Lucky vs Good
Posted: November 22nd, 2023 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 5 Comments »The Eagles have the best record in the NFL at 9-1. Plenty of analysts consider the Eagles the best team in the league. There are some who have questions, which I think is fair. Plenty of opposing fans see the Eagles as overrated. Great record? Yes, but some lucky wins in there.
Nick Sirianni’s team knows how to win. No one can question that. What we haven’t seen from them is their A-game. The Eagles haven’t come out and blown the doords off another team for a full 60 minutes. They have had dominant stretches, but nothing matches what we’ve seen from Dallas or SF or Miami or Buffalo at their best. They have been dominant with a capital D. At times.
Those teams also have at least three losses. When they aren’t clicking on all cylinders, they become vulnerable. That’s where the Eagles are different. They find a way to win. Sometimes it is the running game. Sometimes it is Jalen Hurts and the passing game. Sometimes the defense steals the show.
The Eagles don’t panic when they fall behind. They trailed Washington by double-digits in both games, but also won both. The Eagles trailed by 10 on Monday night and came back to win. They just lock in and keep grinding. It isn’t always pretty, but aside from a miserable afternoon in New Jersey, they win.
People wanting an extreme point of comparison have brought up last year’s Vikings. They went 13-4, winning a lot of games in odd fashion. The Vikings got to the playoffs and got handled by Daniel Jones and the Giants. They had a negative point differential for the season. DVOA had them ranked as one of the worst teams in the league despite their record.
The Eagles have a point differential of +61 this year. DVOA doesn’t love the Birds. They’re only 10th. I think the lack of blowout wins affects that. But the Eagles do have some quality wins. They beat:
7-3 KC
7-3 DAL
7-3 MIA
6-5 MIN
And the upcoming schedule (BUF, SF, DAL, SEA) leaves more opportunities for big wins.
The Eagles are a good team. Anyone questioning that is an irrational fan or maybe Skip Bayless (or is he also an irrational fan?). The gauntlet will give us an idea just how good. Then there is the postseason, where you get a chance to erase any doubts and secure your place in history.
I do think the Eagles ability to win games in different ways can serve them well in the postseason. Think about the Super Bowl team beating Atlanta in a tough, defensive game on a cold night. Then think about those same Eagles beating the Patriots in a shootout in a dome.
*****
Some people might point out the Eagles as being lucky for winning last night when Marquez Valdes-Scantling dropped a potential game-winning pass. You can make that argument. But you can also point out that the Eagles took the lead after DeVonta Smith caught a 41-yard pass to set up a TD.
https://twitter.com/Eagles/status/1726811315891470708
Both teams had a chance to make a big play and win. The Eagles did that, KC didn’t. Is that luck or is that talent? DeVonta would immediately be the best WR on the Chiefs. They traded Tyreek Hill last year and have been trying to find someone to emerge. That hasn’t happened.
Howie Roseman has a star QB in Jalen Hurts. He’s done a great job of surrounding Hurts with talented playmakers. Even a historically good QB like Patrick Mahomes needs guys who can make plays.
*****
One big difference from last year to this year is upgrading from Jonathan Gannon to Sean Desai.
The #Eagles have held teams to one second-half score or fewer in six of their 10 games this season and are allowing just 8.7 points per game in the second half.
On Sean Desai's feel for the game and more takeaways from last night's game: https://t.co/kKx6iDsXFF
— EJ Smith (@EJSmith94) November 21, 2023
That shows the ability to adjust during games. There were times when Gannon seemed to struggled adjusting within a season.
The defense is still a work in progress thanks to all the changes in the secondary, but we’ve seen real progress from this team. This group has a chance to play well down the stretch. The front is dominant at times and the secondary has potential if they can just stay healthy.
*****
The Colts cut LB Shaq Leonard.
If a team were to claim Shaq Leonard off of waivers, it would owe him $6.11M for the remainder of this season.
He's under contract through 2026, due as follows:
2024: ~$16.1M
2025: ~$19M
2026: ~$19.6M— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 21, 2023
He was a big time playmaker from 2018-2021. He got injured last year and only played in three games. Leonard has started nine games this year, but hasn’t been the same level of player.
I doubt the Eagles claim him with that salary, but they could talk to him if he goes unclaimed. Interesting player.
