Crazy Day
Posted: December 20th, 2020 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 12 Comments »Sunday’s game against the Cardinals was either bad, good or great for Eagles fans. It all depends on your perspective.
For those who are extremist, the 33-26 loss was bad. Any time the guys in green lose, that is a bad day. Simple as that. For moderate fans, the entertaining game and close loss was good. They got to enjoy the game and see some young guys make plays.
For the fans who think big picture, it was great. The Eagles lost and that helps their draft position. More importantly, the rookie QB played well and overcame some tough circumstances to have his team in it right until the final play. Several young players also made plays and offered some hope for the future.
Jalen Hurts started his second NFL game and things were ugly early on. He was called for grounding while in the end zone and that put the Cardinals ahead 2-0. They added a pair of TDs and it was 16-0. Time to panic?
Not for Hurts. He just kept grinding away. By halftime, the Cardinals only led 26-20. The game came down to a couple of late drives by the Eagles where they got within striking distance of the end zone, but couldn’t score.
Hurt threw for 338 yards and 3 TDs. He ran for 63 yards and a score. That is incredibly impressive for a rookie. Doing that behind a patchwork OL and with mediocre receivers is all the more amazing.
It was important to see Hurts play in tough circumstances. Last week the Eagles got up 17-0 and he never had big time pressure on him. This week was very different. He played from behind for virtually the entire game. The Cardinals had a full game to study so they weren’t caught off guard by how he played. They knew what to expect. Hurts had to throw more passes and play more from the pocket.
He handled all of that well. He wasn’t perfect of course, but moved the offense up and down the field and kept his team in the game. The Eagles defense had a patchwork secondary and gave up 526 yards to Arizona. Only a few timely takeaways kept the Eagles close.
Hurts was in a shootout and played accordingly. He took shots downfield. He wasn’t playing safe, trying to avoid mistakes. He was aggressive. It didn’t always work out, but that’s what the game called for.
There were other young Eagles who flashed. WR Quez Watkins scored his first TD. He caught a quick screen, spun to the outside and flew down the field for a 32-yard score. He showed outstanding speed on that play. Miles Sanders took a screen pass for a 26-yard gain. It feels like forever since a RB screen has worked that well.
CB Michael Jacquet was overmatched, but he battled all game long. No one shuts down DeAndre Hopkins. Jacquet gave up catches and yards, but made Hopkins work for it. Jacquet finished the game with 7 total tackles, half a sack, a FF and a pair of pass break-ups. He made plays.
LB Alex Singleton had 11 total tackles, a TFL and a FR. He continues to be a tackling machine and looks more and more like a legit starter. Safety Marcus Epps picked off a pass in the end zone and almost came up with a pick on a pass down the middle. He had 7 solo tackles.
Even some veterans made plays. Alshon Jeffery played his best game in a year. He caught 2 passes for 63 yards and drew multiple penalties on CB Patrick Peterson. Nickell Robey-Coleman had a good game. Zach Ertz caught 2 passes for 69 yards.
There are plenty of things to complain about. I’ll do that in a separate post. For now, focus on what went well and the fact we actually had a fun game to watch.
As with all Eagles-Cardinals games, it was a crazy game. Punter Cam Johnston got hit in head and left the game. Jake Elliott had to take his place. Elliott did better than I expected as the punter. Ertz become the holder for kicks. That was an issue on an extra point when Rick Lovato had a bad snap and Ertz couldn’t get it in place for Elliott.
Arizona ran a fake punt perfectly for a 26-yard gain. There was a blocked punt. There were amazing catches and runs. There were six 4th down attempts. There were Red Zone takeaways. There were two Hail Mary passes…from inside the 35-yard line. Weird game.
The Eagles battled all game long. They could have easily folded when down 16 early, but they never did. That’s a tribute to Doug Pederson and the culture he’s instilled in this team. Also to the veteran leaders who have taught the young guys to play hard and never give up.
