Game Review – PHI 28, JAX 23

Posted: November 7th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

Domination, but not domination. That was Sunday’s win over the Jaguars. The Eagles out-gained them 447 to 215. The Eagles held a 22-0 lead at one point. The Eagles got amazing highlight plays from multiple players. But they only won by five points.

Weird game.

The Eagles led 16-0 at the half. They extended it to 22-0 in the third quarter. The Jags finally got going on offense and made it 22-8. Then Saquon Barkley ran up the middle and fumbled. Most of the world thought he was down by contact, but the officials had a bizarre explanation that since Barkley hit an OL after the initial contact the play was a stumble and not a tackle. Ugh. The Jags returned the fumble for a TD and the game was suddenly 22-16. From blowout to barnburner.

Eagles possessions from that point on:

  • Turnover on downs in FG territory
  • Touchdown
  • Missed FG

They still had chances to blow the game open, but just couldn’t put the Jags away. Jacksonville got the ball back with 2:11 left and drove down to the PHI 13. Trevor Lawrence threw into the end zone, but Nakobe Dean made the biggest play of his young career and picked off the pass. Finally, game over.

It was frustrating that the Eagles couldn’t create more separation, but playing in a tight game will probably serve them well in the long run. It sure didn’t do much for my nerves.

COACHING

The critics are out and they’re not happy with Nick Sirianni. The key decisions in question:

  • He went for it on 4th & 3 from the JAX 22. The Eagles didn’t get it.
  • He went for 2 after the Eagles had gone up 16-0. There was a penalty that moved the ball to the 1-yd line and that is practically an automatic decision for Sirianni. The Eagles didn’t get the conversion.
  • He went for 2 after the Eagles were up 22-0. The Eagles didn’t get the conversion.
  • He went for it on 4th & inches from the JAX 25. The Eagles didn’t get it.

A conservative approach would have likely given the Eagles 8 more points (2 FGs, 2 PATs). I wrote a piece explaining why Sirianni being aggressive is a good thing. That said, there were two things I disagreed with. I think Sirianni should have kicked the PAT to go up 17-0. That is a three possession lead. Think in terms of possessions, not just points. I hated the play on 4th & inches. The Eagles went play-action. They had been stuffed on the Brotherly Shove twice so the coaches went for a different idea. The Shove got inches both times, just not full yards. They should have run that. Going for it wasn’t the problem, just the play-call.

Sirianni did challenge a play and got it overturned.

Kellen Moore called a good game. The run game worked well and was once again creative. The QB runs were really nice. The highlight call was the draw to Barkley on 3rd & 17. That went for a TD. The Eagles didn’t even have to block all that well. The Jags defense wasn’t aligned well for the play and Barkley’s speed got him to the end zone with ease. It was good to see the Eagles finally get first quarter points, even if they needed a muffed punt to do it.

Vic Fangio had his guys ready to play and they limited the Jags to 31 yards in the first half. Jacksonville played better in the second half as they made the game competitive. Fangio was aggressive on the final drive, sending extra rushers on multiple plays.

OFFENSE

Jalen Hurts played well. He was 18-24-230 with 2 TDs. He also went 13-67-1 on the ground. Hurts threw a good ball to Barkley for his TD. He made a sensational pass to DeVonta for his TD. Great touch. I thought he was throwing the ball away, but he put it in a spot where only Smith could get it. Hurts also made a good throw to Smith for a gain of 46 to set up that TD. Another game with no turnovers.

Saquon Barkley was the star of the show. He was 27-159-1 on the ground and 3-40-1 in the air. Barkley had runs of 19 and 21 yards. He came close to breaking off a 90-yard TD run, but a DB got him by the foot as he was about to break free. The highlight play was something people will talk about for years.

Mind blowing.

The Eagles got good production from Miles Sanders and D’Andre Swift, but Barkley is simply on another level. Truly a special dude.

AJ Brown left the game with a minor knee injury. He was 2-36 before leaving. DeVonta Smith stepped up in his absence and went 4-87-1. His TD grab was a thing of beauty. I wasn’t sure he caught it at first. Smith did a great job of getting his feet in and controlling the ball.

It is hard to believe that play wasn’t the highlight of the game. Tells you how freakish Barkley was.

