Ho Hum
Posted: December 18th, 2017 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 133 Comments »
Nick Foles threw 4 TD passes on Sunday and no one seemed to make a big deal of it. Carson Wentz threw 33 in 12 starts so we’ve come to expect TD passes this year. But don’t overlook how impressive that is.
Ron Jaworski threw 4 TDs in a game…once. In his entire career.
Michael Vick did it three times in his career, once as an Eagle.
A.J. Feeley never threw 4 TDs in a game.
Koy Detmer started eight games in his career and threw a grand total of 10 TD passes.
Dak Prescott has never thrown 4 TD passes in a game.
Throwing 4 TD passes should be a huge deal for the backup QB, but everyone just seems to accept that it happened. The focus is on the defensive struggles. That certainly is an important issue, but I don’t want to lose sight of what the offense did.
The Giants defense has been a mess this year. Still, in the previous four weeks, they gave up 30, 24, 20 and 9 points. And Dallas scoring 30 was deceiving. They had 10 points on the board with eight minutes left in the game. There were some big play TDs late in the game that blew things open.
The Eagles had their backup QB and backup LG playing. They scored 34 points. They scored on six of 12 possessions and only punted four times. There was a kneel-down late in the half and they got stopped on downs. The offense could have scored even more if the defense ever got a stop. Jim Schwartz’s defense had a bad day. Luckily for him, the offense and STs both played very well and helped the team win.
The success of the offense tells us this team is much more than Carson Wentz. Doug Pederson and his staff have put together a good scheme. Pederson has become a good play-caller.
The Eagles have a good O-line. Nothing gets done if the boys up front don’t do their job. Jason Kelce might be having the best season of his career. Brandon Brooks is playing well. Lane Johnson might be the best RT in the league. Even ol’ Big V has become a reliable starter. He will get beat each game, but wins far more battles than he loses.
The Eagles have a terrific set of pass catchers. Alshon Jeffery isn’t putting up gaudy numbers, but he makes important catches and he is a weapon in the Red Zone and has 9 TD grabs. Nelson Agholor is having a terrific year and is just behind AJ’s numbers. Agholor has 8 TD catches this year. Torrey Smith has been disappointing overall, but had a great game last week and has shown a knack for drawing PI calls. Zach Ertz is one of the best TEs in the league and has 8 TD grabs this year. Trey Burton has emerged as a weapon. He only has 22 catches, but 5 of them are for TDs.
The run game continues to be productive, but not flashy. The Eagles are second in the NFL in rushing, despite not having a stud RB to feed the ball to. Pederson and Duce Staley are getting the most out of the group as a whole. You know each guy wants the ball more, but the coaches are feeding everyone.
This is a good offense. It isn’t built on one player or one unit. The Eagles can succeed with Foles at QB. Just don’t count on 4 TDs every week.
*****
The Eagles have scored 438 points so far this year. That is the fourth highest total in franchise history.
2014 – 474
2013 – 442
2010 – 439
I would love to see this group score 37 more points to set the team record. The 2014 team could score, but that was the Chip Kelly era. The hurry-up style meant more plays and more possessions. That total is a bit skewed because of that.
This offense is infinitely better than that one.
*****
This is pretty funny.
Records without Carson Wentz since 2016:
Eagles: 1-0.
Browns: 1-29.— Gym Shorts (@IgglesCoverage) December 17, 2017
*****
Eagles fans are the best.
How great are #FlyEaglesFly fans? They might’ve had a hand in that false start at the end of the game. https://t.co/A7EJftgYx3 pic.twitter.com/mv5Be99bqR
— 975TheFanatic (@975TheFanatic) December 18, 2017
_
Tommy, I’ve seen Nick throw 7 touchdowns in a game. 4 is no biggie.
This comment won the Eagles nation comment of the day award today.
If DiFilippo gets a HC job, I wonder if Foles will have value via trade.
It would be risky, but a #2 from the Browns would be nice.
