Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Game Review – PHI 15, NO 12

Posted September 26th, 2024 | 2 Comments »

Week 3 is very early in the NFL season so you never want to make too much of a game, but that was a huge win for the Eagles. It is too early to truly put the win into context. This could turn out to be a turning point game when we look back at the season a few months from now.

The 2023 Eagles did not handle adversity well at all. The 2024 team feels different. They played on the road against the hottest team in the league and had to deal with multiple injuries. The Eagles overcame all of that. They out-played the Saints and came through in clutch moments to win the game.

Huge.

COACHING

Nick Sirianni did a good job of preparing his team during the week. The Eagles came out ready to play. There could have been a hangover from the brutal loss to the Falcons on Monday night. Didn’t happen. The Eagles were focused and ready to go.

This wasn’t Sirianni’s best job of game management. It felt like he brought the baggage of the Falcons loss with him when it came to making decisions. Sirianni wasn’t aggressive enough vs Atlanta, but was too aggressive vs the Saints. He went for it on fourth down late in the first half. Even if the Eagles convert, there were just a few seconds left. The chances of scoring a TD were not good. The score was 3-0 in the favor of the Saints. Don’t overthink that. Just take the points.

The Eagles finished the game 1 for 3 on fourth downs.

Kellen Moore did a fantastic job with the Eagles offense. He didn’t have all his weapons or a healthy OL, but still got the team to put up 460 yards. They would have scored more than 15 points if Sirianni managed the game better. Moore’s play-call late in the game on the crossing route to Dallas Goedert was great. He took advantage of the Saints tendency to play man coverage. That got DG open and helped deliver a win.

Vic Fangio did a masterful coaching job. He mixed in more 5-2 and 6-1 fronts. When he did go 4-2-5, he used an extra DT to help with run defense. The Saints ran 29 times for only 89 yards (3.1 ypc). The Saints struggled to get big plays. They only had two plays go for more than 16 yards. They couldn’t sustain drives and couldn’t get chunk plays. That’s good defense. The Eagles got a key fourth down stop, held them to 1 for 3 in the red zone and sealed the game with a takeaway.

Darn good day for Fangio and the defense.

OFFENSE

This was the kind of game where you needed the star QB to step up and Jalen Hurts did just that. He went 29-38-311. He ran 8 times for 25 yards. Hurts threw an INT and fumbled the ball away. The INT was complicated. The fumble is something he’s got to clean up. The Eagles had a lot of RAC yards. You don’t get those without Hurts making good decisions and accurate throws.

It felt like Hurts made a real effort to stay in the pocket and not roll to his right. He got flushed to the left a couple of times and actually had some completions when doing that. DG and DeVonta got most of the targets for the game, but Hurts did spread it around to other receivers as well.

Saquon Barkley played like a star RB. He went 17-147-2. Beyond the numbers, his 65-yard TD run came at a time when the Eagles were desperate for a spark. Barkley scored the go-ahead TD and got the 2-point conversion. On both plays he ran straight ahead and hard. He wasn’t going to dance and look for daylight. He attacked up the field.

Dallas Goedert had the game of his life, going 10-170. It is rare for your TE to have three plays that go for 30 yards or more. The Eagles needed those big plays with AJ out. Goedert made some tough grabs and did a great job of running after the catch. Grant Calcaterra struggled as a blocker. He missed the block on the fake off the Brotherly Shove play. If he slows down his LB, Barkley is likely to get the first.

DeVonta Smith was great until getting hurt on the cheap shot hit. He was 7-79 and made some key grabs. Parris Campbell and Jahan Dotson each had a pair of short catches. Johnny Wilson had a good catch and run on third down to move the chains. He also had a drop on the final drive and was called for holding on another play. The Eagles need more from the backup receivers. Britain Covey was 1-11 before getting knocked out of the game.

The OL had a terrific game. Mekhi Becton hurt his hand and was replaced by Tyler Steen at RG. Lane Johnson suffered a concussion and was replaced by Fred Johnson at RT. Normally having a whole new right side of the line would be big trouble. Steen and Johnson played the best games of their NFL careers and came up big when their team needed them the most.

The rest of the OL played at a high level. The blocking on Saquon’s long TD run was great. The blocking on the short TD was great as well. Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson were key on those plays. Cam Jurgens had another good game. Hurts had a lot of time to throw on most of his dropbacks. Barkley had room to run on a regular basis.