The playoffs are even more of a longshot, but the Eagles are closer to a Top 10 pick. That’s okay with me.
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[…] Crazy Day […]
[…] Crazy Day […]
[…] Crazy Day – Iggles BlitzIt was important to see Hurts play in tough circumstances. Last week the Eagles got up 17-0 and he never had big time pressure on him. This week was very different. He played from behind for virtually the entire game. The Cardinals had a full game to study so they weren’t caught off guard by how he played. They knew what to expect. Hurts had to throw more passes and play more from the pocket. He handled all of that well. He wasn’t perfect of course, but moved the offense up and down the field and kept his team in the game. The Eagles defense had a patchwork secondary and gave up 526 yards to Arizona. Only a few timely takeaways kept the Eagles close. Hurts was in a shootout and played accordingly. He took shots downfield. He wasn’t playing safe, trying to avoid mistakes. He was aggressive. It didn’t always work out, but that’s what the game called for. […]
[…] Crazy Day – Iggles BlitzIt was important to see Hurts play in tough circumstances. Last week the Eagles got up 17-0 and he never had big time pressure on him. This week was very different. He played from behind for virtually the entire game. The Cardinals had a full game to study so they weren’t caught off guard by how he played. They knew what to expect. Hurts had to throw more passes and play more from the pocket. He handled all of that well. He wasn’t perfect of course, but moved the offense up and down the field and kept his team in the game. The Eagles defense had a patchwork secondary and gave up 526 yards to Arizona. Only a few timely takeaways kept the Eagles close. Hurts was in a shootout and played accordingly. He took shots downfield. He wasn’t playing safe, trying to avoid mistakes. He was aggressive. It didn’t always work out, but that’s what the game called for. […]
[…] Crazy Day – Iggles BlitzIt was important to see Hurts play in tough circumstances. Last week the Eagles got up 17-0 and he never had big time pressure on him. This week was very different. He played from behind for virtually the entire game. The Cardinals had a full game to study so they weren’t caught off guard by how he played. They knew what to expect. Hurts had to throw more passes and play more from the pocket. He handled all of that well. He wasn’t perfect of course, but moved the offense up and down the field and kept his team in the game. The Eagles defense had a patchwork secondary and gave up 526 yards to Arizona. Only a few timely takeaways kept the Eagles close. Hurts was in a shootout and played accordingly. He took shots downfield. He wasn’t playing safe, trying to avoid mistakes. He was aggressive. It didn’t always work out, but that’s what the game called for. […]
[…] Crazy Day – Iggles BlitzIt was important to see Hurts play in tough circumstances. Last week the Eagles got up 17-0 and he never had big time pressure on him. This week was very different. He played from behind for virtually the entire game. The Cardinals had a full game to study so they weren’t caught off guard by how he played. They knew what to expect. Hurts had to throw more passes and play more from the pocket. He handled all of that well. He wasn’t perfect of course, but moved the offense up and down the field and kept his team in the game. The Eagles defense had a patchwork secondary and gave up 526 yards to Arizona. Only a few timely takeaways kept the Eagles close. Hurts was in a shootout and played accordingly. He took shots downfield. He wasn’t playing safe, trying to avoid mistakes. He was aggressive. It didn’t always work out, but that’s what the game called for. […]
[…] Crazy Day – Iggles BlitzIt was important to see Hurts play in tough circumstances. Last week the Eagles got up 17-0 and he never had big time pressure on him. This week was very different. He played from behind for virtually the entire game. The Cardinals had a full game to study so they weren’t caught off guard by how he played. They knew what to expect. Hurts had to throw more passes and play more from the pocket. He handled all of that well. He wasn’t perfect of course, but moved the offense up and down the field and kept his team in the game. The Eagles defense had a patchwork secondary and gave up 526 yards to Arizona. Only a few timely takeaways kept the Eagles close. Hurts was in a shootout and played accordingly. He took shots downfield. He wasn’t playing safe, trying to avoid mistakes. He was aggressive. It didn’t always work out, but that’s what the game called for. […]