Foles is going to have trade value – he’s got an affordable contract, is a fill in starter, and could mentor a young guy for a team that just drafted their QBotF.
With Carson’s style of play, at this point- I hope he’s here through at least next year. However, the team likes Sudfield- and he’s cheap. Going to be an interesting storyline for the offseason.
Foles is worth a 3rd.
He’ll be worth more than a 3rd when he wins the Super Bowl!
I’m tempering expectations!
I think Foles is more than a fill in starter
I don’t see him as much different than an Alex Smith, Ryan Tannehill, or Dak level starter. Those guys will never be elite, but if you surround them with the right talent you can make a run.
With the supply and demand of quality college QB prospect vs NFL teams that need QB stability I think Foles is a starter in the league.
Browns
Jets
Giants
Broncos
Cardinals
Bills
Colts?
Not to mention teams like the Chargers and Steelers could look to find the successor to their veteran QBs.
I agree Foles could be worth a 2nd or 3rd
I don’t think teams view Foles as a long term starter.
I think teams will begin to re-evaluate Foles. His last starting experience was with St Louis. As I pointed out yesterday Foles, Goff, and Keenum all struggled there under Fisher. Now all 3 are the QBs for the NFC’s top seeded teams. Those guys have flourished outside of fisher’s QB black hole. It’s reasonable to expect the same from Foles.
Broncos and Steelers are interesting. Both have teams that are a QB away from contending. A guy like Trevor Simeon would be a good option if we trade Foles.
I clicked the ^ button
I made the “no reason at all” prediction yesterday that DiFillipo goes to the Giants, trades for Foles and JP, and drafts Saquon Barkley. They would only be 1-2 OL away from being very good on offense.
Why on earth would the Eagles trade with the Giants? Unless they got a ton in return, so to cripple them down the road? Trading for JP would be a win-now type of deal, which is a) highly unlikely and b) would mean they would be keeping Eli so no need for Foles.
1) if they are the highest bidder I’ll trade them Foles in a blink. I care about making the eagles as good as possible. Being the better team will take care of the Giants.
2) JP would be stabilization while they rebuild that OL, he’d be a leader to establish the culture DeFillipo might want, and he’d be a mentor for the scheme. He has little value, but the eagles need him off the books. DeFillipo would have some inside knowledge on his rehab that other teams won’t.
I don’t think the Eagles will roll with an unknown QB to start the season. The standard timeframe for Wentz is 12 months. They’ll proceed according to that, not a wishful thinking one.
Yeah, Wentz is very likely to be back for the start of the season, but they can’t assume he will be. Plus as we’ve learned this season having a competent veteran as your backup QB is very valuable. I think they’ll hold onto Foles next season unless somebody blows them away with a trade offer.
At this point “very likely for the start of the season” is wishful thinking. You can look at guys like AP and say “it’s possible” but you can’t bank on outliers.
Not really. The opinions of the vast majority of people with experience operating on/rehabbing ACL injuries I’ve seen since Wentz got hurt (surgeons, orthopedists, physical therapists, etc.) have said that given the kind of ACL tear Wentz had (single ligament, no complications) he should not have trouble making it back for the beginning of the season next year. I know James Andrews said 9-12 months but his opinion is an outlier.
The history of QBs suffering this type of injury (Carson Palmer twice, Flacco, McNabb, etc.) also suggests it would be unusual for Wentz not to be back for week one next year.
All that said, they have to plan for the possibility that his rehab goes slower than hoped and he doesn’t make it back for the beginning of the year.
Not really an outlier. In his piece for The Athletic last week, Rich Hoffman broke down 9 QBs who suffered ACL injuries at various points in the season, including playoffs (7 of them November or later), every one of them was under center for the season opener the following year.
If you get a good offer for Foles, given the cap situation and depleted draft assets, I think you have to jump on that.
inneresting
If Foles is traded, I would assume Howie would grab Fitzpatrick, McCown, Matt Moore, or perhaps Chad Henne. Sudfeld would be the eventual replacement.
