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The Eagles loss in Dallas was frustrating for a number of reasons. One of the biggest is that they had a 10-point lead in each half and couldn’t keep it. The Eagles were up 10-0 and then 27-17. Shortly the scores became 14-10 and 27-27.

Ugh.

Turnovers were key in both sequences. When you’re playing with the lead, you don’t want to help the opponent out. You want to protect the ball. You’d love to score more, obviously, but at the least punt it away and make them drive the long field. Up 10-7, Gardner Minshew threw an INT. Dallas took over at the Philly 47 and scored a TD six plays later. Up 27-24, another INT gave Dallas the ball at the Philly 40. Six plays later they kicked a FG to tie the game at 27-27.

Think back to last week. The Bears battled the Eagles more than expected in the first half. The Eagles got up 17-6 and the defense held, giving the ball back to Jalen Hurts and the offense. The Eagles could really take control of the game. Instead, an ill-fated screen to Miles Sanders turned into a fumble. The Bears had a 15-yard drive for a TD to cut the lead to 17-13.

Later the Eagles got up 25-13 and you really thought the game was over. Darius Slay blew a coverage and the defense gave up a long TD pass. The game was suddenly 25-20 and the Eagles had to make sure to put the game away. Thankfully they did just that.

Blowing leads is not a good trend. This hasn’t been an issue for most of the season. I don’t know if the team is pulling their foot off the gas or what, but Nick Sirianni needs to figure out the issue and work on it. If the Eagles are able to build leads in the postseason, they must sustain them and put teams away.

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The Eagles lead the NFL with 61 sacks. That’s 12 more than Dallas, which is amazing. The Cowboys were piling them up early in the season and the Eagles started slowly. Since then, Dallas has cooled off and the Eagles are red hot.

They have 6 or more sacks in four straight games. That is incredible consistency.

Most Sacks
(@NFL Players Since Week 8)

11.5 . . . Josh Uche (NE)
10.5 . . . Nick Bosa (SF)
9.5 . . . Haason Reddick (@Eagles)
9.0 . . . Javon Hargrave (@Eagles)
8.5 . . . Josh Sweat (@Eagles)#FlyEaglesFly

— John Gonoude (@john_gonoude) December 27, 2022

That’s a longer stretch than the last four games, but you can see who the red hot rushers are. Reddick and Sweat are deadly off the edge and Hargrave is disruptive up the middle. That’s a really tough combination for QBs and OLs. Do you help the RT or the LT? Do you have the QB roll to one side? Do you double team Hargrave?

Given Jonathan Gannon some credit here. He is rotating guys to keep them fresh. He’s also mixing in stunts very effectively. Sweat and Reddick are outstanding athletes and they can fly when looping to the inside. Gannon doesn’t overdo the stunts so when they get used, they are tough to block.

The team record for sacks is 62. The NFL record is 72. The Eagles should set the team record. The NFL record is possible, but that probably won’t happen. The Saints and Giants like to run and backup rushers will likely be on the field more in the last two weeks. If the Eagles win this week, key players will rest in the finale.

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The Eagles turned the ball over 10 times in the first 13 games.

They turned it over three times in Chicago and four times in Dallas. That’s why the Eagles barely beat the Bears and lost to the Cowboys. Simple as that. Protect the ball and the Eagles win by double-digits in Chicago and they beat Dallas.

The only two losses for the season both involved four turnovers. The Eagles beat themselves. That can make you feel confident about their chances for a Super Bowl run. This is a really good team. It also shows they are vulnerable. Play sloppy and you can lose. It still seems crazy that Taylor Heinicke was the first QB to beat them.

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Dallas Goedert only caught 3 passes on Sunday. I thought he would have 5 or 6. But the passing game didn’t suffer. AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith are the hottest receiving duo in the league.

Most Receiving Yards
(@NFL WRs Since Week 13)

524 . . . Justin Jefferson (Min.)
473 . . . A.J. Brown (@Eagles)
405 . . . DeVonta Smith (@Eagles)

Most 20+ Yard Catches
(@NFL WRs Since Week 13)

9 . . . DeVonta Smith (@Eagles)
7 . . . A.J. Brown (@Eagles)
7 . . . [others tied] pic.twitter.com/uwMgtKWRCR

— John Gonoude (@john_gonoude) December 27, 2022

They combined for 14 catches in Dallas. I’m glad Gardner Minshew was feeding them the ball. The Slim Reaper and Swole Batman gave the Dallas DBs fits. It tells you how good they are that Minshew stepped in and had instant chemistry with them. Brown and Smith get open and catch almost everything that comes their way. What a dynamic duo.

I think another reason Goedert didn’t get as many balls is that Minshew involved the RBs more. On the season they averaged less than 3 catches a game going into Week 16. Kenny Gainwell had 4 receptions and Miles Sanders had one. They were quick throws. When Minshew dropped back and didn’t see anything quickly, he got the bal out. That kept the Dallas pass rush from getting to him.

We’ll see if quick throws to the RBs becomes a trend or was just an anomaly with Minshew liking to get the ball out quickly.

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