Jahan Dotson finally made a big play. He hauled in a 36-yard gain with a tough, leaping grab. That might have been the play of the game in other weeks. Not on Sunday. Rookie Ainias Smith ran the ball once for 2 yards. He caught one pass, but didn’t gain a yard on the play. Johnny Wilson had a TD taken away when he was called for OPI.

Grant Calcaterra went 5-30. His blocking still is an issue. Jack Stoll blocked well on multiple run plays. He had good pass pro on the 46-yd pass to Smith.

The OL had a good game, especially on run plays.

The one player I thought was up and down was Cam Jurgens. He missed some blocks that he shouldn’t have and didn’t sustain well. He also had an early snap that caught Hurts off-guard.

Fred Johnson had a good game, in pass pro and the run game. Lane Johnson was pretty good too.

This OL + Barkley = trouble for defenses.

DEFENSE

Josh Sweat played well, with 2 sacks, 3 QB hits and a PD. He just missed a third sack. Nolan Smith didn’t get much pressure, but hustled and pursued well. He finished with one tackle. Brandon Graham had a batted pass. He got good pressure on the final drive, just missing a sack on the opening play and then getting pressure on Dean’s INT. Bryce Huff barely played. He reportedly had a wrist issue that limited his usage.

Jalen Carter had a monster game. The stat sheet only shows 4 tackles. That doesn’t come close to telling the whole story. He got regular pressure and gave the Jags OL fits, even when doubled. Carter was a disruptive force.

The rest of the DL played well. Jordan Davis had a couple of tackles and helped to limit the run. Milton Williams and Moro Ojomo didn’t make the stat sheet, but each had good moments. Ojomo is getting mixed into the nickel packages on a regular basis.

If not for the offensive fireworks, this would be the Zack Baun game. He had 10 tackles, TFL, INT, and a PD. He also had a big hit on Trevor Lawrence when the QB scrambled up the middle. Great showing by the new ILB. Nakobe Dean only had 2 tackles, but broke up one pass and had the game-clinching INT. Watching Eagles ILBs pick off passes is…fun.

CJGJ is having a disappointing season. He hasn’t made many plays and he’s struggled when put in man coverage. He had 4 tackles in the game. He got burned on a 2-pt conversion. He gave up a 22-yard reception to a practice squad receiver on the final drive of the game. Reed Blankenship had 5 tackles and played the run well.

Another good showing from Cooper DeJean. He had 3 tackles and broke up 2 passes, one of them coming on a fourth down. Quinyon Mitchell had a good game. Isaiah Rodgers started in place of Slay and had some good moments. He had 4 tackles and a PD. He did give up a 15-yd completion on 3rd & 13. Avonte Maddox played one snap and got called for PI.

The back seven is doing a really job of working together in coverage.

ST

Jake Elliott missed a 57-yard FG. He is now 0 for 3 from 50+ this season. That’s concerning.

Sydney Brown made the STs play of the game, forcing a fumble on a punt return. That led to the first TD of the game.

_

2 Comments on “Game Review – PHI 28, JAX 23”

  1. 1 The Linc - The Eagles’ biggest surprise this season - SportSourcio said at 11:02 AM on November 7th, 2024:

    […] Game Review – PHI 28, JAX 23 – Iggles Blitz […]

  2. 2 The Linc – News247Planet said at 3:15 PM on November 7th, 2024:

    […] Game Review – PHI 28, JAX 23 – Iggles BlitzThe remainder of the DL performed properly. Jordan Davis had a few tackles and helped to restrict the run. Milton Williams and Moro Ojomo didn’t make the stat sheet, however every had good moments. Ojomo is getting blended into the nickel packages frequently. If not for the offensive fireworks, this could be the Zack Baun recreation. He had 10 tackles, TFL, INT, and a PD. He additionally had a giant hit on Trevor Lawrence when the QB scrambled up the center. Nice displaying by the brand new ILB. Nakobe Dean solely had 2 tackles, however broke up one go and had the game-clinching INT. Watching Eagles ILBs decide off passes is…enjoyable. CJGJ is having a disappointing season. He hasn’t made many performs and he’s struggled when put in man protection. He had 4 tackles within the recreation. He obtained burned on a 2-pt conversion. He gave up a 22-yard reception to a observe squad receiver on the ultimate drive of the sport. Reed Blankenship had 5 tackles and performed the run properly. […]