Yeah, McCown hasn’t gotten an Eagles jersey yet and he’s looking to complete the set
Definitely. It would be a big gamble for a team that expects to compete next season. Very hard to imagine happening at this point -but with Howie you never know.
#2 overall would probably move the needle.
Think–who might be moving on from their decent-goodish QB because he’s way too expensive? Hint: we traded our QB to them before. Hint2: they’re in our division!
WAS isn’t trading for Foles. Snyder wants a big name QB. They might actually go for Mayfield.
“Dak Prescott has never thrown 4 TD passes in a game.”
Hahaha.
Loved that line.
We need to move the conversation nationally from Wentz vs. Dak to “is Dak better than Foles?”
I think he has if we count pick sixes
Each phase of this team seems to put it together when needed. Defense stinks all day? Okay, they’ll still get a stop to seal the game.
Offense loses Carson? Nick steps in, others step up and play well.
Maligned special teams? How about a blocked punt, FG and better overall special teams play.
This team is learning to grind and grit out wins after blowing teams out during the middle of the season. The playoffs are going to test their mettle, and ours. Each phase is learning to reboot and play as “one” again.
I’m proud of this team. If you would have told me that we would lose Sproles, Hicks, Peters, Maragos, Sturgis, and then Wentz – I’d be running simulations for our Top 5 pick in the NFL draft in 2018. Instead, I’m scheming up a way to get to our first home playoff game since 2013, after a bye week to boot.
We may or may not win the Super Bowl this year, but I’m excited to see what the future holds with this team and group of men.
Fly Eagles Fly!
I would have agreed with your mind set against the Rams. Lots to overcome, but they made plays when they needed them to beat a quality opponent.
This week we should have stomped the Giants. See what Minnesota did to the Bengals. That’s how championship teams play in December. This was a pathetic performance by our defense (offense and special teams played well). Pathetic and gutless. I’m not patting them on the back for letting the giants drive all the way down the field and get bailed out by a false start.
This D needs a Statement game next week on MNF before we rest the starters and don’t see them again until playoffs
I agree that on paper, they “should have” stomped the Giants. But games aren’t played on paper, Eli always gets the ball out quickly against us, and it’s a divisional game.
Think of it this way. We lost our MVP QB. They fired McAdoodoo and have a renewed sense of urgency. Although their season sucks, this was their Super Bowl. The rallying cry was “lets knock off the 11-2 Eagles, and ruin their post season aspirations.” Which nearly happened.
But it didn’t. We found a way to win. Divisional games are always a toss up; not every game is going to be a 44-6 stomping (Dallas reference from 2008). Sometimes a grind it out win is still a win. We clinched a home game in the playoffs. An extra week of rest (helps Wiz to heal, and any other nagging injuries along the way). One more win, and we have home field advantage. The road to the Super Bowl will go through Philly. How cool does that sound?
There are a lot of mistakes to clean up. Jenkins forgot how to cover slant routes. McCloed isn’t as decisive as he was during the beginning of the year, and with the Giants going spread (4-5 WR sets) our pass defense was tested mightily. We need to figure that out in the secondary, because that’s the recipe to beat us.
Two more games to go in the regular season. I’m happy with where we are as a team. We aren’t perfect, but no team is.
Not only that, but it was the 3rd road game in a row after a brutal west coast trip that was particularly weird with the fires. Going 2-1 on that trip is no joke, and gut check wins are important too. Steelers have been doing this all season.
Still, I do think the general plan the Giants laid out works against our D, and QBs like Brady and Brees can win death of a thousand cuts style. So there’s certainly reason for concern.
I don’t disagree, but I’m not going to be proud of them for the way they played against the Giants. Glad they found a way to win. This could have been like the Patriots losing to the dolphins. In the end they are 11-2. Now we need a statement game next on MNF where we clinch HFA on Christmas.
I’ll settle for moderate victories until our statement win in the Super Bowl.
