Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Alexander Update

Posted November 11th, 2025 | 2 Comments »

Jaire Alexander didn’t travel with the Eagles when they went to Green Bay. That seemed odd at the time. The team leaked that he was focusing on getting healthy and learning the defense. We found out there is more to the story.

This all makes sense now.

Alexander is a 2-time Pro Bowl player. He’s been a star. Now he’s coming off an injury and having to fight just to get back on the field. That’s not easy to deal with, physically, mentally or emotionally. Football isn’t a casual sport. You must be all-in to succeed. Think about how hard it must be to go from star player to guy battling to play.

I’m sure Alexander thought the change of scenery would bring out the best in him. He’d be reunited with DBs coach Christian Parker. He would go to a team that is known for getting the best out of veteran acquisitions.

The flip side is that the Eagles are an ultra-competitive team. Nothing is given. Alexander may have seen how things operate in Philly and wondered if he’s still up to it. Veteran players sometimes struggle as their body breaks down and they have to decide what they want to do. Jason Kelce has told some stories like that. Alexander isn’t that old, but his health isn’t ideal for a CB.

The Eagles will be patient with him. They can activate Jakorian Bennett and bring him back to the mix. That would give them another veteran CB for depth. Alexander can figure out if he wants to play or to walk away.

*****

Here is a sign of good coaching.

I don’t know if it was Vic Fangio who pointed that out to the players or one of the assistants, but that’s impressive. The players got the nugget and filed it away until a critical moment in the game.

The Eagles defense is now up to 10th in points allowed and 18th in yards allowed. That’s not the same as #1, but the unit is heading in the right direction. I’m excited to see how they do against the Lions on Sunday night. That will be a huge test. Having Jaelan Phillips will certainly make a difference.

In case you missed it, the Packers didn’t have any sacks and weren’t credited with any QB hits. The Eagles had 3 sacks and 8 QB hits. There is no doubting that Micah Parsons is a great player, but Phillips only cost a third round pick and sure looks exactly like what this defense needed.

*****

Saquon Barkley ran for a long TD in the Eagles win over the Giants. His longest run against the Packers was just 15 yards. But he came oh so close to breaking off a 55-yard TD run that would have sealed the game.

Smart move by Parsons to trip him. If they call it, you only give up 15 yards. The refs didn’t call it so GB got lucky. That run would have put Barkley above 100 yards for the game. Too bad.

This is a reminder how special last year was. All those long runs were great, but not normal. It takes a lot to go right to get one of those. It makes me happy that Barkley had such a magical season at the same time as the team. All the more fun to celebrate Barkley’s greatness while also celebrating a great season and Super Bowl win.

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Eagles Hang On to Win, 10-7

Posted November 11th, 2025 | 3 Comments »

The Eagles won. Focus on that for just a minute. The Eagles won the game. It wasn’t pretty and there were some really odd moments. There was a terrible coaching decision that almost ruined thing. But the Eagles won.

On a cold, windy night in Green Bay, defenses showed up. Offenses did not. Neither team scored in the first half. The Eagles were the first team to double-digits and that proved enough to win the game. To be fair, injuries were a factor for both teams. GB was missing a TE and WR. Their center got hurt in the game and left. The Eagles were down two OL for most of the game. It is hard to move the ball when you go up against a good defense and you’re missing key players.

New edge rusher Jaelan Phillips had a terrific debut.

The Eagles notched 3 sacks and 8 QB hits. They pressured Jordan Love on a regular basis and kept the Packers from getting into a good rhythm offensively. GB averaged just 4 yards per play. They were 1 of 3 on fourth downs. Jordan Love completed 70.8 percent of his throws coming into the game. He was just 20 for 36 against the Eagles.

Really good team defense by the Eagles.

As for the offense, not so much. The Packers came into the game 5th in yards allowed. They were good against the run and the pass and it showed. The Eagles moved the ball at times, but couldn’t come up with big plays. They finally did in the fourth quarter with long pass plays to Saquon and DeVonta that led to a quick TD and 10-0 lead.

Jalen Hurts was inconsistent. He ran the ball well at times and made some key throws. But he never looked completely comfortable. I don’t know if that was the weather or Micah Parsons or Lane Johnson being out. Odd game from Hurts.

Nick Sirianni shocked the whole world late in the game. It was 4th and 6 from the GB 35 with just 33 seconds left. You kick the FG or you punt. Sirianni said that direction was going into the wind so he didn’t want to kick the FG. Fine, I get that. So you punt.

Sirianni had his team go for it with a deep ball to AJ. That was incomplete. It gave the Packers life. They were in good field position and still had 27 seconds to work with. Ugh. The Eagles gave up some yards, but forced a long FG attempt that went wide left. Not remotely close.

I think Sirianni was dumb to make that decision. Punt the ball. Maybe it is a touchback and you only gain 15 yards. But those are critical yards when there is half a minute left. By taking the chance, Sirianni gave GB 15 free yards (maybe more). He got lucky that didn’t burn him. Very lucky.

The Eagles are now 7-2. They are atop the NFC. The Packers who looked so good in September are now a wild card team. Celebrate the win. The Packers defense is legit. But the coaches need to have the offense ready for Detroit on Sunday night. 10 points aren’t going to win that game.

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