Feeling Better

Time can be an amazing healer. Even though the Eagles won on Sunday, I was incredibly frustrated. The overall game didn’t bother me, but the final 46 seconds sure did. It was hard to separate my feelings on that last minute from the overall game right away. And I certainly wasn’t alone.

If the Eagles had lost the game, that would have been an all-time Philly choke job. Letting Dallas get down to the 6-yard line was shocking and almost disastrous. The Eagles had a similar situation back in 2006.

LITO SHEPPARD APPRECIATION TWEET ❕❕

Not only was it Dallas Week but Terrell Owens’ return to Philadelphia. It came down to the wire but you know how this one ended. pic.twitter.com/6hA6Y2bW8x

— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) April 15, 2020

We now look back on that game and that moment fondly. That day, I was in dis-belief. Michael Lewis had a 57-yard PI penalty that moved the ball deep into Eagles territory. Sound familiar?

While I was livid that day, I can now look back and enjoy talking about the game. Time heals all wounds, even ones caused by horrific last minute PI penalties. Now that I’ve had some time to decompress from Sunday’s near debacle, I feel better.

The Eagles won a big game. Dallas is one of the best teams in the league so beating them shouldn’t be taken lightly. And Dallas played well. Dak Prescott probably played his best game of the year. He put up better stats against the Rams, but their defense isn’t nearly as talented as the Eagles. Dak also got to play with the lead throughout that game. The Eagles made him play from behind for at least half the game.

I thought the Eagles did a good job of limiting Micah Parsons, but Baldy showed you how disruptive he was even if he didn’t make a ton of plays.

.@dallascowboys v @Eagles @MicahhParsons11 you make the calls in this Battle Royale. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/unAdNI4A0l

— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) November 6, 2023

I know you didn’t come hear to read my praise of the Cowboys, but I think it is important to point out that Dallas showed up and played well, unlike the SF game. The Niners loved their beatdown of Dallas (and we did too). But you can’t take much from that game. Dallas just got overwhelmed. I’ve said a few times this season that my goal is for the Eagles to to everything they can to prepare for the Super Bowl. Beating Dallas on a day when Dak played well and their defense made plays will help you get ready for big games to come.

There are mistakes to fix. The Eagles know they must get the nickel position fixed. Getting Bradley Roby back will help, but they can’t count on just him. Sean Desai will need to come up with other ideas in case Roby gets hurt again.

The pass rush got 5 sacks and 10 hits on Dak. He used his legs to mvoe away from pressure and buy time. Desai can look at that and decide how the Eagles will handle him differently in the next game.

The Eagles offense was good until the final few drives. Bad field position and the strategy to force Dallas to burn timeouts caused more conservative play-calling. Nick Sirianni will have to think long and hard if that’s what he wants to do in the future. There is no obvious right or wrong. He either needs his offense or defense to execute better the next time around.

It is interesting to see how Jalen Hurts has become such a good pocket passer. He’s completed 73 percent or more of his passes in three straight games. He has a rating of 109 or more in each of those games. Hurts is doing this while dealing with a sore knee. He can’t run around and make things happen the same way he did last year. He’s got to be able to run the offense from the pocket and then mix in runs here and there.

The Eagles are 8-1. They have arguably the best offense in the league. They have one of the best pass rushes in the league. ESPN had a good segment on Sunday morning showing that the Eagles had more pressures of 2 seconds or less than any other team (42). Those pressures are more valuable because it even affects teams who try to get the ball out as quickly as possible. QBs will hold the ball against some defenses because they are looking for the big play. They might get pressured 3 or 4 seconds into a play. That is worlds different that getting there in 1.8 or 2.0 seconds flat.

We still haven’t seen the Eagles play their A-game and really blow the doors off an opponent. That should happen at some point. For now we can embrace the fact they continue to win. And that’s not a fluke.

https://twitter.com/JClarkNBCS/status/1721651560466305293

As long as Hurts is the QB, the Eagles should continue winning games. The upcoming gauntlet will be a great test for him and the team. It should be exciting to see how the Eagles handle this 5-game stretch.

So relax and enjoy Sunday’s win over Dallas. Forget the final minute and focus on the final score.

PHI 28
DAL 23

*****

One of the unsung heroes in the game was LB Zac Cunningham. He had 10 tackles, a TFL and a PD. I thought he played well and helped the Eagles do some good things on defense. Imagine in the summer if I told you Nakobe Dean got hurt in a big game and didn’t play much. You would have real concerns about the LBs. Cunningham turned out to be an excellent signing and he’s bee a solid player for the Eagles so far.

*****

The Eagles might have actually found an effective punter. Braden Mann averaged 51.8 yards per punt on Sunday. His final punt backed Dallas up and put them in tough field position. His 48.1 average for the season puts him in the middle of the league. That is fine for a team that focuses more on scoring than field position.

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