I agree with regards to the big picture. The team has done a tremendous job of overcoming adversity this season, which is a credit to Pederson and the coaching staff. I think he’s the CotY, and he’s given me every reason to believe he’ll be here for a decade and bring a Reid-like stability and sense of purpose to the organization (but with better clock management, better in-game adjustments, and a more analytically minded and aggressive approach to decision making). And Wentz is a stud. We’re well set up to be one of the better teams in the league for the next 10 years.
In the short term, though, they gotta get the defense tightened up. Other than Hicks, that unit is basically at full strength compared to where they were in training camp, so they really don’t have an excuse for not holding up their end of the bargain.
Agreed with your observations about the defense. Teams have learned to spread us out, run outside zone plays, and quick hitters to negate our pass rush. Throw in some play actions which keep our defense honest, and we become prone to deep crosser’s because our secondary isn’t great.
Lots to look at- going to need to find a way to have better depth in the secondary with everyone performing well. I hate to say it, but Darby has been a disappointment so far 🙁
The odd thing is that this game was very similar to the first Giants game, despite the fact so many players on both sides are out. I know the Giants changed their offense a couple years ago to emphasize the short pass, zigging when the NFL seemed to be zagging. Maybe they are just a bad scheme matchup.
Because they very nearly beat us last time, too.
Agreed. Eli seems to play well against us. Their passing attack drives us nuts. Our defensive line is neutralized because of Eli’s quick release.
I think at this point, with 1 more win and HFA locked up, Doug Pederson better get coach of the year for what they’ve accomplished.
The crazy part is, we haven’t had everything go right this year to get where we are- injuries have taken so much talent off of the field, it’s ridiculous. The coaching staff, and players- all deserve credit.
I’m not sure that Doug will win CotY, but he should be a Top 3 consideration
The Eagles are second in the NFL in rushing, despite not having a stud RB to feed the ball to. — I disagree — Eagles have a stud rb – that’s just not Pedersons style…
Ajayi is good but he’s not Gurley or Zeke.. that’s what I think of when I think “stud RB”.
you’re talking elite. I tend to think there’s a difference level. I think Ajayi is more than capable at being “the guy”. I think he can get to Shady level. Gurley wasn’t elite until this year(disappointed last year – where coaching makes a difference this year). Zeke had the best line in football last year. Ajayi may never be Bell — but give him 20 touches a game – and he has the tools – he can be a stud.
You say tomato, I say tomahto.
To me “stud RB” means elite means guys like Gurley, Elliott, and Bell. “Very good starting RB” is the next tier down and I’d place Ajayi toward the bottom of that tier (below guys like McCoy and Howard). He’s good, but I don’t think we can call a guy who is not top 10 in the league at his position a “stud”.
Ajayi is not a good blocker/pass protector, and has yet to be proven to be a very good pass catcher. Potential sure. Good back, sure, but I think you jumped the gun a bit.
you know nothing Jon Snow…
I tend to agree with this. The RBs have big play potential, but at least Ajayi and Blount are the kind that knock of the big runs when they get fed. I think it takes more of a commitment to the run game to get them going.
I’d like to see the Eagles run a bit more early on, even if the passing game is working, to tire out the defense by the middle of the 3rd. That’s when Ajayi and Blount will shine.
(This isn’t to take anything away from Clement. I love the guy, particularly because he doesn’t seem to need a lot of touches to make plays. He reminds me of how Reid used to talk about looking for efficiency in the run game rather than volume. A really nice complement to other backs who need time to become more effective.)
Can’t up vote this enough. As names thrown around — Gurley/Bell/Zeke — all these guys are getting early touches — and 4th quarter touches. That builds a stud RB. Hard to figure out what exactly Ajayi can do. Given chances last year – he had a couple 200+ yards games – other games though – fizzled(but I didn’t watch them close enough to know circumstances each game)….Again- not taking away from what Pederson(and company) are doing — I think Ajayi has proved he can capable (re maybe better than Duce?).