_
[…] Lucky vs Good – Iggles BlitzThose teams also have at least three losses. When they aren’t clicking on all cylinders, they become vulnerable. That’s where the Eagles are different. They find a way to win. Sometimes it is the running game. Sometimes it is Jalen Hurts and the passing game. Sometimes the defense steals the show. The Eagles don’t panic when they fall behind. They trailed Washington by double-digits in both games, but also won both. The Eagles trailed by 10 on Monday night and came back to win. They just lock in and keep grinding. It isn’t always pretty, but aside from a miserable afternoon in New Jersey, they win. People wanting an extreme point of comparison have brought up last year’s Vikings. They went 13-4, winning a lot of games in odd fashion. The Vikings got to the playoffs and got handled by Daniel Jones and the Giants. They had a negative point differential for the season. DVOA had them ranked as one of the worst teams in the league despite their record. The Eagles have a point differential of +61 this year. DVOA doesn’t love the Birds. They’re only 10th. I think the lack of blowout wins affects that. But the Eagles do have some quality wins. […]
[…] Lucky vs Good – Iggles BlitzThese groups even have no less than three losses. Once they aren’t clicking on all cylinders, they turn into susceptible. That’s the place the Eagles are completely different. They discover a approach to win. Generally it’s the operating recreation. Generally it’s Jalen Hurts and the passing recreation. Generally the protection steals the present. The Eagles don’t panic once they fall behind. They trailed Washington by double-digits in each video games, but additionally gained each. The Eagles trailed by 10 on Monday evening and got here again to win. They only lock in and hold grinding. It isn’t all the time fairly, however apart from a depressing afternoon in New Jersey, they win. Individuals wanting an excessive level of comparability have introduced up final yr’s Vikings. They went 13-4, profitable numerous video games in odd vogue. The Vikings received to the playoffs and received dealt with by Daniel Jones and the Giants. That they had a unfavourable level differential for the season. DVOA had them ranked as one of many worst groups within the league regardless of their file. The Eagles have a degree differential of +61 this yr. DVOA doesn’t love the Birds. They’re solely tenth. I feel the dearth of blowout wins impacts that. However the Eagles do have some high quality wins. […]
[…] Lucky vs Good – Iggles BlitzThose teams also have at least three losses. When they aren’t clicking on all cylinders, they become vulnerable. That’s where the Eagles are different. They find a way to win. Sometimes it is the running game. Sometimes it is Jalen Hurts and the passing game. Sometimes the defense steals the show. The Eagles don’t panic when they fall behind. They trailed Washington by double-digits in both games, but also won both. The Eagles trailed by 10 on Monday night and came back to win. They just lock in and keep grinding. It isn’t always pretty, but aside from a miserable afternoon in New Jersey, they win. People wanting an extreme point of comparison have brought up last year’s Vikings. They went 13-4, winning a lot of games in odd fashion. The Vikings got to the playoffs and got handled by Daniel Jones and the Giants. They had a negative point differential for the season. DVOA had them ranked as one of the worst teams in the league despite their record. The Eagles have a point differential of +61 this year. DVOA doesn’t love the Birds. They’re only 10th. I think the lack of blowout wins affects that. But the Eagles do have some quality wins. […]
[…] Lucky vs Good – Iggles BlitzThose teams also have at least three losses. When they aren’t clicking on all cylinders, they become vulnerable. That’s where the Eagles are different. They find a way to win. Sometimes it is the running game. Sometimes it is Jalen Hurts and the passing game. Sometimes the defense steals the show. The Eagles don’t panic when they fall behind. They trailed Washington by double-digits in both games, but also won both. The Eagles trailed by 10 on Monday night and came back to win. They just lock in and keep grinding. It isn’t always pretty, but aside from a miserable afternoon in New Jersey, they win. People wanting an extreme point of comparison have brought up last year’s Vikings. They went 13-4, winning a lot of games in odd fashion. The Vikings got to the playoffs and got handled by Daniel Jones and the Giants. They had a negative point differential for the season. DVOA had them ranked as one of the worst teams in the league despite their record. The Eagles have a point differential of +61 this year. DVOA doesn’t love the Birds. They’re only 10th. I think the lack of blowout wins affects that. But the Eagles do have some quality wins. […]
[…] Lucky vs Good – Iggles BlitzThose teams also have at least three losses. When they aren’t clicking on all cylinders, they become vulnerable. That’s where the Eagles are different. They find a way to win. Sometimes it is the running game. Sometimes it is Jalen Hurts and the passing game. Sometimes the defense steals the show. The Eagles don’t panic when they fall behind. They trailed Washington by double-digits in both games, but also won both. The Eagles trailed by 10 on Monday night and came back to win. They just lock in and keep grinding. It isn’t always pretty, but aside from a miserable afternoon in New Jersey, they win. People wanting an extreme point of comparison have brought up last year’s Vikings. They went 13-4, winning a lot of games in odd fashion. The Vikings got to the playoffs and got handled by Daniel Jones and the Giants. They had a negative point differential for the season. DVOA had them ranked as one of the worst teams in the league despite their record. The Eagles have a point differential of +61 this year. DVOA doesn’t love the Birds. They’re only 10th. I think the lack of blowout wins affects that. But the Eagles do have some quality wins. […]