Game Review – PHI 20, NYG 13

Posted: January 8th, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

The focus is on Sunday’s playoff game with Green Bay, but I wanted to take the time to write out some notes on the regular season finale, with the Eagles backups beating the Giants. We’ve seen the Eagles play in some meaningless finales before. They can be sloppy, ugly games. This didn’t fall into that category. Both teams battled and made some plays. It was a pretty entertaining season finale.

The first thing that occurred to me after the game is how different the two teams were. The Eagles played a couple of starters, but mostly backups. The Giants still had a decent amount of starters in the game. You sure couldn’t tell that by watching the teams. The Eagles looked more talented. The Eagles had a better offensive gameplan. The Eagles defense played well despite having a bunch of new faces on the field.

Think about the QB position. Drew Lock is a former second round pick. He was making his 28th career start and fifth of the season. Tanner McKee is a sixth round pick and made his first career start. McKee almost doubled Lock in passing yardage. Someone who knew nothing of either team would have guessed McKee was the higher pick with more experience.

I have no idea how John Mara could watch that performance and think keeping his coach and GM was the right move.

*****

McKee finished 27-41-269 with a pair of TDs. There was a lot more good than bad.

I loved this throw to DG.

That is aggressive without being reckless. McKee made quick reads and smart decisions. He was accurate. He’s got a smooth motion and good arm. While he isn’t a top athlete, McKee moved well and looked comfortable on the move. He also seemed comfortable at the LOS and running the offense. The situation wasn’t too big for him.

The Giants got more aggressive in the second half and that did give McKee some problems. He wasn’t able to be as quick getting the ball out and things weren’t as smooth. McKee threw two passes in the game that should have been picked off. He’ll need to clean that up in the future. He now has a full game tape to study and learn from. I think McKee has the potential to be a solid starting QB in the NFL. He needs experience and an opportunity.

Jahan Dotson looked like a first round pick, going 7-94. He ran good routes and caught the ball well. He also served as the punt returner. Dotson caught the punts smoothly. Ainias Smith went 4-35 and caught his first TD pass. Johnny Wilson went 3-24. This was a better group than in some previous years. We’ve seen the Eagles playing UDFAs and struggling to make plays. These receivers were good.

Dallas Goedert played in his first game in a while. He shook off the rust and played well. He went 4-55. Goedert got open and caught the ball well. He did have one drop, but looked really good. He is ready for the playoffs.

Kenny Gainwell didn’t have much room to run and finished 11-14. Will Shipley got his most playing time and took advantage of it. He was 10-32 on the ground and just missed scoring a TD. He also did well as a receiver, going 4-35. He showed good RAC ability on two of the catches. One play went for 13 yards. I liked his vision and ability to make a tackler miss.

The OL mostly played well. I focused on Darian Kinnard, who played RT. He showed good footwork and had some really good moments in pass pro. He needs to get better with his hands. He’s got to be able to sustain blocks better. Trevor Keegan made his NFL debut and played the second half at LG. He was just what I expected. Good with his hands. Physical. Effort blocker. Didn’t look overwhelmed at all.

Nick Gates played center. He had a couple of errant snaps. I was disappointed with Fred Johnson. He got beaten a few times, giving up one sack. He wasn’t bad, but wasn’t as good as I hoped for. In his defense, the Giants do have a couple of good pass rushers.

The Eagles DL played well. Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo and Thomas Booker all flashed.

Bryce Huff and Charles Harris each had good plays. Each guy was in on 3 tackles. They both looked quick off the ball. Both just missed a TFL.

LB Oren Burks has starting experience and that showed. He played well against the Giants, finishing with 17 tackles and 2 TFLs. He was physical and tackled well. Jeremiah Trotter Jr got his most playing time and flashed on some plays. You can see how quick and athletic he is. He does need to work on tackling. There isn’t a lack of effort, but he needs to get stronger. Trot Jr was in on 11 tackles (2 solo).

Sydney Brown was up and down. He closed the game with an INT. That play showed good range and ball skills. He had a chance for a similar play earlier in the game, but hit the CB and didn’t get to make a clean play on the ball that time. He played fast, which you love to see, but was out of control on some plays and missed a couple of tackles. If he can harness that energy and speed, he will be a really good safety.

Tristin McCollum was in on 9 tackles. He wrapped up and showed good burst to the ball. The only complaint with him is losing the edge. He did that on a run play and the fake punt, letting the ball get outside of him and up the field for a first down.

Kelee Ringo had some good moments. He broke up a fourth down pass and had a chance to pick it off. Ringo finished with 4 tackles and was phyiscal as a hitter and tackler. I need to go back and study the tape in the offseason to get a better feel for how he covered. The same is true for Eli Ricks.

_


One Comment on “Game Review – PHI 20, NYG 13”

  1. 1 The Linc - Eagles faced the easiest schedule of opposing defenses this season by far - SportSourcio said at 11:01 AM on January 8th, 2025:

    […] Game Review – PHI 20, NYG 13 – Iggles Blitz […]