So I was playing around with the NFL playoffs machine and if Dallas can beat Seattle next week at home with Zeke back ( gurley destroyed them) then our week 17 matchup could determine if they make the playoffs. Atlanta and Detroit both have tiebreakers over Dallas if they both finish 10-6 but Atlanta has to play the saints and panthers and Detroit has to beat Green Bay week 17( granted Green Bay won’t be playing for anything). It we win next week do we rest our starters against Dallas or de we come out and bury their playiff hopes?
Bury Dallas
Bury Dallas.
Bury Dallas.
Bury Dallas.
Berry Allas
The fun part is if we destroy them, we suddenly realize we wanted them in the playoffs, but if we lose, then vice-versa.
Special thanks to GermanEagle and anyone else who was in the stands on Sunday.
Thanks! Got a last minute ticket. The Eagles fan were there and in full effect!
Nice
Posted this over at Jimmy’s site: what impressed me the most was the amount of cuties in Eagles gear. Well represented indeed 😀
Yesss I was amazed in the LA game.. It wss awesome!
Yes, my Daughter was there. Keep away from her.
I was with my GF plus I didn’t see her. All good.
Eli played great until the last series when he remembered he was Eli.
Foles had his issues, but he’s not really a concern. He should be settled in by the time the playoffs start.
It’s hard not to be concerned about the defense. This is 3 weeks in a row where they’ve been kind of terrible. The quick passing game has to be expected, so the secondary needs to do a better job all around. The pass rush isn’t going to get home in less than 2 seconds.
On the bright side, we’re home for the next 4 weeks at least so let’s see how the defense responds to that. 3 weeks on the row is not a favorable set up in November-December.
I’ll be curious to hear the analysis about the defense. Was it just Darby? Mill is gonna get burnt sometimes, he just doesn’t have the make up speed. McLeod has taken some bad angles the last few weeks.
Will home games help the D?
Home games sure made a difference for the defense last year, hadn’t been an issue this year up until now.
But if the cowboys can hold Oakland to 17 points without sacking Carr, then the eagles D should be in good shape, although I do worry about the combination of the recent poor tackling with Marshawn Lynch
Giants defense stinks on ice, but it was good to see Foles and offense play well especially the OL which was the MVP in my view.
The defense needs to get their shit together and play way better. The Giants offense again sucks, we should have hammered them.
Schwartz coached scared and passive just like Pederson did vs Seattle on offense. I have no earthly idea why Schwartz did not understand the Giants would try what they successively did in Game 2 and why he is so resistant to applying pressure and being aggressive.
You cannot have CB play 10 yards off the line when the pass rush is not working with just 4. It took him forever to adjust and it was frustrating as hell to watch. The Giants got that 8 yard slant all day long and the Eagles never stopped it. They always seemed surprised when it worked against them. Mind boggling.
The secondary tackling is absymal; McLeod and Jenkins both need extra practice on wrapping up instead of throwing shoulders or trying to under cut the legs, stupid 101 stuff. Darby, outside of the INT, got cooked regularly and I nick named Mills the “New Toast” in the game. Horrible coverage. The Giants scored 29 pts and got 504 yards! That is crazy bad defense.
Schwartz also needs to have every LB, CB and S stay after practice this week and catch 400 balls from the jugg machine – all the dropped INT are inexcusable.
ST’s was the MVP…took away 4 points from the Giants and gave us a short field on the blocked punt for Foles to make one of his 4 TD throws on the day….
Good point, I meant the OL was the offensive MVP. ST definitely stepped up and I would agree was the overall MVP
I have no earthly idea why Schwartz did not understand the Giants would try what they successively did in Game 2 and why he is so resistant to “applying pressure and being aggressive.”
https://twitter.com/Tim_McManus/status/942537397245497344
IIRC, we played aggressive against them the first time and still got burned.