DEFENSE

What a difference a week makes. Fangio made strategic changes, but we also have to give credit to the players for simply playing at a higher level. You could tell from the start that the defense had a different vibe. They were more aggressive, more physical and more emotional.

Jalen Carter was the star of the show. The stat sheet shows 4 tackles, 2 TFLs and 2 pass deflections. His impact was so much more than that. Carter was a disruptive force all game long.

Carter wasn’t alone. Jordan Davis played his best game of the year, finishing with 4 tackles and a sack. Milton Williams had 2 TFLs. He played DT and DE, helping to control the run inside and outside. Moro Ojomo and Thomas Booker were good off the bench.

The edge rushers didn’t come up with a sack, but were impactful. Josh Sweat had a good game and got into the backfield several times. He was only credited with 1 QB hit, but I think that’s wrong. He was disruptive. Brandon Graham played inside and outside. He came up big on the fourth down stop and also on the final play of the game. Bryce Huff didn’t play much. He is trying to re-invent his game and is struggling. Nolan Smith had a couple of tackles and played the run well.

Zack Baun  had another monster game. He led the team with 13 tackles. Baun set the edge, stuffed inside runs and played well in space. He was all over the field. Kamara did beat him down the sideline for a nice catch, but Baun had good coverage. Nakobe Dean played his best NFL game. He had 8 tackles and a TFL. He didn’t miss tackles. He got to the ball cleanly and made plays. He was under control, but aggressive. This was the best game by a pair of Eagles LBs in a while.

Baun and CJ Gardner-Johnson were both playing against their former team. That brought out the best in both players. CJGJ played a very emotional game. Any time he had a big hit or physical tackle, he made sure everyone knew about it. He might have gotten lucky on an early tackle of Kamara along the sideline. CJGJ kind of threw him to the ground out of bounds. It wasn’t hard, but we’ve seen officials call that. CJGJ had 8 tackles and a PD. He almost picked that pass off. It hit the ground, but it was a great effort. He gave up a TD to Olave.

Reed Blankenship only had 2 tackles, but did make the game-clinching INT. He saw the ball was underthrown and flew upfield to make a diving pick. Great awareness, effort and hands.

Quinyon Mitchell had 4 tackles and a pair of pass breakups. He had a shot at an INT, but couldn’t get his hands on the ball cleanly. He generally covered well. Darius Slay had a couple of tackles and broke up a pass in the end zone. That was a key play. When Slay was knocked out of the game, Kelee Ringo replaced him.

ST

Not the best game. Jake Elliott missed a 60-yard FG. He just pushed it.

The Saints blocked a punt. It looked like Nolan Smith was to blame on that.

Cooper DeJean replaced Covey as the PR. He had one return for 6 yards.

The KORs averaged 26 yards per return.

The Eagles didn’t give up any return yards.

_

2 Comments on “Game Review – PHI 15, NO 12”

  1. 1 The Linc - Haason Reddick reportedly “wouldn’t mind going back to Philadelphia” - SportSourcio said at 12:04 PM on September 27th, 2024:

    […] Game Review – PHI 15, NO 12 – Iggles Blitz […]

  2. 2 The Linc – News247Planet said at 10:00 PM on September 27th, 2024:

    […] Game Review – PHI 15, NO 12 – Iggles BlitzThis wasn’t Sirianni’s finest job of sport administration. It felt like he introduced the bags of the Falcons loss with him when it got here to creating choices. Sirianni wasn’t aggressive sufficient vs Atlanta, however was too aggressive vs the Saints. He went for it on fourth down late within the first half. Even when the Eagles convert, there have been only a few seconds left. The possibilities of scoring a TD weren’t good. The rating was 3-0 within the favor of the Saints. Don’t overthink that. Simply take the factors. The Eagles completed the sport 1 for 3 on fourth downs. Kellen Moore did a implausible job with the Eagles offense. He didn’t have all his weapons or a wholesome OL, however nonetheless bought the staff to place up 460 yards. They’d have scored greater than 15 factors if Sirianni managed the sport higher. Moore’s play-call late within the sport on the crossing path to Dallas Goedert was nice. He took benefit of the Saints tendency to play man protection. That bought DG open and helped ship a win. […]