. Stuffed run play for minimal gain. RB was trying to hide behind his blocker and find space. Hicks stayed under control and got him down. Did a real nice job on 3rd/17. Lined up in A-gap, showing blitz. Retreated at the snap. Got back and kept eyes upfield. Jets threw quick pass. Hicks read the play and flew upfield to make the tackle for a short gain. Had an OL trying to block him, but his burst upfield was so fast that he got by the blocker and made the play. Smart and athletic. Great hustle on the Marshall brain fart play. Lined up over LG initially. Hurried back at the snap to help cover. Followed the ball and happened to be at the right spot when the ball bounced off Barwin. Hicks showed good awareness and good hands. Snatched up the ball and took it upfield for a small return. Blitzed up the middle and forced Fitzy to bail from the pocket and get rid of the ball. Showed great awareness on INT late in the game. Blitzed, but got caught in traffic. Watched the QB and then saw the ball get hit. Got over and picked it off. Finished with 10 tackles an INT and a FR. And the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Looked really good. Played fast, physical and smart.

S

THURMOND – Came down in the box and tackled RB for short gain in the early 2nd Qtr. Got TFL in the early 3rd. Came down into the box and got into the backfield. Hardly a great tackle, but was able to drag the RB down. Had an impressive INT late in the game. Ball was tipped. Thurmond got the ball and made sure to get his feet down before stepping out of bounds. Great awareness, concentration and body control.

JENKINS – Mostly a very good game. Had tight coverage of Kerley on initial 3rd down. Was right there to tackle him short of the sticks, but Kerley dropped the ball. Came up with TFL on quick screen to Marshall. Got him right by the LOS by jumping inside of the block. Slung Marshall backward and the ball came loose for a loss of 8. Looked like Jenkins was at fault on the TD late in the half. Let Marshall get open in front of him in the end zone. Can’t do that. At that spot, you have to stay between the receiver and the QB. You can’t get beat deep since you’re already in the end zone. Finished with 5 solo stops and a pair of FFs.

MARAGOS – Got hurt during the game.

COUPLIN – Didn’t play on defense.

CB

MAXWELL – Best game yet, but still up and down. Had tight coverage of Marshall on early 3rd down and limited him to 2 yds on 3rd/4. Gave up catch to Marshall on 3rd/5 late in the half. Had tight coverage, but perfect throw/catch moved the chains. Big hit on Marshall in the late 3rd. Came in zone coverage. Max popped Marshall right in the back and hard, knocking him from the game for a few plays. Called for holding on 3rd/5 to open 4th Qtr. That extended a drive. Terrible effort on 4th Qtr pass play. Ball went to underneath receiver, who then started upfield. Max was there for the tackle. Stood there and let the receiver run into him. No real attempt to wrap up. No attempt to hit the guy. Was in on 8 tackles.

CARROLL – Good game. Was in on 4 tackles and broke up 2 passes. Outstanding coverage on downfield throw to Smith on the right side. Carroll used his body to slow the receiver, but looked back for the ball so the contact was legal. Broke up the pass. Broke up downfield pass in the early 3rd. Had a chance for an INT in the late 3rd, but looked like Jenkins might have knocked the ball away. That was a deep ball.

ROWE – First real action on D. Played well. Had outstanding coverage on 3rd Qtr pass that came to his side. Stayed in the WR’s hip pocket. Perfect position. Ball came down and he was able to knock it away. That was a downfield throw. Picked off a pass in the end zone in the mid-3rd. Once again had good position. QB underthrew the ball just a hair and Rowe made a good catch. Not only did it get the ball back for the Eagles, kept the Jets from attempting a FG.

BIGGERS – Up and down. Had good initial coverage on Enunwa on 3rd/8. Receiver shook free late in the route, but the ball was off target. Jumped a route on 3rd/short and the Jets got lucky that Fitzy made a bad throw. Could have been picked if anywhere close to on-target. Had good coverage on 3rd down in mid-2nd. WR still got the ball on the play, but landed out of bounds. Great effort by the receiver, but no catch. Beaten by Kerley for TD in the 4th. Didn’t have the quickness to stick with him.

RICE – Didn’t play on defense.

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ST’s

JONES – Great game. Best punt came late in 1st Qtr when backed up. Boomed the ball 54 yards. Surprised there was no running into the kicker penalty on 4th Qtr punt. Jet dove and landed in Jones landing spot, causing him to fall. Looked like it should have been 5-yd penalty, which would have been huge since it was 4th/5. No call. Averaged 48.9 yards per punt.

PARKEY – Hurt his groin, but you didn’t know that by watching him. 1 of 1 on FGs. No touchbacks.

KOR – Barner ran one KO back for 10 yards. The other 2 keep KOs were touchbacks.

PR – Sproles strikes again. 89-yd return for TD was key play in the game. Most was on his own. Got good blocks from Couplin and Burton to help get him space. Rowe was the final guy to keep him clean. Sproles did most of the work on his own. He made a series of guys miss. Great return. Huge moment in the game, maybe the season.

– MISC –

* Brad Jones made tackle on opening KO.

* Seyi Ajirotutu did a good job as a gunner on punts. More importantly, also recovered the onside kick at the end of the game.

GAMEBOOK