I don’t remember the CBs playing aggressive press coverage at all during the entire season, outside some 3rd down zero blitzes.
Seems like instead of sending extra guys to rush the passer, Schwartz could’ve had them stand in the slant lanes instead.
They coupled blitzing with off coverage giving up easy completions. I feel he should have pressed and blitzed forcing Eli to hold the ball a bit longer. Schwartz is understandably afraid of giving up the big ply, but we were doing that any way. His lack of creativity and inability to find answers against such a poor offense was concerning.
I think for both the team’s and fans’ confidence a dominating performance on Monday night would be huge before the playoffs. Another subpar performance and we have to really start worrying.
#HoHum…great name to the article…just another day in the office…
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Eagles drop in DVOA after that win.
Remember back when we would blow out bad teams? Remember how those blowouts are good indicators of a dominant team? Sigh, those were the days
They will surely drop in DVOA – it is just an algorithm after all.
The thing is, sample size matters, and division games are weird and often produce outlier results. The Eagles have blown out more bad teams than not this year, and it’s quite possible their true level of performance is better predicted by their victories over the 49ers, Broncos, Bears, etc. than by the squeaker against the Giants.
I saw Barner on a run and his running style looked so much like B West that it was great to see ..
Yet he didn’t throw a single TD in the 4th quarter. What a bum.
I am very disappointed in Saint Nick for not keeping up the 3 TD/half pace.
He needs to throw 8 TDs against the Raiders to bring his average back up to 6/game.
We need to stop underselling his potential. I’m sure he can throw 10 TDs if he could be consistent.
We average 12 possession a game. That should be 84 points right there. 96 if we go for 2 regularly. Offense needs to step it up.
http://www.businessinsider.com/sean-diddy-wants-to-buy-the-carolina-panthers-2017-12
Diddy wants to buy the Panthers.
This would be kind of fitting.
the current owner’s initial investment of roughly $70 million could
net him something in the neighborhood of $1.1 billion.
wow
The NFL has altered its ownership rules in recent years, but a single incoming owner must still control at least 30% of the equity of the team to satisfy league rules. That means one person must write a check for a minimum of $600 million if they want to be the controlling owner.
that’s not the right math for what you said. There could be only $300 million of equity, and which case 30% is $90 million. It’s really, really doubtful there will be no debt.
Not my math. I usually post the links for any info I post not based on my opinion. Forgot while on my phone.
Forbes evidently changed their article to the following (I copied and pasted this morning):
“Forbes valued the Panthers at $2.3 billion in September. The NFL has altered its ownership rules in recent years, but a single incoming owner must still control at least 30% of the equity of the team to satisfy league rules and debt limits are capped at $250 million. That means one person must write a check for a minimum of $600 million if they want to be the controlling owner.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenhausen/2017/12/18/here-are-12-potential-new-owners-of-the-carolina-panthers/#71733408be16
Funny – and this isn’t meant to be negative toward Foles, but watching the game reminded me I was never a true believer when he was the starter here the 1st time around. Good #’s, good results, but the difference between him and Wentz in the eye test is striking.
Really glad to have him around to step in, and hope he has a Matt Cassell type season (when Brady blew out his knee).
Foles is hands down better than Matt Cassel.
Just by looking at him play…
Foles has slower feet. He’s not as elusive. Not as quick or as fast.
His reaction time seems a half beat slower. And he’s skinnier in build, even though both guys are listed around 6’5″ and 240 lbs.
Aside from that, he’s a Wentz clone! Smart, big arm, courage under fire!
I’ll take the 4 TDs, no picks and a win any day! Haha. Go Eagles!
I’m just worried that this team is getting complacent and losing focus. If this was earlier in the season, I wouldn’t care but we cannot afford to keep screwing up like this if we want post-season success. All of these celebrations, missed tackles, penalties and tantrums on the sideline aren’t a good thing. We probably would have lost that game without the STs stepping up big time to bail us out.