[…] Crazy Day – Iggles BlitzIt was important to see Hurts play in tough circumstances. Last week the Eagles got up 17-0 and he never had big time pressure on him. This week was very different. He played from behind for virtually the entire game. The Cardinals had a full game to study so they weren’t caught off guard by how he played. They knew what to expect. Hurts had to throw more passes and play more from the pocket. He handled all of that well. He wasn’t perfect of course, but moved the offense up and down the field and kept his team in the game. The Eagles defense had a patchwork secondary and gave up 526 yards to Arizona. Only a few timely takeaways kept the Eagles close. Hurts was in a shootout and played accordingly. He took shots downfield. He wasn’t playing safe, trying to avoid mistakes. He was aggressive. It didn’t always work out, but that’s what the game called for. […]
[…] Crazy Day – Iggles BlitzIt was important to see Hurts play in tough circumstances. Last week the Eagles got up 17-0 and he never had big time pressure on him. This week was very different. He played from behind for virtually the entire game. The Cardinals had a full game to study so they weren’t caught off guard by how he played. They knew what to expect. Hurts had to throw more passes and play more from the pocket. He handled all of that well. He wasn’t perfect of course, but moved the offense up and down the field and kept his team in the game. The Eagles defense had a patchwork secondary and gave up 526 yards to Arizona. Only a few timely takeaways kept the Eagles close. Hurts was in a shootout and played accordingly. He took shots downfield. He wasn’t playing safe, trying to avoid mistakes. He was aggressive. It didn’t always work out, but that’s what the game called for. […]
[…] Crazy Day – Iggles BlitzIt was important to see Hurts play in tough circumstances. Last week the Eagles got up 17-0 and he never had big time pressure on him. This week was very different. He played from behind for virtually the entire game. The Cardinals had a full game to study so they weren’t caught off guard by how he played. They knew what to expect. Hurts had to throw more passes and play more from the pocket. He handled all of that well. He wasn’t perfect of course, but moved the offense up and down the field and kept his team in the game. The Eagles defense had a patchwork secondary and gave up 526 yards to Arizona. Only a few timely takeaways kept the Eagles close. Hurts was in a shootout and played accordingly. He took shots downfield. He wasn’t playing safe, trying to avoid mistakes. He was aggressive. It didn’t always work out, but that’s what the game called for. […]
[…] Crazy Day – Iggles BlitzIt was important to see Hurts play in tough circumstances. Last week the Eagles got up 17-0 and he never had big time pressure on him. This week was very different. He played from behind for virtually the entire game. The Cardinals had a full game to study so they weren’t caught off guard by how he played. They knew what to expect. Hurts had to throw more passes and play more from the pocket. He handled all of that well. He wasn’t perfect of course, but moved the offense up and down the field and kept his team in the game. The Eagles defense had a patchwork secondary and gave up 526 yards to Arizona. Only a few timely takeaways kept the Eagles close. Hurts was in a shootout and played accordingly. He took shots downfield. He wasn’t playing safe, trying to avoid mistakes. He was aggressive. It didn’t always work out, but that’s what the game called for. […]
[…] Crazy Day – Iggles BlitzIt was important to see Hurts play in tough circumstances. Last week the Eagles got up 17-0 and he never had big time pressure on him. This week was very different. He played from behind for virtually the entire game. The Cardinals had a full game to study so they weren’t caught off guard by how he played. They knew what to expect. Hurts had to throw more passes and play more from the pocket. He handled all of that well. He wasn’t perfect of course, but moved the offense up and down the field and kept his team in the game. The Eagles defense had a patchwork secondary and gave up 526 yards to Arizona. Only a few timely takeaways kept the Eagles close. Hurts was in a shootout and played accordingly. He took shots downfield. He wasn’t playing safe, trying to avoid mistakes. He was aggressive. It didn’t always work out, but that’s what the game called for. […]