Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Semi-Game Review – NYG 27, PHI 10

Posted January 11th, 2024 | 1 Comment »

This is not a normal game review. There is no reason to go over Sunday’s crapfest with a fine-tooth comb. I did want to rewatch it to get a better feel for what happened. My primary question is whether that game means anything for this week.

I don’t think it does.

Once AJ Brown went out, the starting offense fell apart. Jalen Hurts loves to feed the ball to his star players. Without them, he struggled. The offense looked better in the second half with Marcus Mariota running the show and only backups to work with.

The defense was good for 2 of the first 3 drives. And then it fell apart. Missed assignments, poor coverage and bad tackling turned a 3-0 game into a 24-0 debacle. The defense played better in the second half, limiting the Giants to three points.

One of my big takeaways from the game is that Nick Sirianni didn’t approach it well. He talked about maybe resting players, depending on how the Dallas game went. He sat Fletcher Cox out to get him rest. I think some of the veterans weren’t exactly firing on all cylinders. Sirianni would have been better to tell his guys they were playing all game, regardless of other scores, or to just sit them. What he did was logical, but his players didn’t handle it well. I think they assumed they would beat the Giants and that showed in the sloppy play.

This week is a playoff game. No one will rest. Sirianni won’t have to worry about trying to motivate players. They should be fired up for this.

MISC

It was good to see Mariota play. Hurts injured his finger against the Giants. I’m sure he’ll start in Tampa, but you never know what might happen in the game. Mariota got to knock the rust off and play for a half. The offense looked different with him running it. Mariota got the ball out quicker on a regular basis. He spread the ball around. If he does have to play in the postseason, I’ll feel better knowing he got some time in the regular season finale.

***

Quez Watkins just played the best game of his Eagles career, going 8-93-1. He didn’t just catch a deep ball and then a bunch of screens. He actually caught a variety of passes and looked good doing it. Watkins added RAC yards, which is something he’s struggled with in the past. His TD catch was genuinely impressive.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1744145309436109178

Unless I’m forgetting something, that’s the best catch of his NFL career. I’m not trying to put the guy in Canton, but it was good to see him actually play well. That has to help his confidence. He’s never lacked potential. We’ll see if he can build off this showing.

***

Kenny Gainwell ran hard and finished 7-62. He had a couple of nice runs in there.

***

Britain Covey was 3-35. He almost made an impressive TD catch, but just couldn’t get both feet in. He can be a good role player on offense. Mix him in here and there. Take advantage of his elusiveness and RAC skills.

***

Fred Johnson played RT for much of the second half. Jack Driscoll is a free agent so we don’t know if he’ll be back. Johnson could be a backup OT next year. He’s big and strong. His pass pro needs work, but he showed good potential.

***

I am not a member of the Bradley Roby fan club.

I hate people who turn one play into a defining moment, but boy that bugs the hell out of me. I would have a hard time keeping that guy on my team. Sirianni talked about the Eagles being a physical, violent team in his PC on Thursday. Maybe he should let Roby know about that.

Ugh.

***

There is no question that the Giants had the better gameplans on offense and defense. The Eagles didn’t handle the blitz well at all. I think that’s been discussed pretty thoroughly.

The Giants offensive play-callers had some really good stuff.

I hope the Eagles coaches are saving the good stuff for this week. We sure didn’t see it last Sunday.

***

James Bradberry didn’t make the Pro Bowl. He wanted to let voters know they didn’t make a mistake and played accordingly on Sunday. Amazing how far he’s fallen in one season.

***

Backup safety Tristan McCollum was physical and tackled aggressively. If you’re inexperienced, just play full speed and knock the crap out of people when you can.

***

Rashaad Penny isn’t a big believer in blitz pickup.

***

The run defense was better this week. Saquon Barkley finished 18-46. Jordan Davis was much better than the Arizona game. Having Zach Cunningham back helped. Tyrod Taylor did hurt the Eagles with his mobility, sometimes running and sometimes throwing on the run. Mobile QBs are tough on everyone, but it sure feels like they give the Eagles more trouble than most. Part of that is a back seven that struggles to communicate and adapt on the fly.

***

Boston Scott used to be the Giant killer. He had two quiet games this year. The Eagles must do a better job with backup RBs in 2024.

_

One Comment on “Semi-Game Review – NYG 27, PHI 10”

  1. 1 Eagles News: Rumors continue to swirl about Nick Sirianni’s uncertain future in Philly – Consolidated Financial said at 9:54 PM on January 12th, 2024:

    […] Semi-Game Review – NYG 27, PHI 10 – Iggles BlitzOne of my big takeaways from the game is that Nick Sirianni didn’t approach it well. He talked about maybe resting players, depending on how the Dallas game went. He sat Fletcher Cox out to get him rest. I think some of the veterans weren’t exactly firing on all cylinders. Sirianni would have been better to tell his guys they were playing all game, regardless of other scores, or to just sit them. What he did was logical, but his players didn’t handle it well. I think they assumed they would beat the Giants and that showed in the sloppy play. This week is a playoff game. No one will rest. Sirianni won’t have to worry about trying to motivate players. They should be fired up for this. […]