Yes we’re 12-2 but you’re playing down to the other teams level for the last 3 weeks. Seahawks got demolished at home by the Rams and we laid a big stinking egg against them. Rams game exposed that we can’t cover the middle of the field and that we can get run on by more patient backs. Giants looked like the damn Rams twice against us and we know that they suck. Time to refocus and remember that coasting right now is a terrible choice.
Inconsistency/lack of focus is a bugaboo that bites every team from time to time. Look at the Patriots spitting the bit against the Dolphins last week.
While the concerns are real, if addressable problems are going to crop up this is the best time for it to happen – during a soft final portion of the schedule after locking up a playoff spot. Blowing coverages or missing tackles against the Giants won’t end their season, doing so against the Saints, Rams, or Vikings in the playoffs surely will.
Belichick sacrificed goats to Cthulhu and in the blood haze, the message to lose that game for guaranteed home field advantage appeared.
They haven’t been addressed. The defense is regressing and we don’t even know if it’s coaching mistakes or if players are being exposed. Maybe both but even if it’s being worked on, it sure as hell doesn’t show up on game day.
Yeah, clearly they haven’t been addressed – my point is that if they can be addressed, I’m glad they’re happening now while there’s still time to do so. If the defense inexplicably lost it in the playoffs there’d be no next week to fix things.
Cthulhu fan service: https://uncannymagazine.com/article/down-and-out-in-rlyeh/
Are they playing down to the other teams’ level, or is this just who we are? The Eagles are not exactly going for a three-peat here.
I don’t even know at this point. Are we as bad as the Giants or are we as good as the Rams?
We won both games, so we’re better than both teams. There’s no style points, you win or you don’t.
We are as good as the eagles record 12-2. Nothing more nothing less.
I think part of it is the type of defense the Eagles have.
All defenses are better with the lead than without it, but this is true of the Eagles’ more than most. If they can get the other team into catchup mode where they have to take 5 and 7 step drops and throw the ball every play, they’re very formidable, because that plays to our greatest strength as a pass rushing team with a secondary that is fairly good at ballhawking. If the other team can get into a rhythm and mix up its playcalls, and/or consistently execute the short passing game, as the Rams and Giants have the last two weeks, our vulnerabilities (occasional overaggressiveness and lack of shutdown coverage ability) get exposed.
Game flow will dictate a lot about how they perform in the playoffs I suspect. If the offense can get them a lead, I think they’ll look good even against playoff caliber opposition. If it’s nip and tuck, we could be in trouble.
All they have to do is score more points than the other team each week.
Well, the Gints know us pretty well. Still, there is cause for concern.
Long road schedule. Three straight games. West Coast for two weeks against playoff contenders. Plus a trap game to finish it against division rivals in NY.
I think they’re tired Cho. I think that’s a big part of it.
Good job just getting out of NY with the win after a schedule like that.
Yeah, this is a thing. I would love to see them bring out the pimp hand next week.
I have the same thought as MM. Defense appears tired mentally to me. 3 weeks on the road, very different opponents, different challenges. Also, Darby started his 4th(?) game since the injury – he’s still adjusting to the scheme. A lot of what we gave up was dumb mental mistakes – blown coverages and penalties. Poor tackling, after being stellar in that area the 1st half of the season, also indicates giving less than 100% by a tired team.
That 1st round bye is going to be gi-fuckin’-normous for the Eagles. They need the break.
The boys are home for a while. Now go lay the smack down on the Raiders and get us HFA.
By the time we hit the playoffs the defense will be due for a few good games!
unfortunately the offense might be due for a let down game …
I really hope this is the case. It is very possible that this team looks very different at home next week and even better after some rest before our first playoff game.
I do have concerns that we may have peaked too early and/or teams have discovered some kinks in the our armor. No way to know without just letting it play out.
I’m about at the same spot. I have big concerns, but I haven’t tapped out yet (I haven’t seen anyone here do that). Like you said, we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s on the coaching staff now, it’s a dynamic situation. Players get injured, some come back, opposing game plans are gaining traction. Got to keep adjusting all the time and be a moving target. sometimes I worry that Schwartz’s defense might be a tad too specific or inflexible….but that really isn’t the problem. Secondary and linebackers were uncanny tacklers for the first half of the season. Everyone had someone on them and that person always made the tackle. The defense ran on that fact. That’s just not the case these past 3 weeks.
SO many teams would have packed it in to a resounding
“Well what did you expect?”
This was a disappointing win but they showed heart and never quit out there. I love rooting for this pain in the ass team!
If you were able to see any of the Jags beatdown on Seattle, I think it broke them. They play Dallas this week, and Dallas beat them soundly when it was Romo and Murray and Seahawks were leading their division. This game may be a good gauge on Cowboys resolve to make WC appearance.
I caught part of it. My god I’m so jealous of that defense.
you think nyg looking at the jags wondering why they got rid of tom caughlin. bortles is basically eli
I think you can only amass that much talent if you continually suck and spend your early round picks on creme de la creme year after year.
Which game ? Sea.ocks 24/ Jags 30 … or 2016 Sea.Cocks 40/ Panthers 7.. or back to 2017 again. Sea.Ocks 7/ Rams 40 .. wich blowout ?
Sorry to take so long to respond daveH. I was referencing the Seattle @ Jags game this season which took place while Eagles were trading blows and flubs with Rams. A very physical duel which turned out to be more than Seahawks could stomach. By the 4th quarter, Jags were meaner and Hawks were tamer.
Graci. . Had to watch our Rams game taped so i preesh the insight on it
Injuries that have started to add up including this week when Robinson went out and they moved Jenkins to the slot (where is in a liability in coverage).
They have managed to overcome the considerable amount of injuries all year but seem right in the cusp of not being able to do so.
Eagels don’t have a stud RB?
That’s solid at every facet including pass pro? Nope
I mean, a guy added to the scheme at the trade deadline gets a pass from me. I’ll go on his running. I think he is a stud.
Yeah i think it’s merely semantics. I’m a fan of all our rbs right now for the record. Yes even Pumphrey.
I’m not sure we can say whether or not Ajayi is a stud Rb in this offense. Luckily we don’t have to make a s decision on him for another year
YPC seem to be pretty telling.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing. I’ve been under the impression that Ajayi is indeed a stud running back. Maybe he isn’t getting the carries, but he is indeed a stud back in my opinion. Maybe not an Elliot, Bell, or Fournette but the guy is definitely a stud.
Did you guys know there’s a kicker named Younghoe Koo?
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/korean-kicker-younghoe-koo-gets-cut-by-chargers-after-just-four-games/
I did! He had a not so good first 3 or so weeks with the Chargers. He was basically the scapegoat to the Chargers losing all the close games in the beginning of the season
My old hoes trippin’ but my Younghoe Koo!!!
I think it can be a bit like chasing fool’s gold to try and be 100% sure of how good a team is based on common opponents. Those comparisons aren’t often made with other factors considered. For example, take our win against Denver. Was their defense that bad, or did we catch them at a bad time? Similar argument for our defense. Does it matter if Team A beat Team B, but Team A was coming off of a bye week? There are so many factors to consider, I think we should be careful in saying that we’re absolutely terrible because the Giants put up numbers on us.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t concerns. There obviously are. But let’s not use the inaccurate, incomplete gauge of how one team did against another as our way of measuring. The defense played poorly and it wouldn’t have mattered who the opponent was.
True. Plus, it’s a division game, and Eli Manning had an accurate night. Dude did win 2 Super Bowls, and now they have that albatross in McAdoo. They’re a better team than 2-12.
Here’s a familiar name for the football fans of America-
“Eddie DeBartolo Jr. showing interest in buying Panthers”
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/12/18/eddie-debartolo-jr-showing-interest-in-buying-panthers/
(Don’t know if Diddy has the money or the know-how. Eddie has both.)